Dictionary › 钱

钱

qián

HSK 1 Character Traditional 錢 Measure word 笔

What 钱 means

1. coin
2. money
3. unit of weight, one tenth of a tael {两|liǎng}

Other readings

钱 is 多音字 — it is read more than one way, and the reading changes the meaning.

• Qiánsurname Qian

Example sentences

• 多少钱？
  How much is it?
• 我缺钱。
  I am short of money.
• 他要钱。
  He wants the money.
• 我想钱。
  I want money.
• 我借钱。
  I borrow money.
• 钱够吗？
  Was there enough money?

Words starting with 钱

• 钱包qián bāopurse; wallet
• 钱财qián cáiwealth; money
• 钱币qián bìmoney (esp. coins)
• 钱钟书Qián Zhōng shūQian Zhongshu (1910–1998), Chinese scholar and writer, author of the 1947 novel Fortress…
• 钱学森Qián Xué sēnQian Xuesen (1911-2009), Chinese scientist and aeronautical engineer
• 钱其琛Qián Qí chēnQian Qichen (1928-2017), former Chinese vice premier
• 钱庄qián zhuāngold-style money shop…
• 钱物qián wùmoney and things of value
• 钱塘江Qián táng JiāngQiantang River, the principal river of Zhejiang Province, eastern China, flowing through…
• 钱粮qián liángland tax; money and grain (given as tax or tribute)
• 钱起Qián QǐQian Qi (c. 710-780), Tang Dynasty poet
• 钱可通神qián kě tōng shénwith money, you can do anything (idiom); money talks
• 钱能通神qián néng tōng shénmoney is all-powerful; money can move God
• 钱永健Qián Yǒng jiànRoger Yonchien Tsien (1952-), US Chinese chemist and 2008 Nobel laureate
• 钱皮Qián píCarlo Azeglio Ciampi (1920-2016), president of Italy 1999-2006
• 钱袋qián dàiwallet; purse; money bag
• 钱袋子qián dài zi(colloquial) purse; money bag; (fig.) one's money; one's savings
• 钱夹qián jiāwallet; Taiwan pr. qián jiá
• 钱串qián chuànstring of cash
• 钱串子qián chuàn zistring of copper coins (in ancient China); (fig.) an overly money-oriented person…
• 钱塘区Qián táng QūQiantang, a district of Hangzhou City 杭州市
• 钱塘潮Qián táng cháotidal bore of the Qiantang River 钱塘江
• 钱钞qián chāomoney
• 钱三强Qián Sān qiángQian Sanqiang

Words containing 钱

• 挣钱zhèng qiánto make money
• 零钱líng qiánchange (of money); small change; pocket money
• 本钱běn qiáncapital; (fig.) asset; advantage; the means (to do sth)
• 压岁钱yā suì qiánmoney given to children as a gift on Chinese New Year's Eve
• 有钱yǒu qiánwell-off; wealthy
• 赚钱zhuàn qiánto earn money; moneymaking
• 金钱jīn qiánmoney; currency
• 价钱jià qianprice
• 花钱huā qiánto spend money
• 借钱jiè qiánto borrow money; to lend money
• 省钱shěng qiánto save money
• 值钱zhí qiánvaluable; costly; expensive
• 有钱人yǒu qián rénrich person; the rich
• 付钱fù qiánto pay
• 掏钱tāo qiánto pay; to spend money; to fork out
• 大钱dà qiánlarge sum of money; old Chinese type of coin of high denomination
• 工钱gōng qiánsalary; wages
• 用钱yòng qiánto spend money
• 小钱xiǎo qiána small amount of money
• 零花钱líng huā qiánpocket money; allowance
• 赔钱péi qiánto lose money; to suffer a financial loss; to pay for damages
• 存钱cún qiánto deposit money; to save money
• 血汗钱xuè hàn qiánhard-earned money
• 铜钱tóng qiáncopper coin (round with a square hole in the middle, used in former times in China)

Characters built on 戋

These share the phonetic component 戋 (jiān), which is why their readings rhyme. Learning them as a family is far cheaper than learning them one at a time.

• 线xiànthread; string; wire
• 践jiànto fulfill (a promise); to tread; to walk
• 浅qiǎnshallow; light (color)
• 贱jiàninexpensive; lowly; despicable
• 笺jiānletter; note-paper
• 饯jiànfarewell dinner; preserves

Characters that look like 钱

Easy to confuse on sight. Compare them side by side once and the pair stops costing you.

• 残cánto destroy; to spoil; to ruin
• 粗cū(of sth long) wide; thick; (of sth granular) coarse; (of a voice) gruff
• 栽zāito plant; to grow; to insert; to erect (e.g. a bus stop sign); to impose sth on sb
• 铢zhūtwenty-fourth part of a tael (2 or 3 grams)
• 钰yùtreasure; hard metal
• 铛chēngfrying pan; griddle

Sounds the same

Read qián, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 前front; forward; ahead
• 潜hidden; secret; latent
• 乾one of the Eight Trigrams 八卦; male principle; ☰
• 黔(literary) black; to blacken
• 钳pincers; pliers; tongs
• 荨used in 荨麻; also pr. xún
• 虔to act with reverence; reverent
• 掮to carry on the shoulder
• 箝pliers; pincers; to clamp
• 钤latch of door; seal
• 揵carry
• 拑pliers; pincers; to clamp