玩耍
wánshuǎ/wän³⁵ ʂu̯ä²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
The English verb 'play' can be translated into Chinese in several ways, with the default form being 玩耍 (wánshuǎ). Wiktionary also lists 玩 (wán) and 玩兒 / 玩儿 (wánr).
Meaning: act in a manner such that one has fun (verb)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 玩耍 | wánshuǎ | /wän³⁵ ʂu̯ä²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /waːn²¹ saː³⁵/ (Cantonese, Guangzhou, Sinological IPA, Standard Cantonese, Hong Kong) |
|
| 玩 | wán | /wän³⁵/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /wɑɻ³⁵/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Erhua, Sinological IPA, 玩兒 / 玩儿) |
|
| 玩兒 / 玩儿 | wánr | ||
| 𨑨迌 | chhit-thô, thit-thô | /t͡sʰit̚³²⁻⁴ tʰɤ²³/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Philippines, Penang, Singapore, Sinological IPA, Kaohsiung, General Taiwanese) /t͡sʰit̚³²⁻⁴ tʰo²⁴/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Philippines, Penang, Singapore, Sinological IPA, Taipei, General Taiwanese) |
Hokkien |
The term 'play' in Chinese refers to acting in a manner to have fun. While it covers physical play, the form 玩 is also used for interacting with digital media, such as 玩游戏 (playing games) or 玩手机 (playing with/using a phone). Note that the noun forms of 玩 or 玩儿 can also refer to a playful activity.
Which one should you use?
The single character 玩 is the most common, colloquial way to say 'play' in daily conversation. In contrast, 玩耍 is more formal or descriptive.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Hokkien, spoken in Taiwan and parts of Fujian, the term 𨑨迌 is used to mean 'play' or 'go out for fun'.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
wánshuǎ: /wän³⁵ ʂu̯ä²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use 玩 when talking about playing a musical instrument. Instead, use 弹 (tán) or 拉 (lā) depending on the instrument.
Did you know?
- Using 玩 with a person, such as 玩他, can imply that you are tricking or manipulating them rather than playing a game with them.
- The character 玩 is composed of the radical for 'jade' (玉), reflecting an ancient connection where precious stones were the primary objects used for recreation.
- In Northern China, adding the 'r' sound to create 玩儿 is not just a pronunciation quirk but changes the feel of the word to be more casual and cozy.
Examples in context
- 我不玩网游。I don't play online games.This sentence shows the use of 玩 with digital media.Tatoeba #1750406 by sadhen, translation #13852031 by frpzzd
- 沒人跟他玩。He has no one to play with.This sentence uses 玩 to describe social play.Tatoeba #13246041 by LeviHighway, translation #10782199 by sundown
- 來玩捉迷藏吧！Let's play hide-and-seek!This sentence uses 玩 to suggest a game.Tatoeba #1227109 by tsayng, translation #1064354 by sundown
- 玩棋盘游戏(wán qípán yóuxì)Play board games
- 玩球(wán qiú)Play ball
- 玩电子游戏(wán diànzǐ yóuxì)Play video games
- 我们一起玩儿(wǒmen yīqǐ wánr)Let's play together
- 闹着玩(nào zhe wán)Play around
- 玩遊戲(waan2 jau4 hei3)Play games
- 104 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are watching children in a park.
- 雨婷 Yuting你看，那些孩子在草地上玩耍。Nǐ kàn, nàxiē háizi zài cǎodì shàng wánshuǎ.Look, those children are playing on the grass.
- 俊杰 Junjie他们看起来很高兴。Tāmen kàn qǐlái hěn gāoxìng.They look very happy.
- 雨婷 Yuting我们小时候也喜欢这样玩耍。Wǒmen xiǎoshíhòu yě xǐhuān zhèyàng wánshuǎ.We also liked to play like this when we were little.
- 俊杰 Junjie是的，那是最好的时光。Shì de, nà shì zuì hǎo de shíguāng.Yes, those were the best times.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “play” translations and entries 玩耍, 玩, 𨑨迌, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 玩, 𨑨迌, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
