Home Appliances in Chinese 家电
jiādiàn
Home appliances in Chinese is 家电 (jiā diàn).
Also searched for as: appliances, washing machine, fridge, air conditioner.
What runs on electricity? 15 essential home appliances 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.
Home appliances are 家电 (jiā diàn), short for 家用电器 (jiā yòng diàn qì), and many of their names are neatly descriptive: 洗衣机 (xǐ yī jī) is literally a 'wash clothes machine', 冰箱 (bīng xiāng) an 'ice box' and 吸尘器 (xī chén qì) a 'suck dust device'. Once you spot patterns like 机 (jī), 'machine', and 器 (qì), 'device', you can often guess new words and explain what needs fixing.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 家电 | jiā diàn | household appliances |
| 洗衣机 | xǐ yī jī | washing machine |
| 吸尘器 | xī chén qì | vacuum cleaner |
| 电风扇 | diàn fēng shàn | electric fan |
| 暖气 | nuǎn qì | heating |
| 热水器 | rè shuǐ qì | water heater |
| 电饭锅 | diàn fàn guō | rice cooker |
| 电水壶 | diàn shuǐ hú | electric kettle |
| 微波炉 | wēi bō lú | microwave |
| 冰箱 | bīng xiāng | fridge |
| 插座 | chā zuò | plug socket |
| 开关 | kāi guān | switch |
| 灯泡 | dēng pào | light bulb |
| 停电 | tíng diàn | power cut |
| 省电 | shěng diàn | to save electricity |
Usage tips
- Appliances are switched on with 开 (kāi) and off with 关 (guān), as in 开空调 (kāi kōng tiáo). 停电 (tíng diàn) is a power cut, the word you'll hear when everything suddenly goes dark.
- In northern China, homes usually have 暖气 (nuǎn qì), central radiator heating that runs through the winter, while in the south many people rely on air conditioning to keep warm.
- The everyday verb for boiling water is 烧水 (shāo shuǐ), and 热 (rè) works as a verb for heating food up: 热一下 (rè yī xià).
Common mistakes
- Saying 冰箱坏 for 'the fridge is broken': the change of state needs 了, so say 冰箱坏了 (bīng xiāng huài le).
- Mixing up 插座 (chā zuò), the socket in the wall, and 插头 (chā tóu), the plug on the end of the cable.
Mini dialogue
- A怎么突然这么黑？停电了吗？Zěn me tū rán zhè me hēi? Tíng diàn le ma?Why's it suddenly so dark? Is it a power cut?
- B不是，是灯泡坏了。Bù shì, shì dēng pào huài le.No, the bulb's gone.
- A家里还有灯泡吗？Jiā lǐ hái yǒu dēng pào ma?Have we got any more bulbs?
- B冰箱旁边的柜子里有。先把开关关上。Bīng xiāng páng biān de guì zi lǐ yǒu. Xiān bǎ kāi guān guān shàng.There are some in the cupboard by the fridge. Turn the switch off first.
Example sentences
- 新家需要买很多家电。The new place needs lots of appliances.
- 洗衣机正在洗衣服。The washing machine is running.
- 我用吸尘器打扫房间。I vacuum the room.
- 夏天离不开电风扇。Summer is impossible without a fan.
- 暖气不热了。The heating isn't warm any more.
- 热水器坏了，不能洗澡。The water heater's broken, I can't shower.
- 用电饭锅做米饭很方便。Cooking rice in a rice cooker is very easy.
- 我用电水壶烧水。I boil water in the kettle.
- 把饭放进微波炉热一下。Heat the food up in the microwave.
- 冰箱里有饮料。There are drinks in the fridge.
- 这里有插座吗？Is there a socket here?
- 灯的开关在门边。The light switch is by the door.
- 灯泡坏了，要换一个。The bulb's gone, it needs changing.
- 昨天晚上停电了。There was a power cut last night.
- 这个冰箱很省电。This fridge is very energy-efficient.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Home appliances speaking island has 8 everyday questions about home appliances to prepare your own answers to.