交换 meaning in English

jiāohuàn

to exchange; to swap

HSK 4verbTraditional 交換16 strokes

Meaning of 交换

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

jiāohuàn

to exchange
to swap
to switch (telecom)
commutative (math)
to commute

How to use 交换

交换 is used for trading physical things, information, or ideas, and also appears in phrases like 交换生 (jiāohuànshēng, exchange student). It often takes an object directly. Example: 我们交换一下电话号码吧。 (Wǒmen jiāohuàn yíxià diànhuà hàomǎ ba.) Let's exchange phone numbers.

交 (jiāo) means to hand over or cross paths, and 换 (huàn) has the hand radical 扌, meaning to change with your hands. Picture two people crossing paths and trading what is in their hands.

Common mistake: Learners often use 交换 where 交流 (jiāoliú) is more natural. 交流 is for communicating and sharing experiences, while 交换 stresses a two-way swap of specific items or information. Also do not confuse 换 (huàn) with 唤 (huàn, to call) or 焕 (huàn, shining), which share the same right side.

交换 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

可kě以yǐ跟gēn我wǒ交jiāo换huàn房fáng间jiān吗ma?

Could you exchange rooms with me?

我wǒ用yòng一yī台tái照zhào相xiàng机jī交jiāo换huàn一yī把bǎ吉jí他tā。

I swapped a camera for a guitar.

我wǒ和hé他tā交jiāo换huàn了le邮yóu票piào。

I exchanged stamps with him.

我wǒ想xiǎng用yòng汉hàn语yǔ交jiāo换huàn另lìng一yī种zhǒng语yǔ言yán.

I'd like to teach you Chinese in exchange for your teaching me another language.

双shuāng方fāng在zài会huì谈tán中zhōng友yǒu好hǎo地dì交jiāo换huàn了le看kàn法fǎ。

Both parties exchanged ideas cordially in the discussion.

Stroke order for each character

Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.

交 jiāo · to hand over · 6 strokes

换 huàn · to exchange · 10 strokes

Related words

Words that share a character with 交换.

交给	jiāo gěi	to give; to deliver; to hand over
交通	jiāotōng	to be connected; traffic
交朋友	jiāo péngyou	to make friends; (dialect) to start an affair with sb
公交车	gōngjiāochē	public transport vehicle; town bus
交易	jiāoyì	to deal; to trade; to transact; transaction; deal
交流	jiāoliú	to exchange; exchange
交往	jiāowǎng	to associate (with); to have contact (with)
外交	wàijiāo	diplomacy; diplomatic
交警	jiāojǐng	traffic police (abbr. for 交通警察[jiao1 tong1 jing3 cha2])
交费	jiāofèi	to pay a fee
外交官	wàijiāoguān	diplomat
交际	jiāojì	communication; social intercourse

Questions about 交换

What does 交换 mean?

交换 (jiāohuàn) means "to exchange; to swap" and is used as a verb.

How do you write 交换?

交换 is made of 2 characters: 交 (6 strokes), 换 (10 strokes). That is 16 strokes in total.

Is 交换 an HSK word?

Yes. 交换 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

How is 交换 written in traditional Chinese?

In traditional characters, 交换 is written 交換.

What is the difference between 交换 and 换?

换 (huàn) alone can mean to change or replace, even with no other person involved, as in 换衣服 (huàn yīfu, change clothes). 交换 means a mutual exchange between two sides.

Can I say 交换意见?

Yes, 交换意见 (jiāohuàn yìjiàn, exchange views) is a common and fairly formal set phrase. It is often heard in meetings and news reports.