Meaning of 感冒
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to catch cold
- (common) cold
- (coll.) to be interested in (often used in the negative)
- (Tw) to detest
- can't stand
Measure word: 場|场,次
How to use 感冒
感冒 works as a verb and as a noun, so you can say 我感冒了 (wǒ gǎnmào le) for "I caught a cold" or 得了感冒 (dé le gǎnmào) for "got a cold." Example: 我感冒了，今天不去上班。(Wǒ gǎnmào le, jīntiān bú qù shàngbān.) I have a cold, so I am not going to work today.
感 (gǎn) means to feel or be affected, and 冒 (mào) means to give off or rise up, as in 冒烟 (mào yān, to give off smoke). Picture your body feeling the chill and then giving off sniffles and sneezes. That is a cold.
Common mistake: Learners often say 我有感冒 to copy English "I have a cold," but the natural phrasing is 我感冒了 (wǒ gǎnmào le). Also note that 冒 (mào) is fourth tone, and its top part is 曰, not 日, so do not confuse it with 冐 or 帽 (mào, hat).
感冒 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
感 gǎn · to feel · 13 strokes
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冒 mào · to emit · 9 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 感冒.
| 感觉 | gǎnjué | feeling; impression; sensation; to feel; to perceive |
| 感到 | gǎndào | to feel; to sense; to perceive |
| 感谢 | gǎnxiè | to thank; to be grateful |
| 感动 | gǎndòng | to move (sb); to touch (sb emotionally) |
| 感受 | gǎnshòu | to sense; perception |
| 感情 | gǎnqíng | emotion; sentiment; affection; feelings between two persons |
| 情感 | qínggǎn | feeling; emotion |
| 感兴趣 | gǎn xìngqù | to be interested (in sth) |
| 敏感 | mǐngǎn | sensitive; susceptible |
| 感想 | gǎnxiǎng | impressions; reflections |
| 感人 | gǎnrén | touching; moving |
| 流感 | liúgǎn | flu; influenza |
Questions about 感冒
What does 感冒 mean?
感冒 (gǎnmào) means "to catch cold; (common) cold" and is used as a noun and verb.
How do you write 感冒?
感冒 is made of 2 characters: 感 (13 strokes), 冒 (9 strokes). That is 22 strokes in total.
Is 感冒 an HSK word?
Yes. 感冒 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 不感冒 mean in casual Chinese?
In colloquial mainland speech, 对……不感冒 means "not interested in" something. For example, 我对足球不感冒 (wǒ duì zúqiú bù gǎnmào) means "I am not into soccer." In Taiwan, 感冒 can instead mean to dislike or be unable to stand someone.
How do you say flu as opposed to a common cold?
A regular cold is 感冒, while the flu is 流感 (liúgǎn), short for 流行性感冒. If you have a fever with your cold, you can add 发烧 (fāshāo), as in 我感冒发烧了.