Chinese word

气球

Pronunciation

Pinyinqì qiú

Meaning

  • nounballoon

Example

孩子把气球吹大了。hái zi bǎ qì qiú chuī dà le

The child blew up the balloon.

Illustration for 气球 (balloon)

More examples

生日派对上，桌子周围放着许多气球。shēng rì pài duì shàng zhuō zi zhōu wéi fàng zhe xǔ duō qì qiú

Many balloons were placed around the table at the birthday party.

Core concept

A flexible, hollow sphere that becomes round when filled with air or another gas.

Common phrases

  • 彩色气球cǎi sè qì qiú

    colorful balloon

  • 用气球装饰yòng qì qiú zhuāng shì

    decorate with balloons

Similar words

风筝fēng zhēng: A toy made of paper or cloth that is flown high in the wind with a string.
皮球pí qiú: A bouncy round ball used for playing games or taking part in sports.
热气球rè qì qiú: A large fabric vehicle lifted by heated air that carries people above the ground.

Definition in Chinese

能被充入空气或其他气体后膨胀成球形的物体，常用作娱乐用品或会场装饰。néng bèi chōng rù kōng qì huò qí tā qì tǐ hòu péng zhàng chéng qiú xíng de wù tǐ cháng yòng zuò yú lè yòng pǐn huò huì chǎng zhuāng shì

Word origin

气球 (qìqiú, "balloon") combines 气 (qì, "air or gas") with 球 (qiú, "ball"), directly describing a ball-shaped object made by filling it with gas.

Usage tips

  • In conversation, 吹 (chuī, "blow") describes filling a balloon by mouth, while 充气 (chōngqì, "fill with gas") also covers using a pump or another air source.

Related words

Word lists with this word