Names Of Hobbies In Chinese

Talk about hobbies in simplified Chinese with useful everyday words, not weird textbook relics. The core word is 爱好 àihào, which means “hobby.”

Chinese learners usually want to say one of two things: “My hobby is…” or “I like…” Luckily, both are easy, and no, you do not need to memorize a thousand poetic idioms to talk about reading, gaming, or hiking.

The most useful sentence pattern is: 我的爱好是…… Wǒ de àihào shì…… (“My hobby is …”). Another very common one is: 我喜欢…… Wǒ xǐhuan…… (“I like …”).

Below you will learn common hobby names, natural phrases, and example sentences you can actually use in conversations. Fancy that—language for real life.

Quick Yak Tip

In English, “hobby” is often a noun. In Chinese, people often sound more natural by using a verb phrase instead, like 看书 kànshū (“read books”) or 打篮球 dǎ lánqiú (“play basketball”). Chinese loves action. Standing still is overrated.

Visual Cards: Core Hobby Words

阅读 yuèdú

reading

我的爱好是阅读。
Wǒ de àihào shì yuèdú.
My hobby is reading.

画画 huàhuà

drawing

她周末喜欢画画。
Tā zhōumò xǐhuan huàhuà.
She likes drawing on weekends.

摄影 shèyǐng

photography

我对摄影很感兴趣。
Wǒ duì shèyǐng hěn gǎn xìngqù.
I’m very interested in photography.

做饭 zuòfàn

cooking

做饭是他的爱好。
Zuòfàn shì tā de àihào.
Cooking is his hobby.

旅游 lǚyóu

traveling

我很喜欢旅游。
Wǒ hěn xǐhuan lǚyóu.
I really like traveling.

听音乐 tīng yīnyuè

listening to music

晚上我喜欢听音乐。
Wǎnshang wǒ xǐhuan tīng yīnyuè.
I like listening to music at night.

打游戏 dǎ yóuxì

playing games

很多学生下课后喜欢打游戏。
Hěn duō xuésheng xiàkè hòu xǐhuan dǎ yóuxì.
Many students like playing games after class.

运动 yùndòng

exercise / sports

运动是一个很健康的爱好。
Yùndòng shì yí gè hěn jiànkāng de àihào.
Exercise is a very healthy hobby.

Useful Phrases And Real-Life Sentences

我的爱好是看书。
Wǒ de àihào shì kànshū.
My hobby is reading.
你有什么爱好吗？
Nǐ yǒu shénme àihào ma?
What hobbies do you have?
我喜欢周末爬山。
Wǒ xǐhuan zhōumò páshān.
I like hiking on weekends.
她下班后常常跳舞。
Tā xiàbān hòu chángcháng tiàowǔ.
She often dances after work.
我爸爸喜欢钓鱼。
Wǒ bàba xǐhuan diàoyú.
My dad likes fishing.
我最近开始学书法。
Wǒ zuìjìn kāishǐ xué shūfǎ.
I recently started learning calligraphy.
弟弟一有时间就打篮球。
Dìdi yí yǒu shíjiān jiù dǎ lánqiú.
My younger brother plays basketball whenever he has time.
我对烘焙很感兴趣。
Wǒ duì hōngbèi hěn gǎn xìngqù.
I’m very interested in baking.
她喜欢收集邮票。
Tā xǐhuan shōují yóupiào.
She likes collecting stamps.
我们都喜欢听音乐和唱歌。
Wǒmen dōu xǐhuan tīng yīnyuè hé chànggē.
We all like listening to music and singing.
他的爱好比较安静，比如下棋和拼图。
Tā de àihào bǐjiào ānjìng, bǐrú xiàqí hé pīntú.
His hobbies are quieter, such as playing chess and doing puzzles.
我不太喜欢跑步，我更喜欢游泳。
Wǒ bú tài xǐhuan pǎobù, wǒ gèng xǐhuan yóuyǒng.
I don’t really like running; I prefer swimming.

