跳 tiào — jump; hop; skip (a grade); to leap; to bounce; to beat
小兔子在草地上跳来跳去。Xiǎo tù zi zài cǎo dì shàng tiào lái tiào qù.The little rabbit hops around on the grass.
Common words: 跳舞 (tiào wǔ)、跳高 (tiào gāo)、跳远 (tiào yuǎn)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to leap"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to leap", including 跳 (tiào), 跃 (yuè). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to leap" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 跳 (tiào), 跃 (yuè) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span tiào, yuè — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 跳 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 跳 tiàojump; hop; skip (a grade); to leap; to bounce; to beatUseful words: 跳舞, 跳高
- 跃 yuèto jump; to leapUseful words: 活跃, 跳跃
Common words for these 2 "to leap" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 跳 (tiào) — so "to leap" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
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 leap".
跃 yuè — to jump; to leap
鱼儿不时跃出水面。Yú ér bù shí yuè chū shuǐ miàn.The fish leap out of the water from time to time.
Common words: 活跃 (huó yuè)、跳跃 (tiào yuè)、飞跃 (fēi yuè)
All 2 characters
Open 跳、跃 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.