How to say “play” in Chinese
play (piano, guitar)
“Play” in Chinese is 弹, tán: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
弹 is read tán. 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, 弓 “bow”; on the right, 单 dān hints at the sound. Second reading: dàn, “bullet”.
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 “弹”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 弹. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 你会弹钢琴吗？nǐhuìtángāngqínmaCan you play the piano?
- 她从小就学弹钢琴tācóngxiǎojiùxuétángāngqínShe has studied piano since she was little.
- 她多才多艺，会唱歌、跳舞，还会弹钢琴。tāduōcáiduōyì,huìchànggē,tiàowǔ,háihuìtángāngqínShe's multitalented: she sings, dances and plays the piano too.
- 这种布很有弹性zhèzhǒngbùhěnyǒutánxìngThis fabric is very stretchy.
More characters by topic — happiness, luck, strength, nature — on the page “Chinese characters with meanings”.
More words from the lesson “Songs and the piano”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “play” in Chinese?
“Play” in Chinese is 弹, pinyin tán.
What does 弹 mean?
弹 (tán) means “play (piano, guitar)”.
How do you write 弹?
弹 is 1 character. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 弹?
弹 is read tán. Tones: tán — second tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“play” in the lesson “Songs and the piano”
This word is from the topic “Art and the stage” 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.
Start for free