How to say “amateur” in Chinese
amateur; in one's spare time
“Amateur” in Chinese is 业余, yè yú: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
业余 is read yè yú: 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
This same character appears in 途, 斜 and 除.
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 “业余”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 业余. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 业余时间你喜欢做什么？yèyúshíjiānnǐxǐhuanzuòshénmeWhat do you like to do in your spare time?
- 我不是专业的只是业余爱好wǒbúshìzhuānyède,zhǐshìyèyúàihàoI'm not a professional — it's just a hobby.
- 我们都是业余摄影爱好者wǒmendōushìyèyúshèyǐngàihàozhěWe're all amateur photographers.
- 你业余时间一般做什么？nǐyèyúshíjiānyìbānzuòshénmeWhat do you usually do in your spare time?
More words from the lesson “A good deed”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “amateur” in Chinese?
“Amateur” in Chinese is 业余, pinyin yèyú.
What does 业余 mean?
业余 (yèyú) means “amateur; in one's spare time”.
How do you write 业余?
业余 is 2 characters: 业 (yè) — business, occupation; 余 (yú) — remainder; surplus. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 业余?
业余 is read yèyú. Tones: yè — fourth tone, yú — second tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“amateur” in the lesson “A good deed”
This word is from the topic “Leisure and experiences” 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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