玩
to play; to have fun
wán
What does 玩 mean?
玩 (wán) is the verb 'to play' in the recreational sense — to have fun, mess around, spend leisure time. Crucially, 玩 does NOT mean 'play a sport' the way English does. For sports, use 踢 (kick, for soccer) or 打 (hit, for basketball/tennis). 玩 covers: playing games (玩游戏), playing with toys (玩玩具), traveling for fun (出去玩 — literally 'go out and play,' but used by adults to mean 'travel/go out'), and casual pastimes (玩手机 'mess around on the phone').
In adult Chinese, 出去玩 doesn't sound childish — it's the standard way to say 'go out for fun' or 'go on a trip.' 玩 also has a slangy edge: 玩游戏 (play games) is fine, but 玩女人/玩男人 means 'to play with someone romantically' (negative). The character has the 王 (jade) radical on the left.
Character breakdown
to play; to have fun
Memory hook: 玩 has 王 (jade) on the left — historically, jade pieces were precious things you would 'play with' or admire.
Example sentences
孩子们在外面玩。
Háizi men zài wàimiàn wán.
The kids are playing outside.
neutral
周末我们一起出去玩吧。
Zhōumò wǒmen yìqǐ chūqù wán ba.
Let's go out and have fun together this weekend.
spoken
他每天都在玩手机。
Tā měi tiān dōu zài wán shǒujī.
He's on his phone every single day.
spoken
这个游戏真好玩！
Zhège yóuxì zhēn hǎowán!
This game is really fun!
spoken
祝你玩得开心！
Zhù nǐ wán de kāixīn!
Have a great time!
spoken
Common phrases with 玩
Synonyms
玩耍 is more written/formal — 'to play' typically used for children. Most adults just say 玩. Use 玩耍 in essays or news; 玩 in conversation.
Don't confuse 玩 with
FAQ
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