HSK 3 · Verbs

上网 shàngwǎng “to surf the web” in Chinese

Traditional 上網

What 上网 means

  1. to surf the web
  2. to go online
  3. to connect to the Internet
  4. (of a document etc) to be uploaded to the Internet
  5. (tennis, volleyball etc) to move in close to the net

How to say 上网

  • Pitch chart of the fourth tone: falls from high to low, 5 to 1 on the five-level scale上shàng4th tone, falling
  • Pitch chart of the third tone: dips low then rises, 2 to 1 to 4 on the five-level scale网wǎng3rd tone, dipping

上网 in a sentence

  1. 他在上网。

    Tā zài shàngwǎng.

    He’s online.

    Sentence #3378268 from Tatoeba · translation adapted

  2. 我经常上网看英文和中文的博客。

    Wǒ jīngcháng shàngwǎng kàn Yīngwén hé Zhōngwén de bókè.

    I often go online to read blogs in English and Chinese.

    Sentence #899126 from Tatoeba · translation adapted

  3. 我上网了。

    Wǒ shàngwǎng le.

    I’m online now.

    Sentence #797368 from Tatoeba · translation adapted

How 上网 is built

Each colour is one part of the character. Parts repeat across thousands of characters, so learning them makes new words easier. See all 214 in our radicals chart.

The character 上 (shàng) with each of its parts in a different colour
上shàngup; upper; above; previous
  • ⺊divination form of 卜 · bǔ
  • 一one · yī

Memory aidA short stroke above the line: up, on top.

The character 网 (wǎng) with each of its parts in a different colour
网wǎngnet; web
  • 冂down box · jiōng
  • 乂to govern · yì
  • 乂to govern · yì

Memory aidDrawn from a net: two sides 冂 with crossed cords 乂 inside. Today it also means the internet.

How to write 上网

上 3 strokes · 网 6 strokes

Watch the order, then press Try writing it and draw each stroke in the grid. Each stroke is checked as you go.

上网 (shàngwǎng) stroke order chart: each stroke of the characters in the order you write them
Stroke order chart for 上网 (shàngwǎng). Red marks the next stroke, so you can copy it onto paper one step at a time.

Words related to 上网

Words with 上

上shàng · up上午shàngwǔ · morning (forenoon)上课shàngkè · to go to class上学shàngxué · to go to school早上zǎoshang · morning晚上wǎnshang · evening上班shàngbān · to go to work上面shàngmiàn · above路上lùshang · on the road上来shànglái · to come up

Words with 网

网上wǎngshàng · online网球wǎngqiú · tennis网站wǎngzhàn · website互联网hùliánwǎng · the internet网络wǎngluò · network

More words: Common Verbs

骑qí · to ride an animal or bike起飞qǐfēi · take off in an aeroplane起来qǐlai · beginning or continuing an action请假qǐngjià · to ask for time off生气shēngqì · angry试shì · to try刷牙shuāyá · brush one’s teeth提高tígāo · to raise

FAQs

上网 (shàngwǎng) means “to surf the web” or “to go online”. It is an HSK 3 word.
Say it shàngwǎng: shàng with a 4th tone, then wǎng with a 3rd tone. Press Listen at the top of this page to hear it, or Slowly to hear each tone clearly.
In Traditional characters, used in Taiwan and Hong Kong, 上网 is written 上網. The pronunciation is the same.
Add a Chinese (Simplified) pinyin keyboard to your phone or computer, type shangwang with no tone marks or spaces, then choose 上网 from the suggestions. Typing shangwang into this dictionary’s search box finds it too.
上网 is an HSK 3 word in the HSK 2.0 word lists.

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Sources: meaning and pinyin checked by a native Mandarin teacher against the official HSK lists. Extra meanings from CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0). Example sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR). Character parts and stroke order from Make Me a Hanzi.