How to say “poor” in Chinese
poor, needy
“Poor” in Chinese is 贫困, pín kùn: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
贫困 is read pín kùn: 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 top, 分 fēn “divide”; below, 贝 “shell, money”: the money got divided, and little is left.
Outside, 囗 “enclosure”; inside, 木 “tree”: the tree is cramped.
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 “贫困”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 贫困. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 这个地区以前非常贫困zhègedìqūyǐqiánfēichángpínkùnThis area used to be very poor.
- 消灭贫困是全人类的共同目标xiāomièpínkùnshìquánrénlèidegòngtóngmùbiāoWiping out poverty is a common goal of all humanity.
More words from the lesson “Charity and equality”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “poor” in Chinese?
“Poor” in Chinese is 贫困, pinyin pínkùn.
What does 贫困 mean?
贫困 (pínkùn) means “poor, needy”.
How do you write 贫困?
贫困 is 2 characters: 贫 (pín) — poor; 困 (kùn) — sleepy; in difficulty. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 贫困?
贫困 is read pínkùn. Tones: pín — second tone, kùn — fourth tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“poor” in the lesson “Charity and equality”
This word is from the topic “Society” 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