How to say “volunteer” in Chinese
volunteer, do voluntarily
“Volunteer” in Chinese is 自愿, zì yuàn: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
自愿 is read zì yuàn: 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
A picture of a nose: when Chinese people say “me”, they point at their nose.
On top, 原 yuán hints at the sound; below, 心 “heart”.
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 “自愿”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 自愿. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 我是自愿来帮忙的wǒshìzìyuànláibāngmángdeI came to help of my own free will.
More words from the lesson “By choice and under pressure”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “volunteer” in Chinese?
“Volunteer” in Chinese is 自愿, pinyin zìyuàn.
What does 自愿 mean?
自愿 (zìyuàn) means “volunteer, do voluntarily”.
How do you write 自愿?
自愿 is 2 characters: 自 (zì) — self; 愿 (yuàn) — wish; desire. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 自愿?
自愿 is read zìyuàn. Tones: zì — fourth tone, yuàn — fourth tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“volunteer” in the lesson “By choice and under pressure”
This word is from the topic “Character and behavior” 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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