玩 (wán)

A verb meaning "to play," "to have fun," or "to spend time enjoying something." It is used for all kinds of leisure and recreation, from children playing to adults hanging out with friends.

Meanings

[verb] To play, to have fun, to engage in recreational activity.
[verb] To visit and enjoy (a place).

Example Sentences

孩子们在外面玩。 Háizimen zài wàimiàn wán. The children are playing outside.

周末我们去公园玩吧。 Zhōumò wǒmen qù gōngyuán wán ba. Let's go have fun in the park on the weekend.

他喜欢玩游戏。 Tā xǐhuān wán yóuxì. He likes to play games.

你来我家玩吧！ Nǐ lái wǒ jiā wán ba! Come hang out at my place!

Collocations

Collocation	Meaning
玩游戏	to play games
出去玩	to go out and play
好玩	fun, interesting
玩得开心	to have a good time
玩手机	to play on a phone
来玩	to come and hang out

Memory Hook

玩 has the 王 (king) radical — even a king needs playtime. The right side 元 (yuán) sounds like "fun." Royalty having fun: 玩.