Housing - Chinese Vocabulary
Learn Chinese vocab for 'housing', includes terms for different types of houses, parts of a house & related verbs.
一刻 (yī kè)
quarter
In Chinese '一刻' means quarter, usually used to refer to a quarter of the hour. It can also be used to describe a portion or sector, but it is less common. Similar to English, '一刻' can also mean a moment or a brief period of time.
Example sentences with 一刻 →住房 (zhùfáng)
housing
The Chinese word '住房' refers to the activity of residing or living in a particular location. It can also mean a building or a place where people reside. It is often used in the context of issues related to human habitation such as housing shortage, housing affordability, etc.
Example sentences with 住房 →停车 (tíng chē)
parking
The Chinese word '停车' is used to refer to the action or activity of leaving a vehicle in a particular place for a period of time. It is used in the same context as the English equivalent 'parking'. It could be used in sentences like: 我可以在这里停车吗? (Can I park here?).
Example sentences with 停车 →公寓 (gōng yù)
apartment
The Chinese term '公寓' is equivalent to the English term 'apartment'. It is commonly used to refer to a residential unit in a building that's owned by a single entity. The residents of the apartments typically rent or lease their units from the building owner. Notably, the term '公寓' is widely used in both formal and informal contexts across all regions in China.
养老金 (yǎng lǎo jīn)
lodging
The Chinese word for 'pension' is '养老金' which, in the context of employment, refers to the income an individual receives after retirement. It is a social security system where workers accumulate pension during their working years and receive it after retirement. This term is widely used in both informal and formal context.
Example sentences with 养老金 →分享 (fēnxiǎng)
share
The Chinese word '分享' is used in the context of sharing something with someone. This could be referring to sharing a physical object, some kind of information or intangible things such as experiences or feelings. Similar to English, it can be used both in the context of 'sharing (doing an action)' and 'to share (objective)' depending on the grammatical structure of the sentence.
厨房 (chú fáng)
kitchen
The Chinese word '厨房' is used to refer to the room where cooking or food preparation takes place, equivalent to the English 'kitchen'. This could include anything from a small room in a residential house to large commercial kitchens in restaurants or cafeterias.
土地 (tǔ dì)
land
The Chinese word '土地' can refer to two possible meanings depending on the context. It can refer to soil or earth in a general sense, or it can also specifically denote geographic areas categorized as land or property. Depending on the context, it could be used to refer to farmland, territorial land, etc.
墙 (qiáng)
wall
The Chinese word for 'wall' is '墙'. It is used in the same context as in English, to refer to a vertical structure, often made of stone or brick, that divides or encloses an area. For example, '他的房子有两道墙，很宽敞。' which means 'his house has two walls, it’s spacious.'
客人 (kè rén)
guest
The Chinese word '客人' is used to refer someone who is invited or paying to stay in a place, such as a house, hotel or any other place similar to how the English word 'guest' is used. It is often used in both formal and informal context.
室友 (shì yǒu)
roommate
In Chinese, roommate is translated as '室友'. It is used to refer to a person who shares a room or apartment with another. The term is commonly used among students in universities and colleges who often share their living quarters with fellow students.
家 (jiā)
home
The Chinese word for home is '家'. It is used in the context of indicating one's dwelling or a place where one lives, similar to how it is interpreted in English. This could refer to an actual physical house, an apartment, a town or city, or even a country. Furthermore, '家' also conveys a sense of warmness and charm because home is a place of comfort for many people. It can be used in various phrases and expressions to depict family, household, or a sense of belonging.
居民 (jū mín)
resident
The Chinese word '居民' is used to refer to a person who lives somewhere permanently or on a long-term basis. It is similar to the English word 'resident'. It can be used in various contexts, such as in the phrase 'local residents' (当地居民), or 'apartment residents' (公寓居民).
Example sentences with 居民 →市中心 (shì zhōng xīn)
downtown
The Chinese word '市中心' (shì zhōng xīn) literally translates to 'city center'. It is used to refer to an urban district, often the commercial, historical, or geographic heart of a city. It has a similar connotation to the English 'downtown', and is used in similar contexts.
