Counting Money in Chinese —块 kuài, 元 yuán, 毛 máo, 角 jiǎo, 分 fēn
Numbers plus a money unit — that’s all it takes to read any price tag or pay at the market.
Counting money in Chinese is simply Chinese numbers plus a currency unit. Here’s how it works.
1Chinese Numerals
📌 Review: Chinese Numbers
2Currency Units
| Unit | Value | Style |
|---|---|---|
| 元 yuán | the basic unit (“dollar”) | written, formal — price tags, receipts |
| 块 kuài | the basic unit (“dollar”) | spoken, everyday |
| 角 jiǎo | 1/10 of a yuan (10 fen) | written, formal |
| 毛 máo | 1/10 of a yuan (10 fen) | spoken, everyday |
| 分 fēn | 1/100 of a yuan | both |
元 yuán and 块 kuài mean exactly the same amount, and Chinese speakers switch between them freely. Which one you use usually depends on how formal the situation is, or just personal preference. The same goes for 角 jiǎo and 毛 máo.
On Taiwanese banknotes and coins, the unit is printed as 圆 yuán — same sound, more formal character. On price tags and receipts you’ll see 元 yuán, and in conversation everyone says 块 kuài.
The New Taiwan dollar has no smaller units in everyday use, so you won’t hear 角 jiǎo, 毛 máo, or 分 fēn when shopping in Taiwan — they’re mainly used in mainland China.
3Currencies
| Place | Currency | Code |
|---|---|---|
| China | 人民币 rénmínbì | CNY |
| Hong Kong | 港币 gǎngbì | HKD |
| Taiwan | 新台币 xīntáibì | NTD / TWD |
| United States | 美元 měiyuán | USD |
| United Kingdom | 英镑 yīngbàng | GBP |
| Eurozone | 欧元 ōuyuán | EUR |
| Japan | 日元 rìyuán | JPY |
| South Korea | 韩元 hányuán | KRW |
| Singapore | 新币 xīnbì | SGD |
| Vietnam | 越盾 yuèdùn | VND |
| Thailand | 泰铢 tàizhū | THB |
Some currency names differ between Taiwan and mainland China. The US dollar is usually 美金 měijīn in Taiwan but 美元 měiyuán in China, and the Japanese yen is 日幣 rìbì in Taiwan but 日元 rìyuán in China. Many currency names end in 元 yuán (“dollar/unit”) or 币 bì (“currency”).
4Adding 钱 qián (“Money”)
When counting money, adding 钱 qián at the end is optional. In Taiwan, it’s especially common to say 块 kuài together with 钱 qián.
5Examples
In spoken Chinese, the last unit can be dropped: 一百二 yìbǎi èr means 120, not 102. For more on reading big numbers, see 📌 Chinese Bigger Numbers.
6Common Mistakes
7Practice
Say each amount in Chinese, then tap the card to check your answer.
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