Indoor And Quiet Hobbies

Hanzi	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Example (Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
看书	kànshū	read books	我晚上喜欢看书。	Wǒ wǎnshang xǐhuan kànshū.	I like reading at night.
写作	xiězuò	writing	她周末常常写作。	Tā zhōumò chángcháng xiězuò.	She often writes on weekends.
画画	huàhuà	drawing	小朋友很喜欢画画。	Xiǎopéngyou hěn xǐhuan huàhuà.	Children really like drawing.
绘画	huìhuà	painting	我姐姐学过绘画。	Wǒ jiějie xuéguo huìhuà.	My older sister has studied painting.
摄影	shèyǐng	photography	他出去旅游时喜欢摄影。	Tā chūqù lǚyóu shí xǐhuan shèyǐng.	He likes photography when traveling.
书法	shūfǎ	calligraphy	我爷爷的爱好是书法。	Wǒ yéye de àihào shì shūfǎ.	My grandpa’s hobby is calligraphy.
下棋	xiàqí	play chess / board games	他们晚上一起下棋。	Tāmen wǎnshang yìqǐ xiàqí.	They play chess together at night.
拼图	pīntú	doing puzzles	下雨天我喜欢在家拼图。	Xiàyǔtiān wǒ xǐhuan zài jiā pīntú.	On rainy days I like doing puzzles at home.
做手工	zuò shǒugōng	do crafts	她喜欢做手工。	Tā xǐhuan zuò shǒugōng.	She likes doing crafts.
缝纫	féngrèn	sewing	我妈妈会缝纫。	Wǒ māma huì féngrèn.	My mom knows how to sew.
编织	biānzhī	knitting	冬天她喜欢编织围巾。	Dōngtiān tā xǐhuan biānzhī wéijīn.	In winter she likes knitting scarves.
集邮	jíyóu	stamp collecting	我叔叔年轻时喜欢集邮。	Wǒ shūshu niánqīng shí xǐhuan jíyóu.	My uncle liked collecting stamps when he was young.
收集硬币	shōují yìngbì	collect coins	他喜欢收集硬币。	Tā xǐhuan shōují yìngbì.	He likes collecting coins.

Creative, Food, And Home Hobbies

Hanzi	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Example (Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
做饭	zuòfàn	cooking	我下班以后喜欢做饭。	Wǒ xiàbān yǐhòu xǐhuan zuòfàn.	I like cooking after work.
烘焙	hōngbèi	baking	她最近迷上了烘焙。	Tā zuìjìn míshang le hōngbèi.	She’s recently gotten into baking.
种花	zhòng huā	grow flowers	奶奶每天早上都种花。	Nǎinai měitiān zǎoshang dōu zhòng huā.	Grandma grows flowers every morning.
园艺	yuányì	gardening	园艺能让人放松。	Yuányì néng ràng rén fàngsōng.	Gardening can help people relax.
养宠物	yǎng chǒngwù	keeping pets	很多人把养宠物当作爱好。	Hěn duō rén bǎ yǎng chǒngwù dàngzuò àihào.	Many people treat keeping pets as a hobby.
做模型	zuò móxíng	build models	弟弟喜欢做飞机模型。	Dìdi xǐhuan zuò fēijī móxíng.	My younger brother likes building airplane models.
写日记	xiě rìjì	keep a diary	我每天睡前写日记。	Wǒ měitiān shuì qián xiě rìjì.	I write in a diary before sleeping every day.
看电影	kàn diànyǐng	watch movies	周五晚上我们常常看电影。	Zhōuwǔ wǎnshang wǒmen chángcháng kàn diànyǐng.	We often watch movies on Friday nights.
追剧	zhuī jù	binge-watch shows	她周末喜欢在家追剧。	Tā zhōumò xǐhuan zài jiā zhuī jù.	She likes binge-watching shows at home on weekends.
听播客	tīng bōkè	listen to podcasts	我坐地铁时听播客。	Wǒ zuò dìtiě shí tīng bōkè.	I listen to podcasts on the subway.
听音乐	tīng yīnyuè	listen to music	他学习的时候喜欢听音乐。	Tā xuéxí de shíhou xǐhuan tīng yīnyuè.	He likes listening to music while studying.
唱歌	chànggē	singing	她很喜欢唱歌。	Tā hěn xǐhuan chànggē.	She really likes singing.
弹吉他	tán jítā	play the guitar	我朋友会弹吉他。	Wǒ péngyou huì tán jítā.	My friend can play the guitar.

