加油

jiāyóu

verb HSK 2 #717

Meanings

Literally 'add fuel' — used figuratively as encouragement

加油！你可以的！

Jiāyóu! Nǐ kěyǐ de!

Come on! You can do it!

我要去加油站加油。

Wǒ yào qù jiāyóuzhàn jiāyóu.

I need to go to the gas station to refuel.

大家一起加油！

Dàjiā yīqǐ jiāyóu!

Let's all do our best!

culture

加油 is the go-to cheer at sports events, exams, and any situation needing encouragement. It's as common as 'Go!' or 'Come on!' in English.

memory

Think of it as 'adding fuel to someone's fire' — giving them energy to keep going.

加 jiā

油 yóu