留 liú — leave (message); to retain; to stay; to remain; to keep; to preserve
请把座位留给老人。Qǐng bǎ zuò wèi liú gěi lǎo rén.Please leave the seat for the elderly.
Common words: 留下 (liú xià)、留学生 (liú xué shēng)、保留 (bǎo liú)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to keep"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to keep", including 留 (liú), 含 (hán). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to keep" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 留 (liú), 含 (hán) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span liú, hán — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 留 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 留 liúleave (message); to retain; to stay; to remain; to keep; to preserveUseful words: 留下, 留学生
- 含 hánto keep; to containUseful words: 含量, 含有
Common words for these 2 "to keep" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 留 (liú) — so "to keep" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
留下liú xiàto leave behind; to stay behind; to remain; to keep留学生liú xué shēngstudent studying abroad; returned student; foreign student; international student保留bǎo liúto keep; to retain; to have reservations (about sth); to hold back (from saying sth)含量hán liàngcontent; quantity contained含有hán yǒuto contain; including包含bāo hánto contain; to embody; to include
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 "to keep".
含 hán — to keep; to contain
橙子里含有丰富的维生素。Chéng zi lǐ hán yǒu fēng fù de wéi shēng sù.Oranges contain abundant vitamins.
Common words: 含量 (hán liàng)、含有 (hán yǒu)、包含 (bāo hán)
All 2 characters
Open 留、含 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.