(wán xiào) - joke, jest in Mandarin

wánxiào

Traditional: 玩笑

#1207 of 5,000 Core 5000

Translation

joke, jest

Word origin

A compound of 玩 (wán, to play) and 笑 (xiào, to laugh). The pairing names playful talk meant to amuse.

Origin: compound
Root: 玩 (wán, to play) + 笑 (xiào, to laugh)

Stroke order

玩

笑

Examples

。

Do not make this kind of joke.

。

I was only making a joke.

。

He likes joking around with friends.

。

This is no laughing matter.

。

She took my words as a joke.

玩笑 (wán xiào) means a joke or jest. It usually appears with 开 in the phrase 开玩笑, to make a joke.

Where this fits

The 1,000 most common Mandarin words

Where this word sits in the core vocabulary, and what to learn around it.

Mandarin vocabulary by HSK level

How many words each level actually needs, with real counts.

Mandarin learning guides

Podcasts, pronunciation traps and the things a word list cannot teach.

Add to review queue

Track this word in your spaced-repetition queue and be tested on it at the right interval.

Go to my review queue

Mandarin · Free printables

玩笑: worksheet, infographic and listicle

Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "玩笑" (joke, jest): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.

Free for members

The printable worksheets, infographics and PDFs are free with an account. Start a free week and download as many as you like.

Start your free week

This word is part of lesson 25.