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HSK 3

爱好

hobby; interest

nounneutral
爱
ài4th tone
好
hào4th tone

HSK level

1
2
3
4
5
6
Pinyin
àihào
Part of speech
noun
Level
HSK 3
Strokes
16
Register
neutral
Measure word
个 / 种

Stroke order for 爱好

爱好 is written with 16 strokes (爱: 10, 好: 6). The animation replays automatically.

What does 爱好 mean?

爱好 (àihào) means 'hobby' or 'personal interest' — an activity you do for enjoyment outside of work or study.

It is the standard answer to 你的爱好是什么？ ('What are your hobbies?'), a classic question in Chinese small talk, classroom self-introductions, and résumés. The word works both as a noun ('my hobbies are reading and swimming') and, in slightly more formal writing, as a verb meaning 'to be keen on' (他爱好运动 'he is keen on sports').

It differs from the English word 'hobby' in feel: 爱好 sounds slightly more committed and broader than 'hobby' — it can cover lifelong passions, not just casual pastimes. For one-off likes or food preferences, native speakers use 喜欢 (xǐhuan) instead.

Note: Neutral and useful in both casual and formal contexts — small talk, resumes, school self-introductions all use 爱好. Slightly more written-feeling than just saying 我喜欢…

Character by character

爱àito love; affection
+
好hàoto be fond of (4th tone reading)
=
爱好

Memory hook: Literally 'love + be fond of' — the things you both love and are fond of doing. Note that 好 here is 4th tone (hào), not the usual hǎo.

Example sentences

你有什么爱好？

Nǐ yǒu shénme àihào?

What hobbies do you have?

spoken

我的爱好是看电影。

Wǒ de àihào shì kàn diànyǐng.

My hobby is watching movies.

neutral

我们有很多共同爱好。

Wǒmen yǒu hěn duō gòngtóng àihào.

We have a lot of shared hobbies.

neutral

他的爱好是跑步和游泳。

Tā de àihào shì pǎobù hé yóuyǒng.

His hobbies are running and swimming.

neutral

工作之外，培养一个爱好很重要。

Gōngzuò zhī wài, péiyǎng yí gè àihào hěn zhòngyào.

Outside of work, it's important to cultivate a hobby.

written

Common phrases with 爱好

我的爱好wǒ de àihàomy hobby
有什么爱好yǒu shénme àihàowhat hobbies do you have
共同爱好gòngtóng àihàoshared interest
个人爱好gèrén àihàopersonal hobby
培养爱好péiyǎng àihàoto cultivate a hobby

Synonyms

兴趣xìngqù

兴趣 is 'interest' — what catches your attention or curiosity. 爱好 is 'hobby' — something you actually do regularly. 我对历史很感兴趣 ('I'm interested in history') vs 我的爱好是看书 ('my hobby is reading').

喜欢xǐhuan

喜欢 is the verb 'to like' — broad and casual. 爱好 is a noun for an established hobby. Use 喜欢 for foods, songs, people; use 爱好 when naming a structured pastime.

Don't confuse 爱好 with

爱ài

爱 alone is the verb 'to love.' 爱好 is the noun 'hobby.' 我爱你 'I love you' vs 我的爱好是音乐 'my hobby is music.'

好hǎo

Inside 爱好, the character 好 is read hào (4th tone) meaning 'fond of,' not the usual hǎo ('good'). Beginners often mispronounce it as àihǎo.

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