动 dòng — to use; to act; to move; to change
风一吹，树叶就动了。Fēng yì chuī, shù yè jiù dòng le.When the wind blew, the leaves moved.
Common words: 动作 (dòng zuò)、活动 (huó dòng)、行动 (xíng dòng)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to move"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to move", including 动 (dòng), 走 (zǒu), 感 (gǎn), 运 (yùn), 流 (liú), 调 (diào / tiáo). Study pinyin, English meanings…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to move" covers 10 different Chinese characters — 动 (dòng), 走 (zǒu), 感 (gǎn), 运 (yùn), 流 (liú), 调 (diào / tiáo), 移 (yí), 迁 (qiān) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 10 characters do not share a sound — their readings span dòng, zǒu, gǎn, yùn, liú, diào, and more — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 动 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 动 dòngto use; to act; to move; to changeUseful words: 动作, 活动
- 走 zǒuto walk; to go; to moveUseful words: 走路, 走过
- 感 gǎnto feel; to move; to touch; to affectUseful words: 感觉, 感谢
- 运 yùnto move; to transport; to use; to apply; fortune; luckUseful words: 运动, 幸运
- 流 liúto flow; to spread; to circulate; to moveUseful words: 流行, 流利
Common words for these 10 "to move" characters
Anchor each of these 10 characters in a word you can picture — start with 动 (dòng) — so "to move" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
动作dòng zuòmovement; motion; action; to act活动huó dòngto exercise; to move about; to work out; shaky行动xíng dòngoperation; action; to move about; mobile走路zǒu lùto walk; to go on foot; to leave; to depart走过zǒu guòto walk past; to pass by走开zǒu kāito leave; to walk away; to beat it; to move aside感觉gǎn juéfeeling; impression; sensation; to feel感谢gǎn xièto thank; to be grateful感到gǎn dàoto feel; to sense; to perceive运动yùn dòngto move; to exercise; sports; exercise
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 10 ways to say "to move".
走 zǒu — to walk; to go; to move
我们走着去公园吧。Wǒ men zǒu zhe qù gōng yuán ba.Let us walk to the park.
Common words: 走路 (zǒu lù)、走过 (zǒu guò)、走开 (zǒu kāi)
感 gǎn — to feel; to move; to touch; to affect
我感到有点儿累。Wǒ gǎn dào yǒu diǎnr lèi.I feel a little tired.
Common words: 感觉 (gǎn jué)、感谢 (gǎn xiè)、感到 (gǎn dào)
运 yùn — to move; to transport; to use; to apply; fortune; luck
这批货物明天运到。Zhè pī huò wù míng tiān yùn dào.This shipment of goods will arrive tomorrow.
Common words: 运动 (yùn dòng)、幸运 (xìng yùn)、命运 (mìng yùn)
流 liú — to flow; to spread; to circulate; to move
小河的水静静地流着。Xiǎo hé de shuǐ jìng jìng de liú zhe.The water of the little river flows quietly.
Common words: 流行 (liú xíng)、流利 (liú lì)、交流 (jiāo liú)
调 diào / tiáo — mode (music); to move (troops); tune; tone; melody; to transfer
请帮我调一下空调的温度。Qǐng bāng wǒ tiáo yí xià kōng tiáo de wēn dù.Please help me adjust the air conditioner temperature.
Common words: 调查 (diào chá)、调整 (tiáo zhěng)、强调 (qiáng diào)
移 yí — to move; to shift; to change; to alter; to remove
请帮我把桌子往左移一点儿。Qǐng bāng wǒ bǎ zhuō zi wǎng zuǒ yí yì diǎnr.Please help me move the table a little to the left.
Common words: 移动 (yí dòng)、转移 (zhuǎn yí)、移民 (yí mín)
迁 qiān — to move; to shift
因为工作的原因，他们一家搬迁到了北京。Yīn wèi gōng zuò de yuán yīn, tā men yì jiā bān qiān dào le Běi jīng.For work reasons, their family moved to Beijing.
Common words: 拆迁 (chāi qiān)、迁徙 (qiān xǐ)、变迁 (biàn qiān)
All 10 characters
Open 动、走、感 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.