Art & Drawing in Chinese 画画
huàhuà
Draw, to paint in Chinese is 画画 (huà huà).
Also searched for as: art, draw, painting, drawing.
Can you draw it instead? 15 essential art & drawing words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
The word for drawing or painting in Chinese is 画画 (huà huà), which is simply the verb 画 (huà) 'to draw' followed by the noun 画 'picture'. These words take you from a pencil 素描 (sù miáo), sketch, to watercolours and oil paintings, and on to 国画 (guó huà), traditional Chinese painting with its mountains and rivers. You'll also find words for talking about exhibitions, inspiration and praising someone's work.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 画 | huà | to draw; to paint |
| 画画 | huà huà | drawing; painting |
| 画家 | huà jiā | painter |
| 画笔 | huà bǐ | paintbrush |
| 颜料 | yán liào | paint |
| 素描 | sù miáo | sketch |
| 油画 | yóu huà | oil painting |
| 水彩 | shuǐ cǎi | watercolour |
| 国画 | guó huà | Chinese painting |
| 书法 | shū fǎ | calligraphy |
| 作品 | zuò pǐn | work (of art) |
| 展览 | zhǎn lǎn | exhibition |
| 艺术 | yì shù | art |
| 灵感 | líng gǎn | inspiration |
| 像 | xiàng | to look like |
Usage tips
- Chinese doesn't separate 'draw' and 'paint' as English does: 画 (huà) covers both, and the medium comes from the noun, as in 画油画 (huà yóu huà), 'paint in oils'.
- The measure word for a painting is 幅 (fú): 一幅画 (yī fú huà), 一幅油画 (yī fú yóu huà).
- To praise a drawing, say 画得真好 (huà de zhēn hǎo) or 画得真像 (huà de zhēn xiàng), 'it looks just like it'; 像 (xiàng) is the key word for likeness.
Common mistakes
- Calling anyone who draws a 画家 (huà jiā) → it suggests a professional artist; for a hobbyist just say 他喜欢画画 (tā xǐ huan huà huà).
- Translating art 'paint' as 油漆 (yóu qī) → that's decorating paint for walls; artists' paint is 颜料 (yán liào).
Mini dialogue
- A你在画什么？Nǐ zài huà shén me?What are you drawing?
- B我在画我们家的猫。我最近在学素描。Wǒ zài huà wǒ men jiā de māo. Wǒ zuì jìn zài xué sù miáo.I'm drawing our cat. I've been learning to sketch recently.
- A哇，你画得真像！Wā, nǐ huà de zhēn xiàng!Wow, it looks just like her!
- B谢谢！下周有一个艺术展览，我们一起去看吧？Xiè xie! Xià zhōu yǒu yī ge yì shù zhǎn lǎn, wǒ men yī qǐ qù kàn ba?Thanks! There's an art exhibition next week. Shall we go together?
Example sentences
- 你画的是什么？What are you drawing?
- 我从小喜欢画画。I've loved drawing since I was little.
- 他是一位有名的画家。He's a famous painter.
- 我买了一套新画笔。I bought a new set of brushes.
- 颜料弄到衣服上了。I got paint on my clothes.
- 我在学素描。I'm learning to sketch.
- 博物馆里有很多油画。There are lots of oil paintings in the museum.
- 水彩画很漂亮。Watercolour paintings are lovely.
- 国画常常画山水。Chinese paintings often show mountains and rivers.
- 爷爷每天练书法。Grandpa practises calligraphy every day.
- 这是我的作品。This is my work.
- 下周有一个艺术展览。There's an art exhibition next week.
- 她对艺术很感兴趣。She's very interested in art.
- 我没有灵感了。I've run out of inspiration.
- 你画得真像！Your drawing looks just like it!
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Art & drawing speaking island has 8 everyday questions about art & drawing to prepare your own answers to.