Karaoke (KTV) in Chinese 唱K
chàng K
Karaoke in Chinese is 卡拉OK (kǎ lā OK).
Also searched for as: KTV, sing karaoke, karaoke bar.
Ready to grab the mic? 15 essential karaoke 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 casual way to say karaoke in Chinese is 唱K (chàng K), literally 'sing K', from KTV, the name for karaoke venues with private rooms. A night out usually means booking a 包间 (bāo jiān), private room, taking turns to 点歌 (diǎn gē), choose songs, and fighting over the 话筒 (huà tǒng), microphone. These words also cover singing off-key, duets and the friend who never lets go of the mic.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 唱K | chàng K | to do karaoke |
| KTV | K T V | karaoke venue |
| 包间 | bāo jiān | private room |
| 点歌 | diǎn gē | to choose a song |
| 话筒 | huà tǒng | microphone |
| 歌词 | gē cí | lyrics |
| 跑调 | pǎo diào | to sing out of tune |
| 麦霸 | mài bà | mic hog |
| 合唱 | hé chàng | to sing together; duet |
| 老歌 | lǎo gē | old song; classic |
| 新歌 | xīn gē | new song |
| 切歌 | qiē gē | to skip a song |
| 音量 | yīn liàng | volume |
| 唱得好 | chàng de hǎo | to sing well |
| 通宵 | tōng xiāo | all night |
Usage tips
- Karaoke in China usually happens in a private room with friends or colleagues rather than on a public stage, which makes it a popular choice for birthdays and work outings.
- 麦霸 (mài bà) combines 麦 from 麦克风 (mài kè fēng), microphone, with 霸 'tyrant', giving a teasing name for the mic hog.
- 点歌 (diǎn gē) uses the same verb as ordering food, 点菜 (diǎn cài), so think of it as 'ordering' a song from the list.
Common mistakes
- Describing bad singing as 不在调 → the natural word is 跑调 (pǎo diào), literally 'running off the tune', or 走调 (zǒu diào).
- Saying 唱一个歌 → songs take the measure word 首 (shǒu): 唱一首歌 (chàng yī shǒu gē).
Mini dialogue
- A下班一起去唱K吧！Xià bān yī qǐ qù chàng K ba!Let's go to karaoke after work!
- B好啊，我订一个小包间。Hǎo a, wǒ dìng yī ge xiǎo bāo jiān.Sure, I'll book a small private room.
- A你先点歌吧，我老跑调。Nǐ xiān diǎn gē ba, wǒ lǎo pǎo diào.You pick a song first, I'm always off-key.
- B没关系！我们一起合唱这首老歌吧。Méi guān xi! Wǒ men yī qǐ hé chàng zhè shǒu lǎo gē ba.Don't worry! Let's sing this old classic together.
- A好，把话筒给我！Hǎo, bǎ huà tǒng gěi wǒ!OK, give me the mic!
Example sentences
- 下班一起去唱K吧！Let's go to karaoke after work!
- 这家KTV很便宜。This karaoke place is cheap.
- 我们订了一个小包间。We've booked a small private room.
- 你先点歌吧。You pick a song first.
- 把话筒给我！Give me the mic!
- 我记不住歌词。I can't remember the lyrics.
- 他唱歌老跑调。He's always singing off-key.
- 她是我们的麦霸。She's the one who hogs the mic.
- 我们一起合唱这首吧。Let's sing this one together.
- 我喜欢唱老歌。I like singing the classics.
- 这首新歌很好听。This new song is really good.
- 这首不好听，切歌！This one's no good, skip it!
- 音量太大了。The volume's too loud.
- 你唱得真好！You sing so well!
- 我们唱了个通宵。We sang all night.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Karaoke speaking island has 8 everyday questions about karaoke to prepare your own answers to.