Hobbies in Chinese 爱好
àihào
Hobby in Chinese is 爱好 (ài hào).
Also searched for as: hobby, my hobbies, interests.
What do you enjoy? 20 essential hobbies 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 hobby in Chinese is 爱好 (ài hào), literally 'love and like', and it's one of the first things people ask when getting to know you: 你有什么爱好？ (nǐ yǒu shén me ài hào?). These words help you answer, whether you enjoy 画画 (huà huà), drawing, 摄影 (shè yǐng), photography, fishing, calligraphy or gardening. They also include verbs like 感兴趣 (gǎn xìng qù) and 练习 (liàn xí) for saying how keen you are.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 爱好 | ài hào | hobby |
| 喜欢 | xǐ huan | to like |
| 兴趣 | xìng qù | interest |
| 感兴趣 | gǎn xìng qù | to be interested |
| 画画 | huà huà | to paint; to draw |
| 摄影 | shè yǐng | photography |
| 跳舞 | tiào wǔ | to dance |
| 唱歌 | chàng gē | to sing |
| 弹 | tán | to play (an instrument) |
| 钓鱼 | diào yú | fishing |
| 爬山 | pá shān | hiking |
| 旅行 | lǚ xíng | to travel |
| 做饭 | zuò fàn | to cook |
| 书法 | shū fǎ | calligraphy |
| 手工 | shǒu gōng | handicraft |
| 收集 | shōu jí | to collect |
| 园艺 | yuán yì | gardening |
| 下棋 | xià qí | to play chess |
| 学习 | xué xí | to study |
| 练习 | liàn xí | to practise |
Usage tips
- 爱好 (ài hào) can be a verb, but in conversation 我喜欢 (wǒ xǐ huan) plus an activity sounds more natural: 我喜欢钓鱼 (wǒ xǐ huan diào yú).
- Instruments take different verbs: 弹 (tán) for keyboards and plucked strings, as in 弹吉他 (tán jí tā), 拉 (lā) for bowed strings, 吹 (chuī) for wind instruments and 打 (dǎ) for drums.
- Chess and board games use 下 (xià): 下棋 (xià qí), and Chinese chess is 下象棋 (xià xiàng qí).
Common mistakes
- Saying 我感兴趣音乐 → the topic goes before 感兴趣 with 对: 我对音乐感兴趣 (wǒ duì yīn yuè gǎn xìng qù).
- Using 玩 (wán) for every hobby, as in 玩钢琴 → use the specific verb: 弹钢琴 (tán gāng qín), 画画 (huà huà), 钓鱼 (diào yú).
Mini dialogue
- A你有什么爱好？Nǐ yǒu shén me ài hào?What hobbies do you have?
- B我喜欢摄影，周末常常出去拍照。你呢？Wǒ xǐ huan shè yǐng, zhōu mò cháng cháng chū qu pāi zhào. Nǐ ne?I like photography. I often go out taking photos at weekends. What about you?
- A我在学书法，每天练习半个小时。Wǒ zài xué shū fǎ, měi tiān liàn xí bàn ge xiǎo shí.I'm learning calligraphy. I practise for half an hour every day.
- B真的吗？我对书法也很感兴趣！Zhēn de ma? Wǒ duì shū fǎ yě hěn gǎn xìng qù!Really? I'm really interested in calligraphy too!
Example sentences
- 你有什么爱好？What hobbies do you have?
- 我妹妹喜欢看书。My younger sister likes reading.
- 他对中国历史很有兴趣。He has a strong interest in Chinese history.
- 你对音乐感兴趣吗？Are you interested in music?
- 小明每天放学后画画。Xiaoming draws every day after school.
- 我爸爸的爱好是摄影。My dad's hobby is photography.
- 她从小就喜欢跳舞。She has loved dancing since she was little.
- 我们周末去KTV唱歌吧。Let's go and sing karaoke at the weekend.
- 你会弹吉他吗？Can you play the guitar?
- 爷爷每个星期天去湖边钓鱼。Grandpa goes fishing by the lake every Sunday.
- 秋天去爬山最舒服。Autumn is the nicest time to go hiking.
- 我想明年去云南旅行。I want to travel to Yunnan next year.
- 周末我喜欢给家人做饭。At weekends I like cooking for my family.
- 王老师教我们写书法。Mr Wang teaches us calligraphy.
- 她做的手工很漂亮。Her handicrafts are really beautiful.
- 我哥哥喜欢收集邮票。My older brother likes collecting stamps.
- 退休以后，她开始学园艺。After retiring, she took up gardening.
- 两个老人在树下下棋。Two old men are playing chess under the tree.
- 我在学习做蛋糕。I'm learning how to make cakes.
- 她每天练习一个小时钢琴。She practises the piano for an hour every day.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Hobbies speaking island has 8 everyday questions about hobbies to prepare your own answers to.