爱好

• Pinyin: ài hào
• Hanzi breakdown: 爱 (love) + 好 (good, fond of) — something one loves doing

Meaning

Hobby; interest. Refers to an activity one enjoys doing in spare time.

Can be used as both a noun (my hobby) and a verb (to be keen on). As a noun, it often appears in the pattern 我的爱好是... or 你有什么爱好？ Common in self-introductions and casual conversation.

Examples

1. 你有什么爱好？ What hobbies do you have?
2. 我的爱好是听音乐。 My hobby is listening to music.
3. 他有很多爱好。 He has many hobbies.

Usage Guide

Context: self-introduction, everyday

Tone: conversational

Do Say

• 你的爱好是什么？(What are your hobbies?)
• 我爱好运动。(I'm keen on sports.)

Don't Say

• 我的爱好是睡觉。(Technically grammatical but sounds odd — sleeping is not typically called a hobby in Chinese either)

Origin & History

Compound of 爱 (love) and 好 (good, fond of) — something one loves and finds good, hence a hobby or interest.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal