Writing
等 (děng) — how to say "to wait" in Chinese
等
To wait
verb · preposition · particle · noun · measure word
1. to wait; to awaitHSK 3.0 · level 2
verb
2. until; by (of time)HSK 3.0 · level 4
preposition
3. etc.; and so onHSK 3.0 · level 4
particle
4. class; grade; rankHSK 3.0 · level 5
noun
5. kind; sort; grade (as a measure word)HSK 3.0 · level 5
measure word
Radicals / Keys
竹
Bamboo
#118 · zhú · 6 strokes
Synonyms
等待
to wait, to await
děngdài · formal, written
等候
to wait, to await
děng hòu · formal, literary
待
to wait; to await
dài · formal, written
Collocations
等公共汽车
děng gōnggòng qìchē
to wait for the bus
等朋友
děng péngyou
to wait for a friend
Examples
请等一下，我马上来。
Please wait a moment, I'll come right away.
他在餐厅门口等了朋友二十分钟，但是朋友没来。
He waited for his friend at the restaurant entrance for twenty minutes, but the friend didn't come.
Mnemonic
[děng-] Dennis the Duck is at the bus stop creating a funny dance to pass the time while he waits 等 ⏳. He flaps his wings to draw a horizontal line 一, then stands like a bamboo stalk ⺮ to entertain the crowd. Everyone laughs and says, "Dennis, you sure know how to turn waiting 等 into a show!"
Frequently asked questions
How to say wait in Chinese?
"to wait" in Chinese is 等 (děng).
等 meaning in English
等 (děng) means "To wait".
How is 等 pronounced?
It is pronounced děng (written as deng). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.
How do you write "to wait" in Chinese characters?
It is written 等 and has 12 strokes. The Writing section above animates the stroke order and lets you trace it.
What HSK level is 等?
等 belongs to the HSK 2 vocabulary list.
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