Mandarin: Hobbies

To talk about your hobbies in Mandarin, you can use the phrase 我会Wǒ huì (I can), for example:

• 我会骑自行车Wǒ huì qí zì xíng chē – I can ride a bike

• 我会弹吉他Wǒ huì tán jí ta – I can play the guitar

If you do a hobby often, you could use the Mandarin phrase 我经常Wǒ jīng cháng (I often), for example:

• 我经常踢足球Wǒ jīng cháng tī zú qiú – I often play football

• 我经常打网球Wǒ jīng cháng dǎ wǎng qiú – I often play tennis

Chinese hobbies

There are many traditional sports in China:

• Chinese Wushu (中国武术Zhōng guó wǔ shù) – also known as kung fu or Chinese martial arts

• Jianzi (踢毽子Tī jiàn zi) – like keepy uppies, but with a shuttlecock

• Bahe (拔河Bá hé) – an equivalent to tug of war

Different sports in Mandarin could include:

The verbs in Mandarin for sporting hobbies are:

• 打dǎ (hit) – for when you use your hand to play

• 踢tī (kick) – for when you use your foot to play

For example, in Mandarin you would say:

• 我喜欢打网球Wǒ xǐ huan dǎ wǎng qiú – I like to play tennis

• 我喜欢踢足球Wǒ xǐ huan tī zú qiú – I like to play football

Hobbies that involve riding in Mandarin include:

The verb in Mandarin for hobbies that involve sitting down or riding is 骑qí (ride).

For example, in Mandarin you would say:

我喜欢骑马Wǒ xǐ huan qí mǎ – I like horse-riding

Of course, there are other hobbies than just sports, including:

The verbs in Mandarin for musical hobbies are:

• 拉lā – when you need a bow to play, eg violin

• 弹tán – when you mostly use your hands to play, eg piano or guitar

The other hobbies listed, eg 跳舞tiào wǔ (to dance), are already in verb form.