游泳
yóuyǒng
Swimming in Chinese is 游泳 (yóuyǒng). Wiktionary also lists 游 (yóu) and 泳 (yǒng).
Meaning: human activity of moving oneself through water (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 游泳 | yóuyǒng |
| 游 | yóu |
| 泳 | yǒng |
The term 游泳 is a noun referring to the human activity of moving through water. You can use it in phrases to express interests or desires, such as 爱好游泳 (love swimming) or 想游泳 (want to swim).
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of two characters: 游 (yóu), which means to swim or to wander/roam and 泳 (yǒng).
Which one should you use?
While 游泳 is the full noun or verb used to describe the activity, the single character 游 can be used as a verb meaning 'to swim' in many different contexts.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Cantonese, the equivalent for swimming is 游水.
How do you pronounce it?
yóuyǒng
Did you know?
- The character 游 is a distant linguistic relative of the Tibetan word རྒྱུ་བ, which means 'to walk' or 'to wander'.
Examples in context
- 汤姆游泳了。Tom went swimming.This sentence uses 游泳 to describe the action of Tom going swimming.Tatoeba #4977423 by musclegirlxyp, translation #11783087 by CK
- 我不擅长游泳。I'm not very good at swimming.This sentence uses 游泳 to describe a lack of skill in the activity.Tatoeba #4757664 by ryanwoo, translation #321878 by CK
- 你喜欢游泳吗？Do you like swimming?This sentence uses 游泳 to ask about a person's preference for the activity.Tatoeba #5072418 by musclegirlxyp, translation #2280273 by CK
- 我游泳I swim
- 你游泳吗？Do you swim?
- 我爱好游泳I love swimming
- 我想游泳I want to go swimming
- 108 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Wei and Jiayi are discussing their weekend plans.
- 伟 Wei这个星期六我想去游泳。Zhège xīngqīliù wǒ xiǎng qù yóuyǒng.I want to go swimming this Saturday.
- 佳怡 Jiayi我也想去，哪个游泳池比较好？Wǒ yě xiǎng qù, nǎge yóuyǒngchí bǐjiào hǎo?I want to go too, which swimming pool is better?
- 伟 Wei市中心的那个游泳池很大。Shìzhōngxīn de nàge yóuyǒngchí hěn dà.The swimming pool downtown is very big.
- 佳怡 Jiayi太好了，那我们一起去游泳吧。Tài hǎole, nà wǒmen yīqǐ qù yóuyǒng ba.Great, let's go swimming together.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “swimming” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 泳, 游, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
