How to say “boss” in Chinese
boss, owner
“Boss” in Chinese is 老板, lǎo bǎn: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
老板 is read lǎo bǎn: 2 syllables. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
Two third tones in a row: the first one is said as a second tone, but it is still written as a third.
How to write it
On the left, 木 “wood”; on the right, 反 fǎn hints at the sound.
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 “老板”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 老板. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 你们老板在吗？nǐmenlǎobǎnzàimaIs your boss in?
- 我想辞职，明天就告诉老板！wǒxiǎngcízhí,míngtiānjiùgàosulǎobǎnI want to quit — I'll tell the boss tomorrow!
More words from the lesson “Your own business”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “boss” in Chinese?
“Boss” in Chinese is 老板, pinyin lǎobǎn.
What does 老板 mean?
老板 (lǎobǎn) means “boss, owner”.
How do you write 老板?
老板 is 2 characters: 老 (lǎo) — old, respected; 板 (bǎn) — board. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 老板?
老板 is read lǎobǎn. Tones: lǎo — third tone, bǎn — third tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“boss” in the lesson “Your own business”
This word is from the topic “Business” of HSK 5. 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.
Start for free