Chinese word

忘

Pronunciation

Pinyinwàng

Meaning

  • verbforget

Example

我忘了带钥匙。wǒ wàng le dài yào shi

I forgot to bring my keys.

Illustration for 忘 (forget)

More examples

别忘了带伞。bié wàng le dài sǎn

Don't forget to bring an umbrella.

Core concept

A thought or thing slips out of the mind and is unavailable when it is needed.

Common phrases

  • 别忘了bié wàng le

    don't forget

  • 忘了wàng le

    forgot

  • 忘带wàng dài

    forget to bring

Similar words

忘记wàng jì: Be unable to remember something or bring it back to mind.
忘掉wàng diào: Let something leave the mind so completely that it is forgotten.
忘了wàng le: Say that an event or fact is not remembered now.

Definition in Chinese

从记忆里掉出或暂时想不起某事或某物，既可以指一时忘记也可以指长期记不起来。cóng jì yì lǐ diào chū huò zàn shí xiǎng bù qǐ mǒu shì huò mǒu wù jì ké yǐ zhǐ yì shí wàng jì yě ké yǐ zhǐ cháng qī jì bù qǐ lái

Word origin

忘 (wàng, "forget") is formed from 心 (xīn, "heart or mind") + 亡 (wáng, "lost"), with 亡 also supplying the sound and the combination evoking something lost from the mind.

Usage tips

  • English often says "remember to" when talking about an action, while Chinese can use this verb for not doing that action because it slipped from memory.

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word