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Chinese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "picture" in Chinese?
照片
zhào piàn
In Chinese, "picture" is 照片.
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Pronunciation
Say 'jow' (falling tone) then 'pyen' (falling tone). The 'zh' in 照 is like 'j' in 'judge', and 'pian' rhymes with 'see-ahn'.
Writing and usage
Two characters. 照 means illuminate or photo (thirteen strokes), 片 means slice or piece (four strokes). Together they form the modern word for photograph.
Example sentence
这是我假期的照片。
This is a picture from my holiday.
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How to remember 照片
照 suggests light and taking pictures. 片 means a thin piece, fitting for a flat photograph. The word feels natural as 'photo-piece'.
Related words
- blanket 毯子 tǎn zi
- book cover 书籍封面 shū jí fēng miàn
- bottle opener 开瓶器 kāi píng qì
- diary 日记 rì jì
- fork 叉子 chā zi
- mirror 镜子 jìng zi
- steam 蒸汽 zhēng qì
- faucet 水龙头 shuǐ lóng tóu
- toilet 马桶 mǎ tǒng
Browse all Chinese words in the glossary.
Questions about 照片
How do you say "picture" in Chinese?
In Chinese, "picture" is 照片. It is a noun.
How is 照片 written in Chinese?
Two characters. 照 means illuminate or photo (thirteen strokes), 片 means slice or piece (four strokes). Together they form the modern word for photograph.
How is 照片 used in a sentence?
Use 照片 as you would use the equivalent noun in English. For example: 这是我假期的照片。 (This is a picture from my holiday.).
Where can I practice Chinese words for free?
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"Picture" in other languages
Curated by Jack Ratcliffe
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