How to say “delay” in Chinese
delay, waste (time)
“Delay” in Chinese is 耽误, dān wu: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
耽误 is read dān wu: 2 syllables. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
How to write it
On the left, 耳 “ear”. The right part is the same as in 枕 zhěn.
On the left, 讠 “speech”; on the right, 吴 wú hints at the sound.
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 “耽误”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 耽误. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 对不起，耽误您几分钟时间。duìbuqǐ,dānwunínjǐfēnzhōngshíjiānExcuse me, may I take a few minutes of your time?
More words from the lesson “Deadlines: until when and for how long”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “delay” in Chinese?
“Delay” in Chinese is 耽误, pinyin dānwu.
What does 耽误 mean?
耽误 (dānwu) means “delay, waste (time)”.
How do you write 耽误?
耽误 is 2 characters: 耽 (dān) — delay, dawdle; 误 (wù) — mistake; be wrong. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 耽误?
耽误 is read dānwu. Tones: dān — first tone, wu — neutral tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“delay” in the lesson “Deadlines: until when and for how long”
This word is from the topic “Time and deadlines” of HSK 6. 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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