感冒
to catch a cold; cold (illness)
gǎnmào
What does 感冒 mean?
感冒 (gǎnmào) is both the verb 'to catch a cold' and the noun for 'a cold' — the common upper-respiratory illness. As a verb: 我感冒了 ('I caught a cold / I have a cold'), with 了 marking that you've come down with it. As a noun: 一场感冒 ('a bout of a cold'), 重感冒 ('a bad cold'). The illness symptoms typically pair with 发烧 ('fever'), 咳嗽 ('cough'), 流鼻涕 ('runny nose').
One useful colloquial extension: 我对他不感冒 ('I'm not into him / he doesn't do anything for me') — a Beijing-flavored slang use where 不感冒 means 'not interested / unimpressed,' borrowed from the idea that something doesn't affect you. In medical contexts, the term is the same: 普通感冒 ('common cold') vs. 流感 ('flu / influenza')
Character breakdown
to feel; to sense
to emit; to risk; to brave (here: be exposed to)
Memory hook: 感 ('feel') + 冒 ('exposed to') — feel the cold air on you. The traditional explanation: catching cold from being exposed to wind and chill.
Example sentences
我感冒了，今天不去上班。
Wǒ gǎnmào le, jīntiān bú qù shàngbān.
I caught a cold — I'm not going to work today.
spoken
天气冷，小心别感冒。
Tiānqì lěng, xiǎoxīn bié gǎnmào.
The weather is cold — be careful not to catch a cold.
spoken
你吃点儿感冒药吧。
Nǐ chī diǎnr gǎnmào yào ba.
Have some cold medicine.
spoken
他感冒得很厉害，发烧三十九度。
Tā gǎnmào de hěn lìhai, fāshāo sānshíjiǔ dù.
He has a really bad cold — a 39-degree fever.
neutral
多喝水，多休息，感冒很快就会好。
Duō hē shuǐ, duō xiūxi, gǎnmào hěn kuài jiù huì hǎo.
Drink lots of water and rest — your cold will get better soon.
neutral
Common phrases with 感冒
Synonyms
着凉 means 'to catch a chill' — the moment of exposure to cold that may lead to a cold. 感冒 is the resulting illness. Mothers say 别着凉了 ('don't catch a chill') as prevention.
流感 is 'the flu / influenza' — short for 流行性感冒. It's a more serious illness than a common cold. 感冒 is the everyday cold; 流感 is the flu.
Don't confuse 感冒 with
感觉 means 'to feel / a feeling' (the general sense). Both start with 感 but 感冒 is the illness, 感觉 is a perception. 我感觉不好 'I don't feel well (in mood)'; 我感冒了 'I caught a cold.'