加油

jiāyóu

verb HSK 2 #717

Meanings

Literally 'add fuel'—used figuratively as encouragement

Jiāyóu! Nǐ kěyǐ de!

Come on! You can do it!

Wǒ yào qù jiāyóu zhàn jiāyóu.

I need to go to the gas station to refuel.

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