想 xiǎng — to think; to believe; to suppose; to wish; to want; to miss
我想喝一杯热牛奶。Wǒ xiǎng hē yì bēi rè niú nǎi.I want to drink a cup of hot milk.
Common words: 想到 (xiǎng dào)、想法 (xiǎng fǎ)、想起 (xiǎng qǐ)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to wish"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to wish", including 想 (xiǎng), 巴 (bā). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to wish" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 想 (xiǎng), 巴 (bā) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span xiǎng, bā — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 想 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 想 xiǎngto think; to believe; to suppose; to wish; to want; to missUseful words: 想到, 想法
- 巴 bā(suff. for certain nouns); to hope; to wish; Palestinian; Palestine (abbrev.); Pakistan (abbrev.)Useful words: 嘴巴, 尾巴
Common words for these 2 "to wish" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 想 (xiǎng) — so "to wish" 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 wish".
巴 bā — (suff. for certain nouns); to hope; to wish; Palestinian; Palestine (abbrev.); Pakistan (abbrev.)
我们坐大巴去旅行。Wǒ men zuò dà bā qù lǚ xíng.We take a coach to travel.
Common words: 嘴巴 (zuǐ ba)、尾巴 (wěi ba)、巴士 (bā shì)
All 2 characters
Open 想、巴 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.