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爱好 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
爱好àihàoto likeHSK 2, a, 16 strokes, rank #4340, Easy
爱好àihàoto take pleasure inHSK 2, a, 16 strokes, rank #4340, Easy
爱好àihàokeen onHSK 2, a, 16 strokes, rank #4340, Easy
爱好àihàofond ofHSK 2, a, 16 strokes, rank #4340, Easy
爱好àihàointerestHSK 2, a, 16 strokes, rank #4340, Easy
爱好àihàohobbyHSK 2, a, 16 strokes, rank #4340, Easy
爱好àihàoappetite forHSK 2, a, 16 strokes, rank #4340, Easy
àihào(ai4hao4)ai hao T4
  1. 1to like
  2. 2to take pleasure in
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March 24, 2026

爱好(愛好)àihào(ai4hao4)

爱好 (ài hào) refers to a person's interests or hobbies, indicating activities that they enjoy doing in their free time. It can also express a general liking or fondness for something, making it a versatile term in social conversations.

Strokes16Frequency#4340DifficultyEasy
Cultural note

In Chinese culture, having a hobby like calligraphy or tea brewing is often seen as a reflection of one's personality and social status. Engaging in traditional hobbies can also signify respect for cultural heritage.

Memory tip

Imagine a heart (爱, ài) and a hobby (好, hào) coming together. Think of 'loving what you do' to remember that 爱好 means 'hobby' or 'interest'. Visualize a person happily engaged in their favorite pastime, reinforcing the joy associated with this word.

Meanings of 爱好

àihào(ai4hao4)
1to like
2to take pleasure in
Exercise 1 of 2

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About 爱好

爱好Simplified
愛好Traditional
16Strokes
—Radical
形容词xíngróngcíadjective (adj.)Part of Speech
#4340Frequency Rank
个Measure Word
HSK 2.0L3HSK 3.0L2ElementaryTOCFLL1YCTL2HSKKL1CEFRA1

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AI study notes for 爱好

Quick Contrast

兴趣 (xìngqù) vs 爱好 (àihào): Use 兴趣 for a broader or more general interest, while 爱好 implies a stronger personal engagement or hobby.

Usage Notes

Avoid confusing 爱好 with 喜欢 (xǐ huān), which is more about liking something in general. While 爱好 can imply a deeper, more sustained interest, remember that it's often used in informal contexts. Common collocations include 我的爱好 (wǒ de ài hào) meaning 'my hobby'.

HSK Study Tips

As an HSK Level 3 word, 爱好 connects with other vocabulary related to personal interests and leisure activities. Students should focus on using it in sentences to describe their hobbies and interests, integrating it with verbs like 'to have' (有, yǒu) and 'to like' (喜欢, xǐ huān).

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 爱好 with the more general 喜欢, using them interchangeably. For example, saying '我爱好这个' (wǒ ài hào zhège) when they should specify '我喜欢这个' (wǒ xǐ huān zhège) for 'I like this.'

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 爱好

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Component characters

爱àito love
HSK 110 strokes爫
View full entry
好hǎogood
HSK 16 strokes女
View full entry

How to say to like in Chinese

“to like” in Chinese is爱好àihào

爱好 (ài hào) refers to a person's interests or hobbies, indicating activities that they enjoy doing in their free time. It can also express a general liking or fondness for something, making it a versatile term in social conversations.

When to use 爱好

Avoid confusing 爱好 with 喜欢 (xǐ huān), which is more about liking something in general. While 爱好 can imply a deeper, more sustained interest, remember that it's often used in informal contexts. Common collocations include 我的爱好 (wǒ de ài hào) meaning 'my hobby'.

爱好 or something close to it

兴趣 (xìngqù) vs 爱好 (àihào): Use 兴趣 for a broader or more general interest, while 爱好 implies a stronger personal engagement or hobby.

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 爱好 with the more general 喜欢, using them interchangeably. For example, saying '我爱好这个' (wǒ ài hào zhège) when they should specify '我喜欢这个' (wǒ xǐ huān zhège) for 'I like this.'

Write 爱好

爱
好

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Grammar patterns of 爱好

爱好 functions as an adjective. In Chinese it behaves like a stative verb: place it directly after the subject without 是 (我很高，not 我是高). Use 不 to negate (不高) and pair it with 很 in plain affirmative sentences. It carries 7 related meanings, each with its own usage notes below. The example sentences below show it in action, with practice buttons (Listen, Practice Writing, Practice Speaking) on every line.

Related grammar lessons1
Exercise 1 of 2

Fill the gap

Type the missing word. Pinyin works; then pick the character.

我的____跟姐姐一样。

My hobbies are the same as my sister's.

