How common it is
握手 appears often in everyday Chinese, so it is worth practicing early and reviewing often.
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Pronunciation focus
Say wòshǒu slowly first, then repeat it in a short phrase. Listen for the tone shape.
Usage note
握手是两个人用右手互相握住，表示友好或问候。
Wòshǒu shì liǎng gè rén yòng yòushǒu hùxiāng wò zhù, biǎoshì yǒuhǎo huò wènhòu.
Shaking hands is when two people hold each other's right hand to show friendliness or greeting.
Context note
第一次见面时，人们常常握手说你好。
Dì yī cì jiànmiàn shí, rénmen chángcháng wòshǒu shuō nǐ hǎo.
When meeting for the first time, people often shake hands and say hello.
5 examples
爸爸和朋友握手问好。
bà ba hé péng yǒu wò shǒu wèn hǎo。
Dad shakes hands with his friend to say hello.
老师和我们握手表示欢迎。
lǎo shī hé wǒ men wò shǒu biǎo shì huān yíng。
The teacher shakes hands with us to show welcome.
比赛后，两个选手互相握手。
bǐ sài hòu， liǎng gè xuǎn shǒu hù xiāng wò shǒu。
After the game, the two players shake hands with each other.
握手时要有礼貌，看着对方。
wò shǒu shí yào yǒu lǐ mào， kàn zhe duì fāng。
When shaking hands, be polite and look at the other person.
小明和小红握手成为好朋友。
xiǎo míng hé xiǎo hóng wò shǒu chéng wéi hǎo péng yǒu。
Xiao Ming and Xiao Hong shake hands and become good friends.
5 mini stories
小刚见到新同学，主动握手说你好。新同学也开心地握手。
xiǎo gāng jiàn dào xīn tóng xué， zhǔ dòng wò shǒu shuō nǐ hǎo。 xīn tóng xué yě kāi xīn dì wò shǒu。
Xiao Gang sees a new classmate and proactively shakes hands saying hello. The new classmate also happily shakes hands.
爷爷和邻居在楼下握手聊天。他们每天都会握手问好。
yé ye hé lín jū zài lóu xià wò shǒu liáo tiān。 tā men měi tiān dōu huì wò shǒu wèn hǎo。
Grandpa and the neighbor shake hands and chat downstairs. They shake hands to greet each other every day.
小丽参加舞蹈比赛后，和评委握手感谢。评委笑着和她握手。
xiǎo lì cān jiā wǔ dǎo bǐ sài hòu， hé píng wěi wò shǒu gǎn xiè。 píng wěi xiào zhe hé tā wò shǒu。
After the dance competition, Xiao Li shakes hands with the judge to thank her. The judge smiles and shakes hands with her.
爸爸出差回来，和妈妈握手拥抱。小明也学着和他们握手。
bà ba chū chāi huí lái， hé mā ma wò shǒu yōng bào。 xiǎo míng yě xué zhe hé tā men wò shǒu。
Dad comes back from a business trip and shakes hands and hugs Mom. Xiao Ming also learns to shake hands with them.
在运动会上，小华和对手握手表示友谊。大家都为他们鼓掌。
zài yùn dòng huì shàng， xiǎo huá hé duì shǒu wò shǒu biǎo shì yǒu yì。 dà jiā dōu wèi tā men gǔ zhǎng。
At the sports meet, Xiao Hua shakes hands with his opponent to show friendship. Everyone applauds for them.