Sports And Outdoor Hobbies

Hanzi	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Example (Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
跑步	pǎobù	running	我每天早上去跑步。	Wǒ měitiān zǎoshang qù pǎobù.	I go running every morning.
散步	sànbù	take walks	晚饭后他们喜欢散步。	Wǎnfàn hòu tāmen xǐhuan sànbù.	They like taking walks after dinner.
游泳	yóuyǒng	swimming	夏天我最喜欢游泳。	Xiàtiān wǒ zuì xǐhuan yóuyǒng.	In summer I like swimming most.
骑自行车	qí zìxíngchē	ride a bicycle	周末我常常骑自行车。	Zhōumò wǒ chángcháng qí zìxíngchē.	I often ride a bicycle on weekends.
爬山	páshān	hiking / climbing mountains	我们春天常去爬山。	Wǒmen chūntiān cháng qù páshān.	We often go hiking in spring.
露营	lùyíng	camping	他们一家人喜欢露营。	Tāmen yì jiārén xǐhuan lùyíng.	The whole family likes camping.
钓鱼	diàoyú	fishing	爸爸周末去河边钓鱼。	Bàba zhōumò qù hébiān diàoyú.	Dad goes fishing by the river on weekends.
旅游	lǚyóu	traveling	我的朋友很喜欢旅游。	Wǒ de péngyou hěn xǐhuan lǚyóu.	My friend really likes traveling.
跳舞	tiàowǔ	dancing	她学了三年跳舞。	Tā xué le sān nián tiàowǔ.	She has studied dancing for three years.
瑜伽	yújiā	yoga	我姐姐每天练瑜伽。	Wǒ jiějie měitiān liàn yújiā.	My older sister practices yoga every day.
健身	jiànshēn	work out / fitness	下班以后他会去健身。	Xiàbān yǐhòu tā huì qù jiànshēn.	He goes to work out after work.
滑冰	huábīng	ice skating	冬天孩子们喜欢滑冰。	Dōngtiān háizimen xǐhuan huábīng.	Children like ice skating in winter.
滑雪	huáxuě	skiing	她一直想学滑雪。	Tā yìzhí xiǎng xué huáxuě.	She has always wanted to learn skiing.

Games, Teams, And Digital Hobbies

Hanzi	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Example (Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
打篮球	dǎ lánqiú	play basketball	他们下午常常打篮球。	Tāmen xiàwǔ chángcháng dǎ lánqiú.	They often play basketball in the afternoon.
踢足球	tī zúqiú	play soccer	我弟弟很喜欢踢足球。	Wǒ dìdi hěn xǐhuan tī zúqiú.	My younger brother really likes playing soccer.
打羽毛球	dǎ yǔmáoqiú	play badminton	我们周六一起打羽毛球。	Wǒmen zhōuliù yìqǐ dǎ yǔmáoqiú.	We play badminton together on Saturdays.
打网球	dǎ wǎngqiú	play tennis	她下班后去打网球。	Tā xiàbān hòu qù dǎ wǎngqiú.	She goes to play tennis after work.
乒乓球	pīngpāngqiú	table tennis	我爸爸最喜欢打乒乓球。	Wǒ bàba zuì xǐhuan dǎ pīngpāngqiú.	My dad likes playing table tennis the most.
打游戏	dǎ yóuxì	play games	他晚上喜欢打游戏。	Tā wǎnshang xǐhuan dǎ yóuxì.	He likes playing games at night.
玩桌游	wán zhuōyóu	play board games	我们朋友聚会时常玩桌游。	Wǒmen péngyou jùhuì shí cháng wán zhuōyóu.	We often play board games at friend gatherings.
玩魔方	wán mófāng	solve a Rubik’s Cube	他休息的时候喜欢玩魔方。	Tā xiūxi de shíhou xǐhuan wán mófāng.	He likes solving a Rubik’s Cube during breaks.
编程	biānchéng	programming	很多年轻人把编程当作爱好。	Hěn duō niánqīngrén bǎ biānchéng dàngzuò àihào.	Many young people treat programming as a hobby.
剪视频	jiǎn shìpín	edit videos	她喜欢剪视频发到网上。	Tā xǐhuan jiǎn shìpín fā dào wǎngshang.	She likes editing videos and posting them online.
直播	zhíbō	live streaming	他周末会直播打游戏。	Tā zhōumò huì zhíbō dǎ yóuxì.	He livestreams gaming on weekends.
学外语	xué wàiyǔ	learn foreign languages	学外语也是一种爱好。	Xué wàiyǔ yě shì yì zhǒng àihào.	Learning foreign languages is also a hobby.
弹钢琴	tán gāngqín	play the piano	她从小就学弹钢琴。	Tā cóngxiǎo jiù xué tán gāngqín.	She learned to play the piano from childhood.

