走
to walk; to leave; to go
HSK level
- Pinyin
- zǒu
- Part of speech
- verb
- Level
- HSK 2
- Strokes
- 7
- Register
- neutral
- In episodes
- 1
Stroke order for 走
走 is written with 7 strokes. The animation replays automatically.
What does 走 mean?
走 (zǒu) covers what English splits into 'walk,' 'leave,' and sometimes 'go.'
Three uses every learner needs. First, the literal motion: 走路 ('to walk,' on foot), as opposed to driving or taking transit. Second, 'to leave / depart from a place': 我要走了 = 'I'm leaving / I have to go' (not 'I'm walking'). Third, 'let's go / move' as a casual call to action: 走吧！ Two contrasts to keep clear.
Versus 去 (qù, 'to go to'): 去 needs a destination (去学校), while 走 emphasizes the act of going/leaving and often has no stated destination. Versus 跑 (pǎo, 'to run'): 走 is on foot at walking pace; 跑 is running. 走 also appears in many compounds: 走开 ('move aside'), 走进 ('walk in'), 带走 ('take away'), 拿走 ('take with you').
Note: Everyday verb. In casual speech, 走吧 ('let's go') is one of the most common phrases you'll hear.
Memory hook: 走 originally pictured a person leaning forward in motion — the upper part is a swinging body, the lower part is the foot.
Hear 走 in real episodes
走 appears in 1 Fluentide podcast episode at natural native speed. Each sentence plays at the easiest difficulty it exists in — switch it to hear the same moment at your level, with full pinyin and English throughout.
我们每天走多少步好呢？
How many steps should we walk every day?
Must You Walk 10,000 Steps? Research Finds Benefits Around 7,000
Example sentences
我们走吧！
Wǒmen zǒu ba!
Let's go!
spoken
我每天走路去学校。
Wǒ měi tiān zǒulù qù xuéxiào.
I walk to school every day.
neutral
他已经走了。
Tā yǐjīng zǒu le.
He's already left.
spoken
对不起，我得走了。
Duìbuqǐ, wǒ děi zǒu le.
Sorry, I have to go.
spoken
请走开，我在工作。
Qǐng zǒukāi, wǒ zài gōngzuò.
Please move aside, I'm working.
neutral
Common phrases with 走
Synonyms
Don't confuse 走 with
跑 means 'to run.' 走 is walking pace. 他跑得很快 = 'he runs fast' vs 他走得很慢 = 'he walks slowly.'
去 + place = go to that place. 走 alone usually means leave/walk, not go-to-a-destination. 'I'm going home' = 我回家 / 我去家 (less natural), NOT 我走家.
走着 (with 着) marks the ongoing state 'while walking,' often in 走着说 ('talk while walking') or 走着瞧 ('we'll see, just wait'). Different grammatical construction.
Frequently asked questions
Related words from the same episodes
Acquire it by listening
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