建筑 (jiànzhù)
building
In Chinese, '建筑' refers to a structure with a roof and walls, such as a house or factory. It is often used in relation to buildings both large and small, and can refer to the process and product of construction. It can also extend to mean any man-made structure.
所有者 (suǒ yǒu zhě)
owner
In Chinese, '所有者' is used to refer to someone who owns or possesses something. It can be used in the context of saying, for example, 'he is the owner of the house' (他是房子的所有者) and may refer to both tangible and intangible possessions.
搜索 (sōusuǒ)
search
The Chinese word '搜索' is widely used in various contexts, similar to the English word 'search'. It can be used to explain the act of finding information in files, databases, or other digital sources, or searching for a person or thing in the real world. It is common in both conversational and written Chinese, making it a useful word for students to learn.
Example sentences with 搜索 →电梯 (diàn tī)
elevator
The word '电梯' is commonly used in Chinese to describe the machine known as an elevator or lift in English. These are used in buildings to transport people or goods between floors vertically.
砖 (zhuān)
brick
The Chinese word '砖' is used to refer to a rectangular shape hard material used in construction. It can be used in various ways in a sentence, for instance, '我正在搬砖' means 'I'm moving bricks'. It can also be used metaphorically, to indicate hard work or perseverance.
Example sentences with 砖 →租 (zū)
rent
In Chinese, '租' (zū) is the word for rent. This can be used in many contexts such as to rent an apartment ('租公寓'), to rent a car ('租车') etc. In Chinese the concept of renting is similar to that in English, where one pays to use something for a certain amount of time.
税 (shuì)
pay taxes
In Chinese, the term '税' (shuì) is used to refer to tax. It is used in the same context as in English, referring to a required payment to the government. It's commonly used in documents and conversations related to economics, finance, and government policies.
Example sentences with 税 →舒适 (shū shì)
comfortable
The Chinese word '舒适' would be used similarly to how 'comfortable' is used in English. It can be used to describe a variety of things, such as clothes, furniture, or even the atmosphere. In any context where you can describe something as 'comfortable' in English, '舒适' would be an appropriate word to use in Chinese.
Example sentences with 舒适 →花园 (huāyuán)
garden
The Chinese word '花园' refers to a plot of land, often near a home, where flowers, shrubs, vegetables, fruits, or herbs are cultivated for pleasure or for food. Similar to English, it can also be used metaphorically to refer to anything that requires continuous cultivation or a source of happiness.
财产 (cái chǎn)
property
In Mandarin Chinese, 'property' is translated as '财产'. This term generally refers to something owned or controlled by an individual or organization, such as land, buildings, money, rights, etc. Just like in English, it is widely used in legal, financial, and general conversations.
购买 (gòumǎi)
purchase
In Chinese, '购买' is a formal term used to describe the act of buying or purchasing goods or services. It is more commonly used in written or official contexts, rather than in casual conversation. Just like in English, '购买' can be used both as a noun and a verb, depending on the context.
车库 (chē kù)
garage
The Chinese word for 'garage' is '车库'. It is commonly used in the same way as in English, to refer to a building or space where vehicles, such as cars and bicycles, are kept. It can also be used metaphorically to refer to a place where things are developed or stored.
酒店 (Jiǔdiàn)
hotel
The Chinese word '酒店' is used similarly to the word 'hotel' in English. It is commonly used in conversation and written text when referring to a place one can rent for the purpose of lodging. It can also be applied to slightly more upscale accommodations that offer additional amenities, such as a restaurant or bar within the building.
门 (mén)
door
The Chinese character '门' is used to refer to the concept of a door in English. It can be used in various contexts, similar to the usage of 'door' in English. For example, it can be used alone to refer to a physical door, or coupled with other words in expressions such as '门口' (doorway), '安全门' (safety door), '电梯门' (elevator door) and so on.