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玩 (wán) — to play; to have fun

Definition

玩 (wán) is the everyday verb 'to play / to have fun' — covers games, sports, and playing with pets. 游玩 is more formal and leans toward sightseeing or outings.

verb
to playto have fun
Easily confused

Examples

  • 玩。
    Wǒ men yì qǐ wán ba.
    Let's play together.
  • 玩？
    Nǐ xǐ huan wán ma?
    Do you like to play?
  • 玩。
    Wǒ hé māo wán.
    I play with the cat.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
玉玉yùjade
Sound part声符shēngfú
元
元yuán玩wán
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

玩 pairs 玉 (jade) with 元 (yuán) for sound. The jade part points to toys made of jade.

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 1500 Most Frequent Chinese WordsHSK 2.0 Level 21000 Most Frequent Chinese WordsHobbies & Pastimes2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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