猜謎游戲 / 猜谜游戏
The English word "puzzle" can be translated into Chinese as 猜謎游戲 / 猜谜游戏 or 智力游戲 / 智力游戏.
Meaning: game or toy, or problem, requiring some effort to complete or work out, which is intended as a pastime and/or to test one’s mental ability (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 猜謎游戲 / 猜谜游戏 | |
| 智力游戲 / 智力游戏 | zhìlì yóuxì |
In Chinese, the term for puzzle depends on whether you are referring to a game involving riddles or a broader category of games that test mental ability.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 猜謎游戲 / 猜谜游戏 literally means 'guessing riddle game'. The component 猜 (cāi) means 'to guess', 謎 (mí) means 'riddle' and 游戲 (yóuxì) means 'game'.
Which one should you use?
While 猜謎游戲 / 猜谜游戏 focuses on the act of guessing riddles, 智力游戲 / 智力游戏 (zhìlì yóuxì) is a broader term for any game that tests mental ability or intelligence, such as logic puzzles or strategy games. If you are referring specifically to the verbal riddle itself rather than the game, use 謎語 / 谜语 (míyǔ).
Did you know?
- If a puzzle is extremely difficult, a person might say it is 'too much for one's brain' by using the phrase 烧脑 / 烧脑, which literally means 'burning the brain'.
- During the Lantern Festival, people paste 謎語 / 谜语 on lanterns for others to solve, turning the entire city into a giant interactive puzzle.
- Many traditional Chinese riddles are actually 'character puzzles' where the answer is a specific Chinese character. To solve them, you must deduce which character's components represent the riddle's clues.
Examples in context
- 我很喜欢拼图游戏。I really enjoy jigsaw puzzles.
- 这个拼图有1000片。This puzzle has 1000 pieces.
- 你喜欢玩谜题游戏吗？Do you like to play puzzle games?
- 我一直被这个数学谜题困扰着。I've been bothered by this math puzzle all along.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “puzzle” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
