泡 pāo / pào — puffed; swollen; to steep; soak; bubble(s); foam
喝茶前，先用热水把茶叶泡一泡。Hē chá qián, xiān yòng rè shuǐ bǎ chá yè pào yi pào.Before drinking tea, steep the tea leaves in hot water first.
Common words: 泡沫 (pào mò)、浸泡 (jìn pào)、灯泡 (dēng pào)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "soak"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "soak", including 泡 (pāo / pào), 浸 (jìn). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "soak" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 泡 (pāo / pào), 浸 (jìn) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span pāo, pào, jìn — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 泡 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 泡 pāo / pàopuffed; swollen; to steep; soak; bubble(s); foamUseful words: 泡沫, 浸泡
- 浸 jìnimmerse; soak; steepUseful words: 浸泡, 沉浸
Common words for these 2 "soak" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 泡 (pāo / pào) — so "soak" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
泡沫pào mòfoam; (soap) bubble; (economic) bubble浸泡jìn pàoto steep; to soak; to immerse灯泡dēng pàolight bulb; see also 电灯泡; third-wheel or unwanted third party spoiling a couple's date (slang)浸泡jìn pàoto steep; to soak; to immerse沉浸chén jìnto soak; to permeate; to immerse浸种jìn zhǒngto soak seeds (in water to hasten germination, or in a chemical solution to prevent damage from insects etc)
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 2 ways to say "soak".
浸 jìn — immerse; soak; steep
把黄豆放在水里浸一晚上，第二天会变软。Bǎ huáng dòu fàng zài shuǐ lǐ jìn yì wǎn shàng, dì èr tiān huì biàn ruǎn.Soak the soybeans in water overnight, and they will soften the next day.
Common words: 浸泡 (jìn pào)、沉浸 (chén jìn)、浸种 (jìn zhǒng)
All 2 characters
Open 泡、浸 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.