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44 Words You Have to Know Relating to Money in Chinese
44 Must Know Money Words in Mandarin 💰 Money in Chinese
Show me the money in Chinese!
Are you looking for terminology for dealing with cash in Chinese?
Then you’ve landed on the right page. We’ll be covering the major currencies in Chinese, banks in Chinese even the old school bank cheque in Chinese.
💰💰💰 Take the Money Quiz 💰💰💰
China is quickly becoming a cashless society and soon might not even need the word for money or cash in Chinese.
However, before that happens there is still very important vocabulary needed to perform day to day tasks in China. You’ll probably see a lot of this vocab all over Chinese social media platforms like Weibo too!
Not heard about China’s cashless society? Check out Alice and Katie getting a cup of coffee with zero money in Chinese.
People say “money talks” 有钱能使鬼推磨 yǒu qián néng shǐ guǐ tuī mó
Money in Chinese
Right before getting stuck into all the vocab here’s a key phrase you’ll need everyday and you’ll hear everyday without fail…
多少钱 – Duōshǎo qián
This means how much does it cost. Hugely useful in near all public situation.
Fortunately, money in Chinese can be simple enough if you put in the time to master the terms such as money, credit card and price.
Here’s our breakdown of the most important words for money in Chinese:
- money: 钱 / 货币 qián / huò bì
- coin: 硬币 yìngbì
- debt: 债务 zhài wù
- bank: 银行 yín háng
- credit card: 信用卡 xìn yòng kǎ
- price: 价钱 jià qian
- to pay: 付 fù
- give change: 零钱 líng qián
- ATM: 自动取款机 zì dòng qǔ kuǎn jī
There is LTL’s top 9 most important money in Chinese terms to get you started!
From here you should be able to ask the price in Chinese, where to pay in Chinese and most importantly get your change.
Why not have some fun while learning money terms by playing Chinese monopoly!
Currency Exchange in Chinese
Moving or travelling abroad the first thing you’re going to want to know is where to find the currency exchange, followed closely by how good the exchange rate is that day.
Here’s how to communicate that and find out the exchange in Chinese：
- currency exchange 兑换 duì huàn
- exchange rate 汇率 huì lǜ
| Currency in English | Currency in Chinese |
|---|---|
| $ US Dollar | 美元 měi yuán |
| € European Euro | 欧元 ōu yuán |
| L. Turkish Lira | 里拉 lǐ lā |
| £ English Pound Sterling | 英镑 yīng bàng |
| ¥ Chinese Yuan | 元 yuán |
| ¥ Japanese Yen | 日元 rì yuán |
| ₹ Indian Rupee | 卢比 lú bǐ |
| R$ Brazilian Real | 巴西雷亚尔 bāxī léi yà ěr |
| $ Canadian dollar | 加拿大元 jiā ná dà yuán |
| ₽ Russian Ruble | 俄罗斯卢布 é luó sī lú bù |
| ₩ South Korean Won | 韩元 hán yuán |
| $ Australian dollar | 澳元 àoyuán |
| $ Mexican peso | 墨西哥比索 mòxīgē bǐsuǒ |
| Rp Indonesian rupiah | 印尼盾 yìnní dùn |
| SR Saudi riyal | 沙特里亚尔 shātè lǐ yǎ ěr |
| CHF Swiss franc | 瑞士法郎 ruì shì fǎ láng |
How is the exchange rate today?
Banking in Chinese
We’ve talked about the most common money in Chinese terms to help you get by in China.
Now let’s get a little more specific with the banking terms needed if you’re going to lend, borrow or make a deposit in China.
- debt: 债务 zhài wù
- to lend (money) 借给 jiè gěi
- to borrow (money) 借 jiè
- account 账户 zhànghù
- to deposit 存款 cún kuǎn
- to withdraw 提取tí qǔ
Intrigued by Chinese money? Don’t miss our guide to the Chinese currency.
Renting in Chinese
Are you learning about dealing with money to get ahead of dealing with a future landlord in China?
Here are the basic terms you’ll need.
- landlord: 房东 fáng dōng
- tenant 房客 fáng kè
- rent 租赁 zū lìn
- rent money 租金 zū jīn
- sum 金额 jīn é
Renting in Beijing or Shanghai? We’ve got guides to help you!
How’s your money in Chinese vocabulary coming along?
We’ve made helpful flashcards on all of these terms! Available on Pinterest.
Wallet in Chinese
Want to shout your friends a round of drinks at the bar or maybe to a nice Sichuanese meal?
We’ll tell them to 放那个钱包 “put that wallet away”!
- wallet: 钱包 qián bāo
- safe: 保险柜 bǎo xiǎn guì
Taxes and Fines in Chinese
Finally, will you be paying any taxes or fines in China?
We hope not for that second one. Still, you’ll need the vocabulary to understand what’s going on.
- tax 税, 税款 shuì, shuì kuǎn
- fine 罚款 fá kuǎn
💰💰💰 Chinese Money Quiz 💰💰💰
Money in Chinese – FAQ’s
What type of money do they use in China?
Renminbi (RMB) or Chinese Yuan (CNY) is the official currency of mainland China. It’s also commonly referred to as Yuan or Kuai.
How do you exchange money in China?
No bank is going to turn you away if you’re looking to exchange foreign currency.
Additionally, most high-end hotels offer currency exchange. Your last option is to find a currency exchange vendor.
How much money can I bring into China?
You have to declare any amount above $5000 USD when coming into China.
What year was paper money invented in China?
Paper money was first used by the Chinese in the Tang Dynasty 618-907 AD.
How much money will I need for two weeks in China?
This advice should only be used as a guideline.
If you came to China with flights and accommodation paid for.
You could comfortably survive on $25 USD per day for your food allowance.
How can I send money to China?
Best way to send money to China is with a direct bank transfer.
You’ll need the banking information of the person you’re sending to. Other ways include a Western Union or PayPal transfer. Or finally, bringing cold hard cash.
How can I take money out of China?
Your best option for taking money out of China is a bank transfer.
Other options are transferring with Western Union, Paypal, taking cash on a flight or finding someone who can deposit into your home bank account in exchange for Chinese RMB.
How do you say Money in Chinese?
Money in Chinese is most commonly known as “qián” 钱. Alternatively you can say “huò bì” 货币.
What it the rate between Chinese Yuan and the American Dollar
1 USD is about 6.5 CNY (March 2021).
What is the difference between real and fake money in China?
Both real and fake Chinese money is made of a paper substance.
Real Chinese money has more of a grainy rough touch where as fake Chinese money feels identical to standard printing paper.
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9 comments
Love this LTL School! This is exactly what I was after.
Thanks LTL
Hi Ben,
Thanks for your kind words, glad we could be of help.
LTL
[…] 44 Words You Have to Know Relating to Money in Chinese […]
Do Chinese use RMB or CNY generally?
Both actually Martin, when spoken they would say RMB 人民币, but both apply equally.
Hope this helps.
LTL
[…] called “Burke” 伯克 bó kè, which generally refers to rich people or […]
Hi! Do you use Twitter? I’d like to follow you if that would be okay.
We do indeed – check it out https://twitter.com/LTL_School
[…] 44 Must Know Money Words in Mandarin // Money in … […]