to swim; swimming
HSK level
游泳 is written with 20 strokes (游: 12, 泳: 8). The animation replays automatically.
游泳 (yóuyǒng) means 'to swim' or 'swimming' (the activity).
It is a verb-object compound — literally 'swim-swim,' where 游 is the verb 'to swim / to drift' and 泳 is the object meaning 'swimming / a swimming stroke.' Because it's a separable verb, you can split it to insert measures of frequency or duration: 游了一个小时泳 ('swam for an hour'), 游过两次泳 ('swam twice'). To say 'go swimming,' use 去游泳; to talk about the place, 游泳池 ('swimming pool').
Don't say 做游泳 — 游泳 is already a verb, so it doesn't take 做 ('to do'). For competitive swimming, use 游泳比赛 (yóuyǒng bǐsài). Beginner mistake to avoid: 游 alone can mean 'to tour / travel' (旅游), so always pair it with 泳 when you mean 'swim.'
Character by character
Memory hook: Both characters carry the water radical 氵 — three drops, like splashes around a swimmer.
我会游泳。
Wǒ huì yóuyǒng.
I can swim.
spoken
夏天我喜欢去游泳。
Xiàtiān wǒ xǐhuan qù yóuyǒng.
In summer I like to go swimming.
neutral
他每天早上去游泳池游泳。
Tā měi tiān zǎoshang qù yóuyǒngchí yóuyǒng.
He goes to the swimming pool to swim every morning.
neutral
我儿子还不会游泳。
Wǒ érzi hái bú huì yóuyǒng.
My son doesn't know how to swim yet.
spoken
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