按 àn — to press (with the hand); to push; to control; to restrain; to check; pressing down (brush movement in painting)
请按一下这个按钮。Qǐng àn yí xià zhè ge àn niǔ.Please press this button.
Common words: 按照 (àn zhào)、按时 (àn shí)、按摩 (àn mó)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to press"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to press", including 按 (àn), 压 (yā / yà). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to press" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 按 (àn), 压 (yā / yà) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span àn, yā, yà — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 按 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 按 ànto press (with the hand); to push; to control; to restrain; to check; pressing down (brush movement in painting)Useful words: 按照, 按时
- 压 yā / yàto press; to push down; to keep under (control); in the first place; to crushUseful words: 压力, 压岁钱
Common words for these 2 "to press" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 按 (àn) — so "to press" 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 press".
压 yā / yà — to press; to push down; to keep under (control); in the first place; to crush
大雪把树枝压弯了。Dà xuě bǎ shù zhī yā wān le.The heavy snow bent the branches.
Common words: 压力 (yā lì)、压岁钱 (yā suì qián)、血压 (xuè yā)
All 2 characters
Open 按、压 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.