游泳
yóuyǒng
To swim in Chinese is 游泳 (yóuyǒng).
游泳 means to move through water. It can function as both a verb (to swim) and a noun (swimming/a swimming session).
Meaning: move through water (verb)
What does it mean word for word?
The word 游泳 is composed of 游 (to swim/wander) and 泳 (to swim).
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb 游泳 is an intransitive verb and does not take a direct object, so you cannot say 'swim a distance' directly after it without a preposition or a different structure.
How do you pronounce it?
yóuyǒng
Did you know?
- Ancient Chinese texts used 游 to describe the movements of fish or ghosts, treating 'swimming' as a form of spiritual or natural wandering.
- The character 游 is also used in the word for 'tourist' or 'traveler', connecting the concept of swimming to the concept of sightseeing.
- The character 泳 is rarely used alone in modern spoken Chinese and almost always appears as part of the compound 游泳.
Examples in context
- 我不想游泳。I don't want to swim.This sentence shows how to express a lack of desire to use 游泳.Tatoeba #4739767 by elenachang, translation #4737848 by mervert1
- 你能游泳嗎？Can you swim?This sentence uses 游泳 to ask about one's ability.Tatoeba #5919528 by xjjAstrus, translation #16300 by CK
- 我要學游泳。I want to learn how to swim.This sentence expresses the intention to learn the skill of 游泳.Tatoeba #6038842 by xjjAstrus, translation #256169 by CK
- 你喜欢游泳吗？Do you like to swim?
- 是的，我喜欢游泳。Yes, I enjoy swimming.
- 明天我们去海边下水吧！Let's go swimming at the beach tomorrow!
- 好的，我很久没下水了。Sure, I haven't swum in a long time.
- 130 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Wei and Yuting are at the swimming pool.
- 伟 Wei雨婷，你想去游泳吗？Yǔtíng, nǐ xiǎng qù yóuyǒng ma?Yuting, do you want to go swimming?
- 雨婷 Yuting我想，但我忘了带泳衣。Wǒ xiǎng, dàn wǒ wàngle dài yǒngyī.I do, but I forgot to bring my swimsuit.
- 伟 Wei没关系，你可以租一件。Méiguānxì, nǐ kěyǐ zū yī jiàn.It's okay, you can rent one.
- 雨婷 Yuting太好了，我们快去游泳吧！Tài hǎole, wǒmen kuài qù yóuyǒng ba!Great, let's go swimming now!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “swim” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
