How to say “apologize” in Chinese
apologize
“Apologize” in Chinese is 道歉, dào qiàn: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
道歉 is read dào qiàn: 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, 辶 “walk”. This is the famous “Tao”.
On the right, 欠 qiàn “owe” — it sounds the same.
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 “道歉”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 道歉. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 你应该跟他道歉nǐyīnggāigēntādàoqiànYou should apologize to him.
- 你不必道歉。nǐbúbìdàoqiànThere's no need for you to apologize.
- 我不想跟他道歉，是他先骂我的。wǒbùxiǎnggēntādàoqiàn,shìtāxiānmàwǒdeI don't want to apologize to him — he's the one who insulted me first.
- 不管怎样说你也应该先道歉bùguǎnzěnyàngshuō,nǐyěyīnggāixiāndàoqiànBe that as it may, you should still apologize first.
- 我想当面向他道歉。wǒxiǎngdāngmiànxiàngtādàoqiànI want to apologize to him in person.
More words from the lesson “Sorry to bother you”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “apologize” in Chinese?
“Apologize” in Chinese is 道歉, pinyin dàoqiàn.
What does 道歉 mean?
道歉 (dàoqiàn) means “apologize”.
How do you write 道歉?
道歉 is 2 characters: 道 (dào) — way, road; 歉 (qiàn) — regret, apology. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 道歉?
道歉 is read dàoqiàn. Tones: dào — fourth tone, qiàn — fourth tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“apologize” in the lesson “Sorry to bother you”
This word is from the topic “Politeness and conversation” of HSK 4. 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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