Speaking
Chinese Sports & Watching Games — 体育 and 观赛 Mandarin for Fans
Essential Chinese for talking about sports and watching games: naming popular sports, reading scores and results, cheering for your team, discussing players and matches, and planning to watch together. Includes pinyin, examples, and natural fan phrases.
2026-08-17 · 7 min read
Popular sports and key vocabulary — 体育 (tǐ yù)
Sports in general is 体育 (tǐ yù), and a sports fan is a 球迷 (qiú mí) — literally a "ball fan". The most popular sports in China: 足球 (zú qiú) football/soccer, 篮球 (lán qiú) basketball, 乒乓球 (pīng pāng qiú) table tennis, 羽毛球 (yǔ máo qiú) badminton, 网球 (wǎng qiú) tennis, 排球 (pái qiú) volleyball, 游泳 (yóu yǒng) swimming, 跑步 (pǎo bù) running, 健身 (jiàn shēn) working out, and 滑雪 (huá xuě) skiing.
Useful phrases: 你喜欢什么运动 (nǐ xǐ huan shén me yùn dòng) — what sports do you like? 我最喜欢打篮球 (wǒ zuì xǐ huan dǎ lán qiú) — I like playing basketball the most. 你会打乒乓球吗 (nǐ huì dǎ pīng pāng qiú ma) — can you play table tennis? Note the verb 打 (dǎ) is used for ball sports you play with hands or a racket, while 踢 (tī, kick) is used for football: 踢足球 (tī zú qiú) play football.
Reading scores and results — 比分 (bǐ fēn)
A match is 比赛 (bǐ sài), one game is 一场 (yī chǎng), and the score is 比分 (bǐ fēn). Results: 赢 (yíng) win, 输 (shū) lose, 平局 (píng jú) draw, 得分 (dé fēn) score points, 进球 (jìn qiú) score a goal. To ask the score: 比分是多少 (bǐ fēn shì duō shao) — what is the score?
Examples: 三比二 (sān bǐ èr) — three to two, 中国队赢了 (zhōng guó duì yíng le) — the Chinese team won, 比赛打平了 (bǐ sài dǎ píng le) — the match ended in a draw. The score pattern uses 比 (bǐ) to mean "versus", so 3比2 reads "three to two". You can also say 零比零 (líng bǐ líng) for a 0–0 score, and 加时赛 (jiā shí sài) for extra time or 点球 (diǎn qiú) for a penalty.
Cheering and fan language — 加油 (jiā yóu)
The universal cheer is 加油 (jiā yóu) — literally "add oil", meaning "go" or "come on". Fans also shout 好球 (hǎo qiú) nice shot, 漂亮 (piào liang) beautiful, 太棒了 (tài bàng le) amazing, 进球了 (jìn qiú le) goal, it is in, and 又进一个 (yòu jìn yī ge) another one in.
Other fan phrases: 我们赢了 (wǒ men yíng le) we won, 太可惜了 (tài kě xī le) what a pity, 差一点 (chà yī diǎn) so close, 这个判罚不公平 (zhè ge pàn fá bù gōng píng) that call is unfair. Cheering together is a low-pressure way to practice because the phrases are short, emotional, and easy to repeat during a live match.
Talking about teams, players and matches — 球队 and 球星
A team is 队 (duì) or 球队 (qiú duì), a player is 球员 (qiú yuán), a star player is 球星 (qiú xīng), and the team you support is 支持的球队 (zhī chí de qiú duì). Home and away: 主场 (zhǔ chǎng) home game, 客场 (kè chǎng) away game.
Useful sentences: 你支持哪个队 (nǐ zhī chí nǎ ge duì) — which team do you support? 我最喜欢的球星是... (wǒ zuì xǐ huan de qiú xīng shì...) — my favorite player is... 昨晚的比赛太精彩了 (zuó wǎn de bǐ sài tài jīng cǎi le) — the match last night was amazing. 下场比赛什么时候 (xià chǎng bǐ sài shén me shí hou) — when is the next match?
Watching together and making plans — 一起看球
To watch live is 看直播 (kàn zhí bō), a live broadcast is 直播 (zhí bō), and a replay is 回放 (huí fàng). The venue is 体育场 (tǐ yù chǎng) stadium or 体育馆 (tǐ yù guǎn) gymnasium. Buying tickets: 买票 (mǎi piào) buy tickets, 票卖完了 (piào mài wán le) tickets are sold out.
Making plans: 我们一起看球吧 (wǒ men yī qǐ kàn qiú ba) — let us watch the game together. 晚上一起看直播吗 (wǎn shang yī qǐ kàn zhí bō ma) — shall we watch the live broadcast tonight? 你支持谁 (nǐ zhī chí shéi) — who do you support? 我们去看现场比赛吧 (wǒ men qù kàn xiàn chǎng bǐ sài ba) — let us go watch a live match.
Related practice pages
FAQ
Common questions
How do I cheer for a team in Chinese?
The most common cheer is 加油 (jiā yóu), literally "add oil", meaning "go" or "come on". During a match fans also shout 好球 (nice shot), 漂亮 (beautiful), 太棒了 (amazing), and 进球了 (goal). To declare support you can say 我支持中国队 (I support the Chinese team).
How do I ask about a score in Chinese?
Ask 比分是多少 (bǐ fēn shì duō shao) — what is the score? The answer uses 比 (versus): 三比二 means "three to two". To say who won use 赢了 (won) or 输了 (lost), and 平局 means a draw.
What is the most popular sport in China?
Table tennis (乒乓球) is often called the national sport, while basketball (篮球) and football/soccer (足球) have huge followings. Badminton (羽毛球) is also extremely popular for casual play. Watching the Olympics or a World Cup match is a great shared conversation topic.
How do I say "let us watch the game together"?
Say 我们一起看球吧 (wǒ men yī qǐ kàn qiú ba). For a live broadcast use 晚上一起看直播吗 (shall we watch the live broadcast tonight), and for going to the stadium use 我们去看现场比赛吧 (let us go watch a live match).