感冒 (gǎnmào) — to have a cold

感冒 (gǎnmào)

感冒 means to have a cold or the common cold. It is used as both a verb (to catch a cold) and a noun (a cold). It is one of the most common health-related words in everyday Chinese and often appears alongside 发烧 (to have a fever) and 头疼 (headache).

Meanings

1. [verb] To have a cold; to catch a cold.
2. [noun] A cold; the common cold.

Example Sentences

我感冒了，嗓子很疼。 Wǒ gǎnmào le, sǎngzi hěn téng. I have a cold; my throat is very sore.

天气变冷，要注意不要感冒。 Tiānqì biàn lěng, yào zhùyì bú yào gǎnmào. The weather is getting cold; be careful not to catch a cold.

她感冒了三天了。 Tā gǎnmào le sān tiān le. She has had a cold for three days.

感冒了要多喝水，多休息。 Gǎnmào le yào duō hē shuǐ, duō xiūxi. When you have a cold, drink more water and get more rest.

Collocations

Memory Hook

感 means to sense or feel and 冒 means to rise up. A cold is when cold sensations rise up through your body, making you feel miserable from head to toe. When the cold 冒s up, you have 感冒.