痛 tòng — ache; pain; sorrow
我的牙很痛，要去看医生。Wǒ de yá hěn tòng, yào qù kàn yī shēng.My tooth hurts a lot; I need to see a doctor.
Common words: 痛苦 (tòng kǔ)、痛快 (tòng kuài)、疼痛 (téng tòng)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "ache"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "ache", including 痛 (tòng), 酸 (suān), 疼 (téng). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "ache" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 痛 (tòng), 酸 (suān), 疼 (téng) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span tòng, suān, téng — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 痛 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 痛 tòngache; pain; sorrowUseful words: 痛苦, 痛快
- 酸 suānsour; sore; ache; acidUseful words: 酸奶, 酸甜苦辣
- 疼 téng(it) hurts; love fondly; ache; pain; soreUseful words: 疼痛, 心疼
Common words for these 3 "ache" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 痛 (tòng) — so "ache" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
痛苦tòng kǔpain; suffering; painful痛快tòng kuàidelighted; to one's heart's content; straightforward疼痛téng tòngpain; (of a body part) to be painful; to be sore; to hurt酸奶suān nǎiyogurt酸甜苦辣suān tián kǔ làlit. sour, sweet, bitter and spicy (idiom); fig. all kinds of flavors; the joys and sorrows of life心酸xīn suānto feel sad疼痛téng tòngpain; (of a body part) to be painful; to be sore; to hurt心疼xīn téngto love dearly; to feel sorry for sb; to regret; to grudge疼爱téng àito love dearly; to dote on (sb)
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "ache".
酸 suān — sour; sore; ache; acid
这种橘子吃起来有点儿酸。Zhè zhǒng jú zi chī qǐ lái yǒu diǎnr suān.This kind of orange tastes a bit sour.
Common words: 酸奶 (suān nǎi)、酸甜苦辣 (suān tián kǔ là)、心酸 (xīn suān)
疼 téng — (it) hurts; love fondly; ache; pain; sore
摔了一跤，他的膝盖很疼。Shuāi le yì jiāo, tā de xī gài hěn téng.He took a fall, and his knee hurts a lot.
Common words: 疼痛 (téng tòng)、心疼 (xīn téng)、疼爱 (téng ài)
All 3 characters
Open 痛、酸、疼 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.