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HSK 1

喜欢

to like; to enjoy

verbneutral7 episodes
喜
xǐ3rd tone
欢
huān1st tone

HSK level

1
2
3
4
5
6
Pinyin
xǐhuan
Part of speech
verb
Level
HSK 1
Strokes
18
Register
neutral
In episodes
7

Stroke order for 喜欢

喜欢 is written with 18 strokes (喜: 12, 欢: 6). The animation replays automatically.

What does 喜欢 mean?

喜欢 (xǐhuan) is the standard verb for 'to like' or 'to enjoy' — applicable to people, objects, food, activities, and ideas.

It covers a wide range of affection: from 我喜欢咖啡 (I like coffee, light preference) to 我喜欢他 (I like him, which can mean romantic interest depending on tone). Key grammar features for English speakers: 喜欢 takes a noun OR a verb directly after it, no preposition needed. 'I like to swim' is 我喜欢游泳 — no 'to' particle. Negation uses 不: 不喜欢 (don't like).

To intensify, add 很 (很喜欢 'really like') or 非常 (非常喜欢 'extremely like'). The second syllable 欢 is pronounced in the NEUTRAL tone (xǐhuan), NOT xǐhuān — this is a common pinyin error. Romantic note: 喜欢 is milder than 爱 (ài, 'love'); confessing 我喜欢你 is the equivalent of 'I like you' rather than 'I love you'.

Character by character

喜xǐhappy; joyful; to be pleased
+
欢huānjoyful; merry
=
喜欢

Memory hook: Both characters mean 'joy / happiness' — to 'like' something is to find joy in it. 喜 + 欢 = joy-joy.

Hear 喜欢 in real episodes

喜欢 appears in 7 Fluentide podcast episodes at natural native speed — each with the full Chinese script, pinyin, and line-by-line English translation.

Harry Potter Fans Left Socks at Dobby's Grave. It Moved a £430 Million Undersea Cable.喜欢 spoken at natural speedbeginnerHarry Potter Fans Left Socks at Dobby's Grave. It Moved a £430 Million Undersea Cable.喜欢 spoken at natural speedeasyA 28-Year-Old Nigerian Giant Beat WWE's Feared 'Beast,' Brock Lesnar, in a Steel Cage喜欢 spoken at natural speedeasyA 28-Year-Old Nigerian Giant Beat WWE's Feared 'Beast,' Brock Lesnar, in a Steel Cage喜欢 spoken at natural speedbeginnerChristopher Nolan Turned a 3,000-Year-Old Greek Epic Into the Year's Biggest Movie喜欢 spoken at natural speedeasyNims Purja Climbed the World's 14 Highest Peaks. An Avalanche Just Killed Him.喜欢 spoken at natural speedbeginner
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Example sentences

我喜欢你。

Wǒ xǐhuan nǐ.

I like you.

spoken

你喜欢吃什么？

Nǐ xǐhuan chī shénme?

What do you like to eat?

spoken

他很喜欢看书。

Tā hěn xǐhuan kàn shū.

He really likes reading.

neutral

我不喜欢喝茶。

Wǒ bù xǐhuan hē chá.

I don't like drinking tea.

neutral

我最喜欢中国菜。

Wǒ zuì xǐhuan Zhōngguó cài.

I like Chinese food the most.

spoken

Common phrases with 喜欢

很喜欢hěn xǐhuanreally like
不喜欢bù xǐhuandon't like
最喜欢zuì xǐhuanlike the most; favorite
喜欢吃xǐhuan chīlike to eat
你喜欢吗nǐ xǐhuan mado you like (it)?

Synonyms

爱ài

爱 means 'to love' and is much stronger than 喜欢. Use 喜欢 for preferences and mild affection; reserve 爱 for family, romantic partners, or strong passions. 我爱你 (I love you) is a major step beyond 我喜欢你.

喜爱xǐ'ài

喜爱 is more formal/written and slightly stronger than 喜欢 — often used for hobbies, art, public preferences. In everyday speech, stick with 喜欢.

Don't confuse 喜欢 with

想xiǎng

想 means 'want to / would like to' (intention): 我想吃饭 (I want to eat). 喜欢 means 'like in general' (preference): 我喜欢吃饭 (I like eating). Wrong word changes the meaning entirely.

要yào

要 means 'want / need' as a stronger demand. 我要咖啡 (I want coffee, ordering). 我喜欢咖啡 (I like coffee, general preference).

FAQ

Related words from the same episodes

比赛contest, competition打to fight打电话to make a phone call打仗to fight a war地方place, spot电话phone call电视television电线electric line, cable电影film电影院movie theater东西thing高tall, high

Acquire it by listening

Meet 喜欢 again — in real Chinese, at your level.

You just saw 喜欢 in 7 episodes. Fluentide keeps feeding you news episodes at your level, so this word — and thousands like it — resurface in real sentences until they stick. Full pinyin and translation every time. Free to start.