Chinese word

喜欢

Pronunciation

Pinyinxǐ huān

Meaning

  • verblike

Example

我喜欢吃苹果。wǒ xǐ huān chī píng guǒ

I like eating apples.

Illustration for 喜欢 (like)

More examples

她喜欢听音乐。tā xǐ huān tīng yīn yuè

She likes listening to music.

Core concept

A warm preference that draws someone toward an activity, object, or person rather than leaving them indifferent.

Common phrases

  • 喜欢吃苹果xǐ huān chī píng guǒ

    like eating apples

  • 喜欢听音乐xǐ huān tīng yīn yuè

    like listening to music

Similar words

爱ài: To feel deep affection for someone or something.
想xiǎng: To want to do something.
要yào: To want to have or obtain something.

Definition in Chinese

对人或事物产生愉快的感情，愿意接近、选择或经常与之接触。duì rén huò shì wù chǎn shēng yú kuài de gǎn qíng yuàn yì jiē jìn xuǎn zé huò jīng cháng yǔ zhī jiē chù

Word origin

The word 喜欢 (xǐhuān, "like") is built from 喜 (xǐ, "joy") plus 欢 (huān, "gladness"), making its two parts point to enjoyment and favorable feeling.

Usage tips

  • Chinese treats this preference word as a verb, so it can connect directly to an action, while English often uses to or an -ing form after like.

Other meanings

  • preferverb
  • be fond ofverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word