to hop, to skip

JLPT N2 13 strokes

Words with this Kanji

Usage of (tiào)

The verb primarily means "to jump" or "to hop." It is commonly used to describe physical actions involving leaving the ground by pushing off with the legs. This can be literal, such as jumping over an obstacle, or more general, like children jumping while playing.

Common Collocations

  • 跳舞 (tiàowǔ): to dance — used when referring to dancing, emphasizing rhythmic jumping or movement.
  • (tiàoshéng): to jump rope — a common exercise or game.
  • 起来 (tiào qǐlái): to jump up — often used to describe sudden jumping or excitement.

Notes

When using , the focus is on the action of jumping itself. It can be combined with directional complements like (guò) to indicate jumping over something. Unlike 跳舞, which specifically means dancing, alone is more general and physical.

Avoid confusing with (pǎo, to run) or (zǒu, to walk), which describe different types of movement. emphasizes leaving the ground momentarily.

In conversation, can also imply excitement or energetic movement, especially in contexts like music or sports.

Example Sentences

The children are happily jumping on the playground.

He jumped over that small river.

As soon as the music started, everyone couldn't help but jump up.