Chinese word

忘记

Pronunciation

Pinyinwàng jì

Meaning

  • verbforget

Example

我忘记了他的名字。wǒ wàng jì le tā de míng zì

I forgot his name.

Illustration for 忘记 (forget)

More examples

我今天忘记带书了。wǒ jīn tiān wàng jì dài shū le

I forgot to bring a book today.

Core concept

The mind loses its hold on something, so recall or follow-through fails.

Common phrases

  • 忘记了wàng jì le

    forget

  • 忘记名字wàng jì míng zì

    forget a name

  • 忘记带书wàng jì dài shū

    forget to bring a book

Similar words

忘掉wàng diào: Lose all memory of something and no longer remember it at all.
忘了wàng le: In everyday speech, say that something was forgotten or is now forgotten.

Definition in Chinese

未能想起某人或某事，头脑中没有相关记忆或无法回忆出细节。wèi néng xiáng qǐ mǒu rén huò mǒu shì tóu nǎo zhōng méi yǒu xiāng guān jì yì huò wú fǎ huí yì chū xì jié

Word origin

忘 (wàng, "lose from the mind") + 记 (jì, "record or remember") forms a compound for something no longer held in memory.

Usage tips

  • English often leaves the forgotten object unstated, while Chinese commonly names the person or thing after this verb, making that object a useful part of early practice.

Other meanings

  • leave behindverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word