to choose; choice
HSK level
选择 is written with 17 strokes (选: 9, 择: 8). The animation replays automatically.
选择 (xuǎnzé) means 'to choose, to select' and also serves as the noun 'choice'.
It is the standard, slightly more deliberate word for making a selection among options — picking a school, a job, a path in life. Both characters mean 'select', so the compound emphasises the act of careful picking. Two things English speakers often miss.
First, while 选择 covers both the verb and the noun, the everyday casual verb is just 选 (xuǎn) — 'choose one' is 选一个; 选择 is preferred in writing, formal speech, and when the choice carries weight. Second, the related noun 选择 often appears with quantifiers: 没有选择 ('no choice'), 很多选择 ('many choices'), 做选择 ('to make a choice'). Do not confuse with 决定 (juédìng 'decide'): 选择 is picking from given options; 决定 is settling on a course of action.
Character by character
Memory hook: Both 选 and 择 mean 'pick' — together they form the unambiguous 'choose / choice'.
选择 appears in 2 Fluentide podcast episodes at natural native speed — each with the full Chinese script, pinyin, and line-by-line English translation.
你选择哪一个？
Nǐ xuǎnzé nǎ yí ge?
Which one do you choose?
spoken
我选择学习中文。
Wǒ xuǎnzé xuéxí Zhōngwén.
I chose to study Chinese.
neutral
我们没有别的选择。
Wǒmen méiyǒu bié de xuǎnzé.
We have no other choice.
neutral
这是一个很难的选择。
Zhè shì yí ge hěn nán de xuǎnzé.
This is a very difficult choice.
neutral
请选择您喜欢的颜色。
Qǐng xuǎnzé nín xǐhuān de yánsè.
Please select the colour you like.
polite, written
选 is the casual everyday verb 'to pick'. 选择 is slightly more formal and works as both verb and noun. 你选哪个 ('which one do you pick') vs 这是一个重要的选择 ('this is an important choice').
挑 means 'to pick out, to be picky' — often about physical items (fruit, clothes). 选择 is more abstract and serious (a path, a school). 挑水果 ('pick fruit') vs 选择大学 ('choose a university').
决定 means 'to decide' — to settle on what you will do. 选择 means 'to choose' — to pick from options. You 选择 between A and B, then 决定 to go with A.
选举 is specifically 'an election' or 'to elect' (political). 选择 is general choosing. Voting in an election is 选举, choosing a flavour of ice cream is 选择.
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