Chinese Vocabulary · 中文词汇
Location and Appliance Words in Chinese
地点与家电词汇 dìdiǎn yǔ jiādiàn cíhuì
Quick stat before we get into the vocab: over 33% of Taiwanese adults over 20 still live with their parents, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of Interior — and about a million of those between 35 and 54 are even married and still living at home.
Before you picture a country full of grown adults who can’t function without their parents, hear me out. The real reason is pretty simple: housing here is absurdly expensive, and parental leave is basically a joke, so moving out on your own income just isn’t realistic for a lot of people. Living with parents also comes with a built-in perk — grandparents pitch in on childcare, which frees up both parents to work. Ask pretty much any Taiwanese person if they’d rather be independent, and they’ll say yes in a heartbeat. The honest answer is just: we don’t really have a choice.
School, home, and every room in between
School and Room Words in Chinese
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Korean | Japanese |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 学校 | xuéxiào | School | 학교 | 学校 |
| 小学 | xiǎoxué | Elementary school | 초등학교 | 小学校 |
| 中学 | zhōngxué | High school | 중학교 | 中学校 |
| 大学 | dàxué | College, university | 대학 | 大学 |
| 家 | jiā | House, home | 집 | 家 |
| 客厅 | kètīng | Living room | 거실 | リビング |
| 房间 | fángjiān | Room, bedroom | 방 | 部屋 |
| 厨房 | chúfáng | Kitchen | 주방 | 台所 |
| 卫生间 | wèishēngjiān | Washroom | 화장실 | お手洗い |
Different way to say
About Washroom
Just like English, there are actually several ways to say “washroom” in Chinese, and they’re not all interchangeable:
| Chinese | Pinyin | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 卫生间 | wèishēngjiān | Toilet. The most common way to say it. |
| 洗手间 | xǐshǒujiān | Washroom. Used in most formal occasions. |
| 化妆室 | huàzhuāngshì | Powder room. Only used by women. |
| 盥洗室 | guànxǐshì | Literally “wash hands and face room.” A written form — nobody actually says this out loud. |
Keeping the house running
Appliance Words in Chinese
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Korean | Japanese |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 电话 | diànhuà | Phone | 전화 | 電話 |
| 电脑 | diànnǎo | Computer | 컴퓨터 | パソコン |
| 电视(机) | diànshì(jī) | TV | 텔레비젼 | テレビ |
| 电梯 | diàntī | Elevator | 엘리베이터 | エレベーター |
| 空调 | kōngtiáo | Air-conditioner | 에어컨 | エアコン |
| 照相机 | zhàoxiàngjī | Camera | 카메라 | カメラ |
| 手机 | shǒujī | Cell-phone | 휴대폰 | ケータイ |
💡 “Air-conditioner” isn’t just a script difference — Taiwan says 冷氣 (lěngqì); China says 空调 (kōngtiáo).
Putting it all together
Examples
我的電腦壞了，怎麼辦？我的电脑坏了，怎么办？ My computer is broken, what can I do?
有點冷，可以請你把冷氣調高一點嗎？有点儿冷，可以请你把空调调高一点儿吗？ It’s a little cold, could you please turn up the air conditioner a little?
Test yourself
Vocabulary Quiz
