How to say “exist” in Chinese

存在
cúnzài

exist

verb · HSK 5 · topic “Traditions and thought”

“Exist” in Chinese is 存在, cún zài: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.

How to pronounce it

存在 is read cún zài: 2 syllables. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.

cún — 2nd tonerising, like a surprised “huh?”
zài — 4th tonesharply falling, like “Stop!”

How to write it

存
cún — store, keep; exist
在
zài — be at, be in

Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “存在”.

Examples

Sentences from the course lessons with 存在. Tap the sound icon to listen.

  • 我把钱存在银行里了。wǒbǎqiáncúnzàiyínhánglileI put the money in the bank.
  • 在现实中龙并不存在zàixiànshízhōng,lóngbìngbùcúnzàiIn reality, dragons don't exist.
  • 南方和北方的饮食习惯存在很大差异。nánfānghéběifāngdeyǐnshíxíguàncúnzàihěndàchāyìEating habits in the south and the north differ a lot.
  • 这款产品存在设计缺陷。zhèkuǎnchǎnpǐncúnzàishèjìquēxiànThis model has a design flaw.

More words from the lesson “Myths and legends”

Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.

Frequently asked questions

How do you say “exist” in Chinese?

“Exist” in Chinese is 存在, pinyin cúnzài.

What does 存在 mean?

存在 (cúnzài) means “exist”.

How do you write 存在?

存在 is 2 characters: 存 (cún) — store, keep; exist; 在 (zài) — be at, be in. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.

How do you pronounce 存在?

存在 is read cúnzài. Tones: cún — second tone, zài — fourth tone. The page has a native speaker recording.

“exist” in the lesson “Myths and legends”

This word is from the topic “Traditions and thought” of HSK 5. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.

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