Cities & Places in Chinese 城市
chéngshì
City in Chinese is 城市 (chéng shì).
Also searched for as: city, chinese city names, place names, beijing shanghai.
Where in the country? 20 essential cities & places 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.
The word for city in Chinese is 城市 (chéng shì), combining 城 'city wall' and 市 'market'. These words cover Chinese cities such as 北京 (Běi jīng), the 'northern capital', and 上海 (Shàng hǎi), plus familiar places abroad like 伦敦 (Lún dūn), London. You'll also learn how to describe where someone lives, from the 市中心 (shì zhōng xīn), city centre, to the suburbs and the countryside, and how to ask which province a person comes from.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 城市 | chéng shì | city |
| 首都 | shǒu dū | capital city |
| 北京 | Běi jīng | Beijing |
| 上海 | shàng hǎi | Shanghai |
| 香港 | xiāng gǎng | Hong Kong |
| 广州 | guǎng zhōu | Guangzhou |
| 深圳 | shēn zhèn | Shenzhen |
| 成都 | chéng dū | Chengdu |
| 西安 | xī ān | Xi'an |
| 伦敦 | lún dūn | London |
| 曼彻斯特 | màn chè sī tè | Manchester |
| 纽约 | niǔ yuē | New York |
| 巴黎 | bā lí | Paris |
| 东京 | dōng jīng | Tokyo |
| 农村 | nóng cūn | countryside |
| 市中心 | shì zhōng xīn | city centre |
| 郊区 | jiāo qū | suburbs |
| 省 | shěng | province |
| 小镇 | xiǎo zhèn | small town |
| 地方 | dì fang | place |
Usage tips
- Many city names have meanings: 北京 (Běi jīng) is 'northern capital', 南京 (Nán jīng) 'southern capital' and 东京 (Dōng jīng), Tokyo, 'eastern capital'.
- 你是哪里人？ (nǐ shì nǎ li rén?) usually asks about your home town or province rather than your nationality, and Chinese people often answer with a province, e.g. 我是四川人 (wǒ shì Sì chuān rén).
- 农村 (nóng cūn) means rural villages and farming areas rather than the leisure 'countryside' of English weekend walks; for getting out of town people say 郊外 (jiāo wài) or 乡下 (xiāng xia).
Common mistakes
- Saying 西安 as one syllable, 'Xian' → it's two syllables, Xī ān, written Xi'an with an apostrophe; one syllable xiān would be a different word, such as 先 'first'.
- Pronouncing 地方 'place' with a full tone, dì fāng → it's dì fang with a neutral second syllable; dì fāng means 'local', as in 地方政府 (dì fāng zhèng fǔ) local government.
Mini dialogue
- A你是哪里人？Nǐ shì nǎ li rén?Where are you from?
- B我是四川人，老家在成都。Wǒ shì Sì chuān rén, lǎo jiā zài Chéng dū.I'm from Sichuan. My home town is Chengdu.
- A成都是个好地方！火锅特别有名。Chéng dū shì ge hǎo dì fang! Huǒ guō tè bié yǒu míng.Chengdu's a great place! The hotpot is really famous.
- B对。你呢？你住在伦敦市中心吗？Duì. Nǐ ne? Nǐ zhù zài Lún dūn shì zhōng xīn ma?That's right. What about you? Do you live in central London?
- A不，我住在郊区，那里安静一点儿。Bù, wǒ zhù zài jiāo qū, nà li ān jìng yī diǎnr.No, I live in the suburbs. It's a bit quieter there.
Example sentences
- 我喜欢这个城市。I like this city.
- 英国的首都是伦敦。The capital of the UK is London.
- 北京的秋天最舒服。Autumn is the nicest season in Beijing.
- 上海晚上的风景很漂亮。Shanghai looks beautiful at night.
- 香港有很多高楼。Hong Kong has lots of tall buildings.
- 广州的早茶很有名。Guangzhou is famous for dim sum.
- 他在深圳工作。He works in Shenzhen.
- 成都的火锅特别辣。Chengdu hotpot is really spicy.
- 西安有很多历史古迹。Xi'an has lots of historic sites.
- 我在伦敦住了三年。I lived in London for three years.
- 曼彻斯特常常下雨。It often rains in Manchester.
- 纽约是个很大的城市。New York is a very big city.
- 我们坐火车去巴黎。We're taking the train to Paris.
- 东京的地铁很方便。The metro in Tokyo is very convenient.
- 我爷爷奶奶住在农村。My grandparents live in the countryside.
- 酒店就在市中心。The hotel is right in the city centre.
- 很多人住在郊区。Lots of people live in the suburbs.
- 你是哪个省的人？Which province are you from?
- 这个小镇很安静，人也很友好。This small town is quiet and the people are friendly.
- 这是个好地方！This is a great place!
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Cities & places speaking island has 8 everyday questions about cities & places to prepare your own answers to.