Balcony & Garden in Chinese 阳台和花园
yángtái hé huāyuán
Balcony and garden in Chinese is 阳台和花园 (yáng tái hé huā yuán).
Also searched for as: balcony, garden, yard.
What's growing outside your window? 15 essential balcony & garden words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
For most city dwellers in China, the 阳台 (yáng tái), or balcony, is the garden: a place to grow plants, dry clothes and catch some sun. Homes with a 院子 (yuàn zi), a yard or courtyard, are more common in the countryside and older neighbourhoods. Verbs like 浇水 (jiāo shuǐ), 'to water', and 晒太阳 (shài tài yáng), 'to sit in the sun', help you talk about plants, pets and lazy afternoons outside.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 阳台 | yáng tái | balcony |
| 院子 | yuàn zi | yard; courtyard |
| 花盆 | huā pén | flowerpot |
| 种花 | zhòng huā | to grow flowers |
| 浇水 | jiāo shuǐ | to water |
| 草地 | cǎo dì | lawn; grass |
| 晒太阳 | shài tài yáng | to sunbathe; to sit in the sun |
| 晒衣服 | shài yī fu | to hang out the washing |
| 椅子 | yǐ zi | chair |
| 树 | shù | tree |
| 叶子 | yè zi | leaf |
| 虫子 | chóng zi | bug; insect |
| 剪 | jiǎn | to cut; to trim |
| 发芽 | fā yá | to sprout |
| 新鲜空气 | xīn xiān kōng qì | fresh air |
Usage tips
- 晒 (shài) means to dry or warm something in the sun, so 晒衣服 (shài yī fu) is hanging the washing out and 晒被子 (shài bèi zi) is airing your duvet, a common sight on Chinese balconies.
- 种 (zhòng) means to plant or grow, as in 种花 (zhòng huā) and 种树 (zhòng shù); the same character read zhǒng means 'kind' or 'type', and appears in 种子 (zhǒng zi), 'seed'.
- Trees take the measure word 棵 (kē), as in 一棵树 (yī kē shù), and single blooms take 朵 (duǒ), as in 一朵花 (yī duǒ huā).
Common mistakes
- Saying 给花喝水 for watering plants: the verb is 浇水 (jiāo shuǐ), as in 给花浇水 (gěi huā jiāo shuǐ).
- Translating 'sit in the sun' word for word as 坐在太阳里: the natural phrase is 晒太阳 (shài tài yáng), which people and pets alike do.
Mini dialogue
- A今天天气真好！Jīn tiān tiān qì zhēn hǎo!What lovely weather today!
- B是啊，我们把衣服拿到阳台上晒吧。Shì a, wǒ men bǎ yī fu ná dào yáng tái shàng shài ba.Yes, let's hang the washing out on the balcony.
- A好。你给花浇水了吗？Hǎo. Nǐ gěi huā jiāo shuǐ le ma?OK. Have you watered the flowers?
- B浇了。你看，花盆里的种子发芽了！Jiāo le. Nǐ kàn, huā pén lǐ de zhǒng zi fā yá le!Yes. Look, the seeds in the pot have sprouted!
Example sentences
- 我在阳台上晒衣服。I hang the washing out on the balcony.
- 孩子们在院子里玩。The children are playing in the yard.
- 花盆里种着西红柿。There are tomatoes growing in the flowerpot.
- 奶奶喜欢种花。Grandma likes growing flowers.
- 别忘了给花浇水。Don't forget to water the flowers.
- 草地上的草该剪了。The grass on the lawn needs cutting.
- 猫在阳台上晒太阳。The cat is sunbathing on the balcony.
- 今天天气好，可以晒衣服。The weather's good today, we can hang the washing out.
- 阳台上有两把椅子。There are two chairs on the balcony.
- 院子里有一棵苹果树。There's an apple tree in the yard.
- 秋天叶子变黄了。In autumn the leaves turn yellow.
- 花上有很多小虫子。There are lots of little bugs on the flowers.
- 爸爸在剪树枝。Dad is trimming the branches.
- 种子发芽了！The seeds have sprouted!
- 出去呼吸一下新鲜空气。Go out and get some fresh air.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Balcony & garden speaking island has 8 everyday questions about balcony & garden to prepare your own answers to.