Example sentences for 爱好 (20)

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1
这只是一项爱好，不需要拼死拼活地努力。

zhè zhǐshì yī xiàng àihào， bù xūyào pīn sǐ pīn huó dì nǔlì。

It is only a hobby, not a life or death struggle.
2
除了租救生衣，水上运动爱好者还应该考虑租一套潜水服。

chúle zū jiù shēng yī， shuǐ shàng yùndòng àihào zhě hái yīnggāi kǎolǜ zū yī tào qiánshuǐ fú。

Watersports enthusiasts should consider hiring a wetsuit as well as a lifejacket.
3
起了疑心的爱好者揭发了这一勾当，警察在诺丁汉逮捕了一名男子。

qǐ le yí xīn de àihào zhě jiēfā le zhè yī Gōu dāng， jǐngchá zài nuò Dīng hàn dàibǔ le yī míng nánzǐ。

Suspicious fans exposed the racket and police arrested a man in Nottingham.
4
杰里是个业余跳舞爱好者，他跳舞是因为自己喜欢。

jié lǐ shì gè yèyú tiàowǔ àihào zhě， tā tiàowǔ shì yīnwèi zìjǐ xǐhuan。

Jerry is an amateur who dances because he feels like it.
5
这么说，你是个跑步爱好者喽？

zhème shuō， nǐ shì gè pǎobù àihào zhě lóu？

So you're a runner, huh?
6
滑雪爱好者乐于利用暑期假日去滑雪。

huáxuě àihào zhě lèyú lìyòng shǔqī jiàrì qù huáxuě。

Keen skiers are happy to forego a summer holiday to go skiing.
7
儿时他最大的爱好是帆船运动、游泳和骑自行车。

ér shí tā zuì dà de àihào shì fānchuán yùndòng、 yóuyǒng hé qí zìxíngchē。

His favourite childhood pursuits were sailing, swimming and cycling.
8
我的业余爱好是写信、踢足球、听音乐、玩摄影和打网球。

wǒ de yèyú àihào shì xiě xìn、 tī zúqiú、 tīngyīnyuè、 wán shèyǐng hé dǎ wǎngqiú。

My hobbies are letter writing, foot-ball, music, photography, and tennis.
9
我的爱好是：到外面上馆子，晚上在家娱乐，听音乐，寻乐子。

wǒ de àihào shì： dào wàimiàn shàng guǎn zi， wǎnshang zàijiā yúlè， tīngyīnyuè， xún lè zi。

My interests: eating out, fun nights in, music and laughter.
10
《芝加哥》将给所有音乐爱好者献上一场听觉的盛宴。

《 zhī jiā gē》 jiāng gěi suǒyǒu yīnyuè àihào zhě xiàn shàng yī chǎng tīngjué de shèngyàn。

Chicago provides a feast for the ears of any music lover.
11
我的爱好是画画，我特别喜欢用水彩。

Wǒ de àihào shì huà huà, wǒ tèbié xǐhuan yòng shuǐcǎi.

My hobby is painting, I especially like using watercolors.
12
她的爱好是看书，每天都要看一个小时。

Tā de àihào shì kàn shū, měitiān dōu yào kàn yī gè xiǎoshí.

Her hobby is reading books, she likes to read for an hour every day.
13
爸爸的爱好是钓鱼，他周末常常去河边。

Bàba de àihào shì diàoyú, tā zhōumò chángcháng qù hé biān.

Dad's hobby is fishing, he likes to go to the river on weekends.
14
我爱好游泳，因为它让我很放松。

Wǒ àihào yóuyǒng, yīnwèi tā ràng wǒ hěn fàngsōng.

I like swimming because it makes me feel relaxed.
15
我爱好旅行，喜欢去不同的地方看看。

Wǒ àihào lǚxíng, xǐhuan qù bùtóng de dìfāng kànkan.

I like traveling and enjoy visiting different places.
16
我的爱好是画画，我特别喜欢用水彩。

Wǒ de àihào shì huà huà, wǒ tèbié xǐhuan yòng shuǐcǎi.

My hobby is painting, I especially like using watercolors.
17
她的爱好是看书，每天都要看一个小时。

Tā de àihào shì kàn shū, měitiān dōu yào kàn yī gè xiǎoshí.

Her hobby is reading books, she likes to read for an hour every day.
18
爸爸的爱好是钓鱼，他周末常常去河边。

Bàba de àihào shì diàoyú, tā zhōumò chángcháng qù hé biān.

Dad's hobby is fishing, he likes to go to the river on weekends.
19
我爱好游泳，因为它让我很放松。

Wǒ àihào yóuyǒng, yīnwèi tā ràng wǒ hěn fàngsōng.

I like swimming because it makes me feel relaxed.
20
我爱好旅行，喜欢去不同的地方看看。

Wǒ àihào lǚxíng, xǐhuan qù bùtóng de dìfāng kànkan.

I like traveling and enjoy visiting different places.

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Cultural Notes for 爱好

🌏Cross-cultural Insight

While both cultures value hobbies, Western cultures often emphasize individualism in hobbies, while Chinese culture sometimes views hobbies in the context of family or social harmony.

Frequently asked questions about 爱好

You can say '我的爱好是游泳' (wǒ de ài hào shì yóu yǒng) meaning 'My hobby is swimming.'

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