How to say “interest” in Chinese
interest (on a deposit, loan)
“Interest” in Chinese is 利息, lì xī: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
利息 is read lì xī: 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, 禾 “grain”; on the right, 刂 “knife”: a sharp knife cuts the ears of grain.
Below, 心 “heart”. In 休息 it is read with the neutral tone.
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 “利息”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 利息. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 这笔贷款的利息太高了zhèbǐdàikuǎndelìxītàigāoleThe interest on this loan is too high.
More words from the lesson “Savings and loans”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “interest” in Chinese?
“Interest” in Chinese is 利息, pinyin lìxī.
What does 利息 mean?
利息 (lìxī) means “interest (on a deposit, loan)”.
How do you write 利息?
利息 is 2 characters: 利 (lì) — benefit, profit; sharp; 息 (xī) — breath, rest. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 利息?
利息 is read lìxī. Tones: lì — fourth tone, xī — first tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“interest” in the lesson “Savings and loans”
This word is from the topic “Economy and finance” of HSK 6. 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