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HSK 2

走

to walk; to leave; to go

verbneutral3 episodes
走
zǒu3rd tone

HSK level

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Pinyin
zǒu
Part of speech
verb
Level
HSK 2
Strokes
7
Register
neutral
In episodes
3

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.

Hear 走 in real episodes

走 appears in 3 Fluentide podcast episodes at natural native speed — each with the full Chinese script, pinyin, and line-by-line English translation.

He Fired 900 People on One Zoom Call. This Year He Was Fired Himself — and Now He Wants the Job Back.走 spoken at natural speedbeginnerDoctors said he would only live to twelve, but this Belgian blogger lived to twenty-eight.走 spoken at natural speedbeginnerDoctors said he'd probably only live to twelve, but this Belgian blogger with progeria lived to twenty-eight instead.走 spoken at natural speedeasy
Browse the full episode library

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

走吧zǒu balet's go
走路zǒulùto walk (on foot)
我走了wǒ zǒu leI'm leaving / I'm off
走开zǒukāigo away; move aside
带走dàizǒuto take away (with you)

Synonyms

去qù

去 means 'to go to (a destination).' 我去学校 = 'I'm going to school.' 走 emphasizes the act of leaving or moving on foot, often without a stated destination. 我走了 = 'I'm leaving (now).'

离开líkāi

离开 means 'to leave (a place / a person)' — more formal and explicit. 走 is the casual, conversational way to say you're leaving. 我离开北京 = 'I left Beijing'; 我走了 = 'I'm off now.'

Don't confuse 走 with

跑pǎo

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qù

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zǒuzhe

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.

FAQ

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Acquire it by listening

Meet 走 again — in real Chinese, at your level.

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