To toy with or fondle jade as a plaything.
To play, have fun, enjoy oneself, or amuse oneself. Jade radical (王) next to 元 (origin): a precious stone is the first plaything.
玩
Common Usage & Traps
- 好玩儿 — fun, amusing
- 玩儿游戏 — play games
- 去玩儿 — go out and have fun
- 玩儿手机 — play on one's phone
- 玩儿球 — play ball
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玩音乐玩儿乐器 / 听音乐English speakers say 'play music', but in Chinese 玩音乐 sounds like you are casually toying with music rather than performing it. Use 玩儿乐器 for playing an instrument, or 听音乐 for listening to music.
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玩运动做运动 / 打球'Play sports' does not translate as 玩运动. Chinese says 做运动 (do exercise) or names the specific sport, like 打篮球 (play basketball).
What is the difference between 玩 and 完?
玩 means 'to play'; 完 means 'to finish' or 'to be done'.
These two characters look similar because they share the same right-hand component 元, but their left-hand radicals are different. 玩 has the jade radical 王 (玉), linking it to playful handling of something precious. 完 has the roof radical 宀, suggesting a completed household or finished matter. So 玩儿 is about fun, while 完 is about completion.
| Dimension | 玩 | 完 |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | to play, have fun | to finish, be done |
| Radical | 王 (jade) | 宀 (roof) |
| Example | 我们去玩儿吧。 (Let's go have fun.) | 我吃完饭了。 (I finished eating.) |
When should I use 玩儿 instead of 玩?
In everyday northern speech, 玩儿 is the natural spoken form; 玩 alone often appears in writing or before an object.
玩儿 is the colloquial Beijing-style pronunciation with the erhua suffix, and it is extremely common in spoken Mandarin. When 玩 is followed directly by an object, like 玩儿游戏 or 玩儿手机, the 儿 is often kept in speech but may be dropped in formal writing. As a standalone verb meaning 'to play', 玩儿 is the safest choice in conversation.
| Dimension | 玩儿 | 玩 |
|---|---|---|
| Register | colloquial, spoken | neutral, written or before objects |
| Example | 咱们出去玩儿吧。 | 他喜欢玩足球。 (less natural; better: 踢足球) |
| Note | erhua suffix common in northern speech | base form used in compounds and formal contexts |
Appears in Stories 5 stories
Join a family on a sweltering Beijing Sunday as a boy learns a funny lesson about playing outside in the summer heat. Perfect for HSK 1 learners.
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我的儿子对我说：“爸爸，我想去学校 玩儿 “。
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“那，我可以一个人 玩儿 ”。
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儿子：“爸爸，你去我们学校 玩 吧！
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我不想去那里 玩 了。
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我现在觉得喝水最 好玩儿 “。
Learn the fascinating story behind the Chinese idiom '东山再起' (Dongshan Zaiji), which means to make a comeback. Discover its historical roots and modern usage.
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但谢安不想做官，多次拒绝了朝廷的邀请，就住在会稽的东山（今天的浙江省会稽山），和朋友一起 游玩 。
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朋友跟他 开玩笑 说：“你以前一直待在东山，现在终于愿意出来重新开始了。”
Ever wondered where old Beijing's tea-drinking culture has gone? Follow a visitor discovering why locals now avoid famous tea houses—and practice expressing surprise and comparisons in Chinese along the way.
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他们去那儿不是为了喝茶，是为了 玩儿 。
Discover how a simple letter from a cookie seller led to an unexpected friendship with a famous scholar. This heartwarming story explores kindness and connection across social divides.
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他的一个朋友拿了一块饼干送到他的病房，跟他 开玩笑 ：“我给你吃一样东西。
This short poem plays with words that sound alike, comparing things that are good to watch, read, hear, or taste. Perfect for practicing basic adjectives like 好 and 真.
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可乐真好喝，好喝还 好玩儿 。
Questions & Discussion 0 questions
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