Chinese Vocabulary: Places
Learn Chinese words related to various places such as home, school, office, park, and more. Improve your language skills today.
地球 (dì qiú)
earth
The Chinese word for 'earth' is '地球' (dì qiú). It is used in the same context as in English, referring to the planet we live on. It can be used in sentences like '我们都住在地球上' which means 'We all live on the earth'.
地面 (dì miàn)
ground
The Chinese word '地面' refers to the surface of the earth that people walk on. It might be used to describe the ground outside, the floor in a house, or the bottom surface of any location. It is similarly used in phrases and sayings just like 'ground' in English.
城市 (chénɡshì)
city
The Chinese word for 'city' is '城市' (chénɡshì). It's used in the same way as in English, to refer to a large town, or a large populated area. For example, '我住在一个大城市' means 'I live in a big city'.
大学 (Dà xué)
university
The Chinese word for university is '大学', pronounced as 'Dà xué'. It is used in much the same way as in English, to refer to institutions of higher learning. The term '大学' can be used for general references to a university or to refer to a specific one when followed by the institution’s name.
客户 (kèhù)
client
In Chinese, '客户' (kèhù) is used to refer to a person or organization using the services of a lawyer or other professional person or company. It is used in the same context as 'client' in English and can be found in both formal and casual situations.
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 →山 (Shān)
mountain
The Chinese word for 'mountain' is '山' (Shān). It refers to any large, naturally occurring, elevation of earth's surface. It is a commonly used word in describing geographical topographies and can be found in names of places in China.
岛 (dǎo)
island
The Chinese word for 'island' is '岛' (dǎo). It is used similar to the English word 'island', to refer to any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. '岛' (dao) is used in compound words to convey the concept of an island, such as '热带岛屿' (rèdài dǎoyǔ), meaning 'tropical island'.
市场 (shì chǎng)
market
The Chinese word '市场' is used similarly to 'market' in English, referring to a physical place where goods are bought and sold, or generally referring to the commercial world where trade happens. It can also be used in wider economic contexts referring to demand (e.g., '市场需求' = 'market demand').
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.
建设 (jiàn shè)
construction
The Chinese word for 'construction' is '建设', often used in contexts pertaining to building or creating infrastructures. It can refer to any kind of construction, from building houses to roads to office skyscrapers. Apart from 'construction', it could also loosely translate to 'building' or 'establishment'.
Example sentences with 建设 →房地产 (fángdìchǎn)
estate
In Chinese, '房地产' refers to property consisting of land or buildings. It can be used in many contexts such as: real estate market (房地产市场), real estate industry (房地产业), and real estate development (房地产开发).
教堂 (jiàotáng)
church
The Chinese word '教堂' refers to a place of worship for Christians, similar to the English word 'church'. It can be used in various contexts, whether it refers to the physical building itself, or the congregation of people within the Christian community.
村庄 (Cūnzhuāng)
village
In China, an urban city is often divided by districts, and district is divided by communities, while for the rural region, it is cornomically divided by '村庄' (villages). There are also '村庄' in cities but now they basically refer to 'urban villages', measures to accommodate the massive population flowing in big cities.
Example sentences with 村庄 →柜台 (guì tái)
counter
The Chinese word '柜台' is often used in the context of a service or display counter. This may refer to a counter at a store, bank, or any other place where people are served. It can represent both the physical counter itself and the service area as a whole.
Example sentences with 柜台 →森林 (sēn lín)
forest
The Chinese word '森林' is used to refer to a large area covered chiefly with trees and undergrowth. It can be used in various contexts like talking about nature, wildlife, and environment. Similar to English, it can be combined with other words to create new terms like 'rainforest', which is '热带雨林' in Chinese.
沙漠 (shā mò)
desert
In Chinese, '沙漠' (sha mo) refers to an arid, typically sandy area with little to no vegetation, just as 'desert' is used in English. It is often used in contexts discussing geographic landscapes and environmental issues.
河 (hé)
river
The Chinese word '河' is used in the same context as 'river' in English. It refers to a large natural stream of water flowing in a channel to the sea, a lake, or another river. In Chinese culture, many folktales and idioms about life, wisdom, or virtues have originated from this word due to the important role that rivers have played in agricultural civilizations.
海 (hǎi)
sea
The Chinese word for sea, '海' (hǎi), is used much like its English counterpart. It's used to describe large bodies of salt water. It's also commonly used in compound words for specific seas or oceans, like '南海' for South Sea or '太平洋' for Pacific Ocean.
Example sentences with 海 →海岸 (hǎi'àn)
coast
In Chinese, the word for 'coast' is '海岸'. It is used in much the same way as it is in English, to refer to the edge of the land where it meets the sea. It is commonly used in discussions about geography, travel, and nature.
海滩 (hǎi tān)
beach
The Chinese word for beach is '海滩' (hǎi tān). It is used in the same way as in English, to describe a pebbly or sandy shore, especially by the ocean between high- and low-water marks. It is often used in contexts relating to vacations, leisure activities, or natural scenery.
潜力 (qián lì)
potential
In Chinese, '潜力' directly translates to 'potential'. It is often used in the same contexts as the English word; for example, to talk about the unseen capacity or latent qualities within an individual, system or object. It can be used in daily conversations, business discussions, educational settings, etc.
Example sentences with 潜力 →状态 (zhuàng tài)
state
The Chinese word '状态' is used to describe the condition or circumstances of a person or thing at a particular time. It has similar usage as the English word 'state', which can be used in various contexts including, 'state of health', 'state of mind', 'state of affairs', etc.
田野 (tián yě)
field
In Chinese, '田野' (tián yě) is used to refer to a field. It can be related to a field of crops, an open land, or any open space that can be utilized for agricultural or other purposes.
站点 (zhàn diǎn)
site
The Chinese word '站点' is used to describe a specific location or place, especially in digital context it refers to a website. If you want to tell someone to check your site, you would say '查看我的站点'.
经理 (jīng lǐ)
manager
The word '经理' is commonly used in professional settings in Chinese, such as in offices or corporations. It is used to describe someone who is responsible for managing or overseeing a team, department, or organization. Much like in English context, the person holding this position usually has substantial authority and responsibility.
自然 (zì rán)
nature
The Chinese word '自然' corresponds to 'nature' in English. It refers to the natural world, including the land, animal life, vegetation, and other features and products of the earth, as opposed to humans and human creations. It can be used in a variety of contexts similar to how the English word 'nature' is used, like describing the outdoors (自然环境) or in philosophical contexts (自然法则).
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.
街道 (jiēdào)
street
The Chinese word '街道' directly translates to 'street' in English. It is typically used in the same manner as it is applied in English, to represent a public road in a city or town, usually with buildings along the side. The word '街道' is predominantly used in conversations, addresses and geographical descriptions.