胳肢
gézhi
To tickle in Mandarin is 胳肢 (gézhi). Wiktionary also lists 癢癢 / 痒痒 (yǎngyang).
Meaning: to touch in a manner that causes tingling sensation (verb)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 胳肢 | gézhi |
| 癢癢 / 痒痒 | yǎngyang |
The verb for the act of tickling is 胳肢. In many casual contexts, people use the phrase 挠痒痒 (náo yǎngyang) to mean the act of tickling someone.
Which one should you use?
The single character 痒 functions as an adjective meaning 'itchy', whereas the reduplicated form 痒痒 is more commonly used to describe the sensation of being ticklish. Related nouns such as 痒 or 痒感 describe an itchy feeling resembling the result of tickling.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
gézhi
Did you know?
- In Chinese, the phrase 心痒痒 (xīn yǎngyang) literally means 'heart is ticklish' and is used to describe being extremely eager or tempted to do something.
- The character 痒 (yǎng) contains the 'sickness' radical 疒 on the outside, categorizing the sensation of an itch as a type of ailment.
- The word 胳肢 (gézhi) is not originally Chinese but is derived from the Manchu word gejihešembi meaning 'to tickle'.
Examples in context
- 别胳肢我，我怕痒。bié gēzhi wǒ, wǒ pà yǎng.Don't tickle me, I'm ticklish.
- 你不要一直胳肢我。nǐ bùyào yìzhí gēzhi wǒ.Stop tickling me constantly.
Example conversation
Wei is playfully teasing Xin Yi at home.
- 志强 Zhiqiang我来胳肢你一下！wǒ lái gēzhi nǐ yíxià!I'm going to tickle you!
- 晓雯 Xiaowen不要，太痒了！búyào, tài yǎng le!No, it's too ticklish!
- 志强 Zhiqiang欣怡，你真的很怕痒。Xīnyí, nǐ zhēn de hěn pà yǎng.Xin Yi, you are really ticklish.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen快住手，别胳肢了。kuài zhùshǒu, bié gēzhi le.Stop it, stop tickling me.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “tickle” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 胳肢, CC BY-SA 4.0.
