How to Say "Roll" in Chinese - How To Say Guide

卷

juǎn

To roll in Chinese is 卷 (juǎn).

The verb 卷 (juǎn) is used for the action of rolling something up, such as sleeves or a carpet.

Meaning: to turn over and over (verb)

Which one should you use?

The tone changes depending on whether the word is used as a verb (juǎn, 3rd tone) or a noun (juàn, 4th tone).

When used as a verb meaning 'to roll' or 'to curl', the word is pronounced with the third tone juǎn.

juǎn

In modern Chinese internet slang, the word 卷 (juǎn) is used to describe 'involution', a term for hyper-competitive behavior where people work harder and harder for diminishing returns.
While 卷 (juǎn) refers to rolling something up, Chinese uses a completely different word, 滚 (gǔn), for a ball rolling across the floor or a person rolling down a hill.
The character 卷 contains the radical 卩, which represents a 'kneeling person'. This suggests the original concept of 'rolling' was visually linked to the act of bending or crouching a human body.

卷起你的袖子。
Roll up your sleeves.
This sentence shows how to use 卷 to mean rolling up sleeves.
Tatoeba #10699365 by GlossaMatik, translation #2891823 by CK
「那個麵包卷看起來不錯，裡面有什麼？」「莎樂美腸、黃瓜、生菜和雞蛋。價格也挺貴的，2.5 歐元。」
"That roll looks quite nice. What's in it?" "Salami, cucumber, lettuce and egg. It was quite dear, as well. It cost €2.50."
This sentence uses 卷 in the context of a food roll.
Tatoeba #13539365 by LeviHighway, translation #10119790 by sundown
請給我一卷彩色膠片。
One roll of color film, please.
This sentence uses 卷 to refer to a roll of film.
Tatoeba #850398 by Martha, translation #515641 by CN
我会卷起这条毯子。
I will roll up this blanket.
他一下子把球滚出了场地。
He rolled the ball out of the field in an instant.
这辆自行车的轮胎滚得很快。
The tires of this bicycle roll very fast.
昨晚辗转反侧，睡不着觉。
Last night, I rolled around in bed and couldn't sleep.
海浪翻滚着冲向沙滩。
The waves were rolling towards the beach.
他的情绪像一团翻滚的火焰。
His emotions were like a rolling flame.
2 more sentences on Tatoeba

A woman and a man are watching a small puppy play on the floor.

晓雯 Xiaowen

你看，小狗在地上卷了起来。
Nǐ kàn, xiǎo gǒu zài dì shàng juǎn le qǐ lái.
Look, the puppy is rolling over on the floor.
俊杰 Junjie

它看起来真的很可爱。
Tā kàn qǐ lái zhēn de hěn kě ài.
It looks really cute.
晓雯 Xiaowen

它想让你陪它一起卷。
Tā xiǎng ràng nǐ péi tā yī qǐ juǎn.
It wants you to roll around with it.
俊杰 Junjie

好，我去陪它玩。
Hǎo, wǒ qù péi tā wán.
Okay, I'll go play with it.

Sources

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