坐
zuò/t͡su̯ɔ⁵¹/
The English verb "sit" can be translated into Chinese as 坐 (zuò).
Meaning: of a person, be in a position in which the upper body is upright and the legs are supported (verb)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 坐 | zuò | /t͡su̯ɔ⁵¹/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /t͡so²¹³/ (Mandarin, Chengdu, Sinological IPA) |
|
| 坐 | chē / chěr | /t͡se³³/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Taipei, Kaohsiung, Tainan, Yilan, Taichung, Singapore, Sinological IPA, Magong) /t͡se²²/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Taipei, Kaohsiung, Tainan, Yilan, Taichung, Singapore, Sinological IPA, Magong) |
Hokkien |
The verb refers to a person being in a position where the upper body is upright and the legs are supported.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Dungan, the word is зуә, while in Hokkien the form is 坐.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation for 坐 is zuò.
Did you know?
- In many Chinese dialects, including Hokkien, the verb for 'sitting' is also used to mean 'staying' or 'residing' in a specific place.
- The word 坐 shares a common linguistic ancestor with the Tangut word 𗶠, meaning 'to sit', showing its ancient roots in the Sino-Tibetan language family.
- The Dungan language uses the form зуә for 'sit', which uses the Cyrillic alphabet because Dungan is a Chinese-based language spoken in Central Asia.
Examples in context
- 汤姆想坐下。Tom wants to sit down.This sentence is useful for expressing the desire to sit down with 坐.Tatoeba #5698022 by verdastelo9604, translation #5009644 by CK
- 你坐飛機吧。Sit on the plane.This sentence shows the use of 坐 in the context of riding or sitting on a plane.Tatoeba #6286215 by xjjAstrus, translation #7782248 by sharris123
- 我就坐这儿。I'll just sit here.This sentence demonstrates using 坐 to specify a location for sitting.Tatoeba #7823009 by basilhan, translation #2548773 by CK
- 请坐下Please have a seat.
- 来，坐这儿Come, sit here.
- 92 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Wei and Zihan are at a cafe.
- 伟 Wei梓涵，请坐。Zǐhán, qǐng zuò.Zihan, please sit.
- 梓涵 Zihan谢谢，伟。xièxiè, Wěi.Thank you, Wei.
- 伟 Wei你想喝咖啡吗？nǐ xiǎng hē kāfēi ma?Do you want to drink coffee?
- 梓涵 Zihan好的，我想喝。hǎo de, wǒ xiǎng hē.Okay, I would like some.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sit” translations and entries 坐, 坐, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 坐, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
