Childhood & Play in Chinese 童年
tóngnián
Childhood in Chinese is 童年 (tóng nián).
Also searched for as: childhood, toys, playground games, play.
What do children do? 15 essential childhood & play 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 childhood in Chinese is 童年 (tóng nián), and talking about it is a natural way to get to know someone. This topic covers what children do for fun, from 玩 (wán), to play, and 玩具 (wán jù), toys, to playground favourites like 滑梯 (huá tī), the slide, and classic games such as 捉迷藏 (zhuō mí cáng), hide-and-seek. Pair them with 小时候 (xiǎo shí hou), 'when I was little', to share your own memories.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 童年 | tóng nián | childhood |
| 玩 | wán | to play |
| 玩具 | wán jù | toy |
| 游戏 | yóu xì | game |
| 公园 | gōng yuán | park |
| 画画 | huà huà | to draw |
| 唱歌 | chàng gē | to sing |
| 跳舞 | tiào wǔ | to dance |
| 故事 | gù shi | story |
| 动画片 | dòng huà piàn | cartoon |
| 积木 | jī mù | building blocks |
| 捉迷藏 | zhuō mí cáng | hide-and-seek |
| 滑梯 | huá tī | slide |
| 秋千 | qiū qiān | swing |
| 开心 | kāi xīn | happy |
Usage tips
- 玩 (wán) is much broader than 'play': adults use it for going out, sightseeing and having fun, as in 去北京玩 (qù Běi jīng wán), 'go to Beijing for a trip'.
- 画画 (huà huà) is verb plus object, 'draw pictures', so it can be split: 画一张画 (huà yī zhāng huà), 'draw a picture'.
- 玩得很开心 (wán de hěn kāi xīn) is the standard way to say you had a good time, and parents and hosts often ask 玩得开心吗？ (wán de kāi xīn ma).
Common mistakes
- Using 玩 (wán) for playing instruments or sports: for the piano or guitar say 弹 (tán), as in 弹钢琴 (tán gāng qín), and for football say 踢足球 (tī zú qiú).
- Putting the time word at the end, as in 我很开心今天: time words go before the verb or adjective, so say 今天我很开心 (jīn tiān wǒ hěn kāi xīn).
Mini dialogue
- A你小时候喜欢玩什么？Nǐ xiǎo shí hou xǐ huan wán shén me?What did you like playing as a child?
- B我喜欢画画，也常常跟朋友玩捉迷藏。Wǒ xǐ huan huà huà, yě cháng cháng gēn péng you wán zhuō mí cáng.I liked drawing, and I often played hide-and-seek with my friends.
- A我最喜欢去公园玩滑梯。Wǒ zuì xǐ huan qù gōng yuán wán huá tī.My favourite thing was going down the slide in the park.
- B那时候真开心啊！Nà shí hou zhēn kāi xīn a!We had such fun back then!
Example sentences
- 我的童年是在农村过的。I spent my childhood in the countryside.
- 孩子们在院子里玩。The children are playing in the yard.
- 这是我小时候的玩具。This was my toy when I was little.
- 我们来玩个游戏吧！Let's play a game!
- 周末我们去公园散步。We go for a walk in the park at the weekend.
- 我女儿很喜欢画画。My daughter really likes drawing.
- 她一边做饭一边唱歌。She sings while she cooks.
- 妹妹每周六去学跳舞。My little sister has dance lessons every Saturday.
- 妈妈每晚给我讲故事。Mum tells me a story every night.
- 孩子们在看动画片。The children are watching cartoons.
- 弟弟用积木搭了一座房子。My little brother built a house out of building blocks.
- 我们小时候常玩捉迷藏。We often played hide-and-seek when we were little.
- 孩子们排队玩滑梯。The children are queuing for the slide.
- 爸爸在公园推我荡秋千。Dad pushed me on the swing in the park.
- 今天玩得很开心！We had a great time today!
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Childhood & play speaking island has 8 everyday questions about childhood & play to prepare your own answers to.