Places in Chinese
The Chinese word for "places" is 地方 (dì fang). Below are 50 Chinese words for places, each with pinyin, English and its level in the new HSK 3.0 word list. They cover HSK 1 to HSK 7-9, in the order a learner meets them.
Places and Locations HSK 1 lesson
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | HSK 3.0 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 北京 | Běi jīng | Beijing, capital of the People's Republic of China | – |
| 中国 | Zhōng guó | China | 1 |
| 家 | jiā | home; family; (suffix) specialist in a field | 1 |
| 医院 | yī yuàn | hospital | 1 |
| 饭馆 | fàn guǎn | restaurant | 2 |
| 商店 | shāng diàn | store; shop | 1 |
| 火车站 | huǒ chē zhàn | train station | – |
Places and Everyday Things HSK 2 lesson
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | HSK 3.0 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 书包 | shū bāo | schoolbag | 2 |
| 本子 | běn zi | notebook | 2 |
| 商场 | shāng chǎng | shopping mall | 2 |
| 药店 | yào diàn | pharmacy | 2 |
| 酒店 | jiǔ diàn | hotel | 2 |
| 网上 | wǎng shàng | online; on the internet | 2 |
| 外国 | wài guó | foreign country; foreign | 2 |
| 姓名 | xìng míng | full name (on forms) | 2 |
Places in the City HSK 3 lesson
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | HSK 3.0 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 超市 | chāo shì | supermarket (abbr. for 超级市场) | 1 |
| 宾馆 | bīn guǎn | guesthouse | 3 |
| 图书馆 | tú shū guǎn | library | 3 |
| 公园 | gōng yuán | park (for public recreation) | 3 |
| 银行 | yín háng | bank | 3 |
| 花园 | huā yuán | garden | 3 |
| 办公室 | bàn gōng shì | office | 3 |
| 街道 | jiē dào | street | 4 |
| 城市 | chéng shì | city; town | 3 |
| 地铁 | dì tiě | underground railway; subway | 2 |
| 洗手间 | xǐ shǒu jiān | toilet | 2 |
Geography & places HSK 4 lesson
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | HSK 3.0 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 亚洲 | Yà zhōu | Asia (abbr. for 亚细亚洲) | 4 |
| 首都 | shǒu dū | capital (city) | 4 |
| 长城 | Cháng chéng | the Great Wall | – |
| 长江 | Cháng Jiāng | Yangtze River, or Chang Jiang | – |
| 农村 | nóng cūn | rural area | 4 |
| 地球 | dì qiú | the earth | 4 |
| 当地 | dāng dì | local | 5 |
| 地址 | dì zhǐ | address | 4 |
| 周围 | zhōu wéi | environs; surroundings; periphery | 4 |
| 方向 | fāng xiàng | direction; orientation | 3 |
| 对面 | duì miàn | (sitting) opposite | 4 |
| 入口 | rù kǒu | entrance | 4 |
| 省 | shěng | province | 4 |
Geography, Places & Social Position HSK 5 lesson
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | HSK 3.0 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 朝 | cháo | to face; towards; dynasty | 5 |
| 地道 | dì dao | authentic, genuine (of food/language) | 6 |
| 地理 | dì lǐ | geography | 5 |
| 地区 | dì qū | region, area | 5 |
| 地位 | dì wèi | (social/professional) position, status | 5 |
| 公寓 | gōng yù | apartment building | 5 |
| 广场 | guǎng chǎng | public square; plaza | 5 |
| 胡同 | hú tòng | hutong, narrow lane | 5 |
| 华裔 | Huá yì | ethnic Chinese living abroad | 7-9 |
| 家乡 | jiā xiāng | hometown | 4 |
| 郊区 | jiāo qū | suburb, outskirts | 4 |
Every word links to its dictionary entry, with audio, example sentences and stroke order. The words are grouped by the GraphChinese lesson that teaches them, so a few in each group belong to the lesson and sit a little outside the topic.
More topics:
- family
- food
- numbers
- colors
- body parts
- emotions and feelings
- weather
- clothes
- health and illness
- time words
- transport and travel
- school
- jobs and work
- sports and hobbies
- nature and animals
- shopping and money
- directions
- greetings and everyday phrases
- pronouns
- measure words
- house and home
- everyday verbs
- personality
- technology
- business
- conjunctions
- entertainment and the arts
- festivals and holidays
- communication
- All topics
Frequently asked questions
How do you say "places" in Chinese?
地方 (dì fang), meaning "place". The most common words in this topic are 北京 (Běi jīng, Beijing, capital of the People's Republic of China), 中国 (Zhōng guó, China), 家 (jiā, home), 医院 (yī yuàn, hospital).
How many Chinese words for places do I need?
This page lists 50, from HSK 1 to HSK 7-9. The 7 at the top are enough to start; the rest follow level by level.
What do the HSK levels on this page mean?
Each word shows where the new HSK 3.0 word list places it, from level 1 to the 7-9 band. A dash means the word is taught in the course and is not on the HSK 3.0 list. HSK 3.0, complete.
How do I pronounce these words?
The pinyin beside each word gives the sound and the tone. Each word links to its dictionary entry, where you can hear it. If the tone marks are new to you, start with the four tones, explained.
GraphChinese teaches these words in dependency order, with audio, and only moves on when each one is proven. The whole course, HSK 0 through HSK 6, is $49 once for lifetime access.
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