候 hòu — wait
请稍候，他马上就来。Qǐng shāo hòu, tā mǎ shàng jiù lái.Please wait a moment; he will come right away.
Common words: 时候 (shí hou)、有时候 (yǒu shí hou)、小时候 (xiǎo shí hou)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "wait"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "wait", including 候 (hòu), 待 (dāi / dài). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "wait" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 候 (hòu), 待 (dāi / dài) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span hòu, dāi, dài — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 候 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 候 hòuwaitUseful words: 时候, 有时候
- 待 dāi / dàistay; delay; wait; treat; deal with; needUseful words: 等待, 对待
Common words for these 2 "wait" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 候 (hòu) — so "wait" 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 "wait".
待 dāi / dài — stay; delay; wait; treat; deal with; need
他对每个人都很友好，待人真诚。Tā duì měi ge rén dōu hěn yǒu hǎo, dài rén zhēn chéng.He is friendly to everyone and treats people sincerely.
Common words: 等待 (děng dài)、对待 (duì dài)、接待 (jiē dài)
All 2 characters
Open 候、待 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.