How to say “childhood” in Chinese

童年

tóngnián

childhood

noun · HSK 4 · topic “People: looks and character”

“Childhood” in Chinese is 童年, tóng nián: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.

How to pronounce it

童年 is read tóng nián: 2 syllables. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.

tóng — 2nd tonerising, like a surprised “huh?”

nián — 2nd tonerising, like a surprised “huh?”

How to write it

童

tóng — child, children's

年

nián — year

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 “童年”.

Examples

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

这是我童年的照片zhèshìwǒtóngniándezhàopiànThis is a photo from my childhood.
你的童年是在哪儿过的？nǐdetóngniánshìzàinǎrguòdeWhere did you spend your childhood?
我的童年十分快乐wǒdetóngniánshífēnkuàilèI had a very happy childhood.
姥姥和姥爷陪伴了我的童年lǎolaohélǎoyepéibànlewǒdetóngniánGrandma and Grandpa were with me throughout my childhood.
我仿佛回到了童年。wǒfǎngfúhuídàoletóngniánIt's as if I'd gone back to my childhood.
我常常怀念童年的日子。wǒchángchánghuáiniàntóngniánderìziI often look back on my childhood days with longing.

More words from the lesson “From childhood to old age”

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

Frequently asked questions

How do you say “childhood” in Chinese?

“Childhood” in Chinese is 童年, pinyin tóngnián.

What does 童年 mean?

童年 (tóngnián) means “childhood”.

How do you write 童年?

童年 is 2 characters: 童 (tóng) — child, children's; 年 (nián) — year. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.

How do you pronounce 童年?

童年 is read tóngnián. Tones: tóng — second tone, nián — second tone. The page has a native speaker recording.

“childhood” in the lesson “From childhood to old age”

This word is from the topic “People: looks and character” 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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