Comparing "zhuan" and "guai"

拐 and 转 both are verbs that mean to turn and oftentimes can be used interchangeably. 转 is used in used in informal/formal situations, whereas 拐 is used in informal situations. A key difference between these two is 转 is often used to say “turn” when driving a car on city streets or highways, while 拐 is often used to say “turn” when walking or riding a bike on narrow streets or small paths.

B1HSK4ASV4567

	拐 (guǎi)	转 (zhuǎn)
Meaning	to turn	to turn
Part of Speech	verb	verb
Formality	informal	flexible

:Yes

To say to turn oftentimes both 拐 and 转 can be used interchangeably.

Common Phrases

In the following examples both 拐 and 转 can be used.

• 右～
• 左～
• 往右～
• 往左～
• 向右～
• 向左～

To say to turn in the sense of to shift or change the body’s position use 转

Common Phrases

In the following examples only 转 can be used.

• 向后转
• 转身
• 转脸
• 转头

To say “a good turn” as in a change for the better use 转.

Common Phrases

In the following examples only 转 can be used.

• 好转