Common Patterns You Will Use All The Time

Pattern	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Pinyin	EN
我的爱好是……	My hobby is…	我的爱好是摄影。	Wǒ de àihào shì shèyǐng.	My hobby is photography.
我喜欢……	I like…	我喜欢烘焙。	Wǒ xǐhuan hōngbèi.	I like baking.
我常常……	I often…	我常常跑步。	Wǒ chángcháng pǎobù.	I often run.
我对……感兴趣	I’m interested in…	我对书法感兴趣。	Wǒ duì shūfǎ gǎn xìngqù.	I’m interested in calligraphy.
……是我的爱好	…is my hobby	游泳是我的爱好。	Yóuyǒng shì wǒ de àihào.	Swimming is my hobby.
你有什么爱好吗？	What hobbies do you have?	你有什么爱好吗？	Nǐ yǒu shénme àihào ma?	What hobbies do you have?

Common Mistakes And Fixes

Not natural: 我的爱好是篮球。
Better: 我的爱好是打篮球。
Wǒ de àihào shì dǎ lánqiú.
My hobby is playing basketball.
Use the action phrase, not just the sport noun, when possible.
Not natural: 我喜欢音乐。
Better: 我喜欢听音乐。
Wǒ xǐhuan tīng yīnyuè.
I like listening to music.
The verb makes it clearer and more natural.
Too textbook-ish for daily chat: 我的兴趣是……
More common in casual speech: 我的爱好是……
Wǒ de àihào shì……
My hobby is …
Word order wobble: 我喜欢周末在家看电影。
Wǒ xǐhuan zhōumò zài jiā kàn diànyǐng.
I like watching movies at home on weekends.
Time words like 周末 zhōumò often come early in the sentence.

Quick Reference: 50 Hobby Words

爱好 àihào — hobby
看书 kànshū — read books
阅读 yuèdú — reading
写作 xiězuò — writing
写日记 xiě rìjì — keep a diary
画画 huàhuà — drawing
绘画 huìhuà — painting
摄影 shèyǐng — photography
书法 shūfǎ — calligraphy
下棋 xiàqí — play chess
拼图 pīntú — do puzzles
做手工 zuò shǒugōng — do crafts
缝纫 féngrèn — sewing
编织 biānzhī — knitting
集邮 jíyóu — stamp collecting
收集硬币 shōují yìngbì — collect coins
做饭 zuòfàn — cooking
烘焙 hōngbèi — baking
种花 zhòng huā — grow flowers
园艺 yuányì — gardening
养宠物 yǎng chǒngwù — keeping pets
做模型 zuò móxíng — build models
看电影 kàn diànyǐng — watch movies
追剧 zhuī jù — binge-watch shows
听播客 tīng bōkè — listen to podcasts
听音乐 tīng yīnyuè — listen to music
唱歌 chànggē — singing
弹吉他 tán jítā — play the guitar
弹钢琴 tán gāngqín — play the piano
跑步 pǎobù — running
散步 sànbù — take walks
游泳 yóuyǒng — swimming
骑自行车 qí zìxíngchē — ride a bicycle
爬山 páshān — hiking
露营 lùyíng — camping
钓鱼 diàoyú — fishing
旅游 lǚyóu — traveling
跳舞 tiàowǔ — dancing
瑜伽 yújiā — yoga
健身 jiànshēn — work out
滑冰 huábīng — ice skating
滑雪 huáxuě — skiing
打篮球 dǎ lánqiú — play basketball
踢足球 tī zúqiú — play soccer
打羽毛球 dǎ yǔmáoqiú — play badminton
打网球 dǎ wǎngqiú — play tennis
乒乓球 pīngpāngqiú — table tennis
打游戏 dǎ yóuxì — play games
玩桌游 wán zhuōyóu — play board games
学外语 xué wàiyǔ — learn foreign languages

Final Yak Box

If you only memorize three patterns, make them these: 我的爱好是…… Wǒ de àihào shì……, 我喜欢…… Wǒ xǐhuan……, and 我对……感兴趣 Wǒ duì…… gǎn xìngqù. Add a hobby phrase after them, and suddenly you sound like a person with interests instead of a tragic phrasebook robot.