v., n.
hobby; to be fond of; to like
爱好
hobby; to be fond of; to like
Hobby, interest, or pastime (爱 love + 好 fond of); refers to regular recreational pursuits like reading or sports.
Common Usage & Traps
- 我的爱好是看电影 — my hobby is watching movies
- 最大的爱好 — biggest hobby
- 你有什么爱好？ — what hobbies do you have?
- 爱好音乐 — to be fond of music (formal, written style)
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做爱好有...爱好 / 我的爱好是...English says 'do a hobby', Chinese does not. 做 cannot take 爱好 as an object. Say 你有什么爱好 or 我的爱好是游泳.
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很爱好很喜欢 / 特别爱很 does not glue onto 爱好. When you mean 'really into it', natives say 我很喜欢音乐 or 我特别喜欢打篮球.
Can you say 我爱好音乐, or is 爱好 only a noun?
爱好 works as a verb, but it sounds like a job application. Daily talk uses 喜欢.
爱好 has two jobs: the noun for 'hobby' and a verb meaning 'be keen on'. The verb is real, but it hangs out in writing, resumes, and formal speech. Say 我爱好音乐 to a friend and you sound like a 1985 textbook. Everyday Chinese reaches for 喜欢 or 爱: 我很喜欢音乐. The noun is where 爱好 earns its keep. Build it as 我的爱好是 + activity, and scale it with 最大的 or 很多. That is the pattern you will use in nearly every real conversation.
“最近我每周都游两三次，但看电影是我最大的爱好！” (Lately I swim two or three times a week, but watching movies is my biggest hobby!)
“最近我每周都游两三次，但看电影是我最大的爱好！” (Lately I swim two or three times a week, but watching movies is my biggest hobby!)
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Naming a hobby | 我的爱好是听音乐。 | 我爱好是听音乐。 |
| Saying you enjoy something | 我很喜欢听音乐。 | 我很爱好听音乐。 |
| Scaling the noun | 游泳是我最大的爱好。 | 游泳是我很爱好的事。 |
Is 爱好 pronounced ài hǎo or ài hào?
ài hào, fourth tone. 好 flips to 4th tone whenever it means 'to like'.
好 has two readings, and the meaning tells you which one to use. When it means 'good', it is hǎo, like 好看. When it means 'to like' or 'be fond of', it is hào. 爱好 carries the 'fond of' meaning, so the second syllable is fourth tone: ài hào. Learners who say ài hǎo still get understood, but it is an instant tell.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| 'good' reading | 好看 (hǎo kàn) | 爱好 (ài hǎo) |
| 'fond of' reading | 爱好 (ài hào) | 好看 (hào kàn) |
| Remembering it | hào = 喜欢-flavored 好 | hǎo everywhere by default |
Featured in Story Deep Dive
Follow how this word unfolds across the narrative arc of this graded story.
In this dialogue, two people chat while waiting outside a cinema. You'll hear common phrases for talking about hobbies, sports, and movie preferences.
- Scene #1
最近我每周都游两三次，但看电影是我最大的 爱好 ！
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