How to say “dictionary” in Chinese
dictionary
“Dictionary” in Chinese is 词典, cí diǎn: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
词典 is read cí diǎn: 2 syllables. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
How to write it
On the left, 讠 “speech”.
Originally a bundle of bamboo books on a stand.
Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “词典”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 词典. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 借助词典他读懂了这篇文章jièzhùcídiǎn,tādúdǒnglezhèpiānwénzhāngWith the help of a dictionary, he figured out this article.
- 这本词典每五年修订一次。zhèběncídiǎnměiwǔniánxiūdìngyícìThis dictionary is revised every five years.
More words from the lesson “Write it down, remember it”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “dictionary” in Chinese?
“Dictionary” in Chinese is 词典, pinyin cídiǎn.
What does 词典 mean?
词典 (cídiǎn) means “dictionary”.
How do you write 词典?
词典 is 2 characters: 词 (cí) — word; 典 (diǎn) — canon, code. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 词典?
词典 is read cídiǎn. Tones: cí — second tone, diǎn — third tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“dictionary” in the lesson “Write it down, remember it”
This word is from the topic “Studying” of HSK 3. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.
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