Hobbies in Traditional Chinese

如果你想用中文聊興趣，這篇就很實用。Traditional Chinese: 興趣 /xìngqù/ means “hobby” or “interest,” and yes, people in Taiwan use it all the time without making it weirdly formal. You can talk about what you like, what you do in your free time, and whether you are the “I read books for fun” type or the “I collect tiny things and pretend it is a personality” type.

By the end, you will be able to name common hobbies, describe what you like, and talk about hobbies in real-life Mandarin. The goal is not to sound like a textbook. The goal is to sound like a human who has opinions about weekend plans.

For a broader learner guide, you can also check the main Traditional Chinese learning hub, plus related vocabulary like Daily Routines in Traditional Chinese and Emotions in Traditional Chinese.

Core Hobby Words

Useful Phrases For Talking About Hobbies

80+ Hobby Words You Can Actually Use

Below is a big, practical set of hobby vocabulary. Not every word has to become your personality, but it helps to know them.

Traditional Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Example (Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
讀書	dúshū	to read; to study	我喜歡晚上讀書。	Wǒ xǐhuān wǎnshàng dúshū.	I like reading at night.
看書	kàn shū	to read books	她週末常常看書。	Tā zhōumò chángcháng kàn shū.	She often reads books on weekends.
小說	xiǎoshuō	novel	我正在看一本小說。	Wǒ zhèngzài kàn yì běn xiǎoshuō.	I’m reading a novel.
漫畫	mànhuà	comic; manga	他很喜歡看漫畫。	Tā hěn xǐhuān kàn mànhuà.	He really likes reading comics.
追劇	zhuī jù	to binge-watch dramas	我昨晚追劇到很晚。	Wǒ zuówǎn zhuī jù dào hěn wǎn.	I binge-watched dramas until very late last night.
看電影	kàn diànyǐng	to watch movies	我們週五晚上去看電影。	Wǒmen zhōuwǔ wǎnshàng qù kàn diànyǐng.	We go watch movies on Friday night.
聽音樂	tīng yīnyuè	to listen to music	我搭公車時會聽音樂。	Wǒ dā gōngchē shí huì tīng yīnyuè.	I listen to music when I take the bus.
唱歌	chànggē	to sing	她很會唱歌。	Tā hěn huì chànggē.	She sings very well.
跳舞	tiàowǔ	to dance	很多人喜歡跳舞放鬆。	Hěn duō rén xǐhuān tiàowǔ fàngsōng.	Many people like dancing to relax.
彈鋼琴	tán gāngqín	to play piano	我妹妹會彈鋼琴。	Wǒ mèimei huì tán gāngqín.	My younger sister can play piano.
彈吉他	tán jítā	to play guitar	他下班後會彈吉他。	Tā xiàbān hòu huì tán jítā.	He plays guitar after work.
畫畫	huàhuà	to draw; to paint	小朋友喜歡畫畫。	Xiǎopéngyǒu xǐhuān huàhuà.	Children like drawing.
寫字	xiězì	to write; calligraphy practice	我最近開始練寫字。	Wǒ zuìjìn kāishǐ liàn xiězì.	I recently started practicing writing.
書法	shūfǎ	calligraphy	學書法需要耐心。	Xué shūfǎ xūyào nàixīn.	Learning calligraphy takes patience.
攝影	shèyǐng	photography	攝影是他的興趣。	Shèyǐng shì tā de xìngqù.	Photography is his hobby.
拍照	pāizhào	to take photos	我們去海邊拍照。	Wǒmen qù hǎibiān pāizhào.	We go to the beach to take photos.
旅行	lǚxíng	to travel	我很喜歡旅行。	Wǒ hěn xǐhuān lǚxíng.	I really like traveling.
露營	lùyíng	camping	他們這個月去露營。	Tāmen zhège yuè qù lùyíng.	They are going camping this month.
爬山	páshān	hiking; climbing mountains	週末去爬山很舒服。	Zhōumò qù páshān hěn shūfu.	Hiking on weekends feels great.
慢跑	mànpǎo	jogging	我早上會去慢跑。	Wǒ zǎoshang huì qù mànpǎo.	I go jogging in the morning.
游泳	yóuyǒng	swimming	夏天我常去游泳。	Xiàtiān wǒ cháng qù yóuyǒng.	I often go swimming in summer.
騎腳踏車	qí jiǎotàchē	to ride a bicycle	我們沿著河邊騎腳踏車。	Wǒmen yánzhe hébiān qí jiǎotàchē.	We ride bicycles along the river.
打球	dǎ qiú	to play ball sports	他週末常和朋友打球。	Tā zhōumò cháng hé péngyǒu dǎ qiú.	He often plays ball sports with friends on weekends.
打籃球	dǎ lánqiú	to play basketball	我弟弟很愛打籃球。	Wǒ dìdi hěn ài dǎ lánqiú.	My younger brother loves playing basketball.
打羽球	dǎ yǔqiú	to play badminton	晚上去學校打羽球。	Wǎnshàng qù xuéxiào dǎ yǔqiú.	Go to school at night to play badminton.
打桌球	dǎ zhuōqiú	to play table tennis	我朋友很會打桌球。	Wǒ péngyǒu hěn huì dǎ zhuōqiú.	My friend is very good at table tennis.
健身	jiànshēn	to work out; fitness	她每天去健身。	Tā měitiān qù jiànshēn.	She works out every day.
運動	yùndòng	exercise; sports	我需要多運動。	Wǒ xūyào duō yùndòng.	I need to exercise more.
瑜伽	yújiā	yoga	瑜伽幫助我放鬆。	Yújiā bāngzhù wǒ fàngsōng.	Yoga helps me relax.
跳繩	tiào shéng	to jump rope	小時候我常跳繩。	Xiǎoshíhòu wǒ cháng tiào shéng.	When I was young, I often jumped rope.
烹飪	pēngrèn	cooking	烹飪是我新的興趣。	Pēngrèn shì wǒ xīn de xìngqù.	Cooking is my new hobby.
做菜	zuò cài	to cook dishes	我週末喜歡做菜。	Wǒ zhōumò xǐhuān zuò cài.	I like cooking on weekends.
烘焙	hōngbèi	baking	她最近開始學烘焙。	Tā zuìjìn kāishǐ xué hōngbèi.	She recently started learning baking.
喝咖啡	hē kāfēi	to drink coffee	我喜歡在咖啡店喝咖啡。	Wǒ xǐhuān zài kāfēidiàn hē kāfēi.	I like drinking coffee in cafés.
品茶	pǐn chá	tea tasting	我阿公喜歡品茶。	Wǒ āgōng xǐhuān pǐn chá.	My grandfather likes tea tasting.
下棋	xià qí	to play board games / chess	他喜歡和爸爸下棋。	Tā xǐhuān hé bàba xià qí.	He likes playing chess with his dad.
玩桌遊	wán zhuōyóu	to play board games	我們晚上玩桌遊。	Wǒmen wǎnshàng wán zhuōyóu.	We play board games at night.
打電動	dǎ diàndòng	to play video games	我弟弟很愛打電動。	Wǒ dìdi hěn ài dǎ diàndòng.	My younger brother loves video games.
玩遊戲	wán yóuxì	to play games	我們一起玩遊戲吧。	Wǒmen yìqǐ wán yóuxì ba.	Let’s play a game together.
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