Photography in Chinese 拍照
pāizhào
Take photos in Chinese is 拍照 (pāi zhào).
Also searched for as: take a photo, camera, selfie, photo.
Say cheese! 15 essential photography 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 phrase for taking photos in Chinese is 拍照 (pāi zhào), and when it's time to smile everyone says 茄子 (qié zi), 'aubergine', because it stretches your mouth just like 'cheese'. These words cover cameras and lenses, selfies and 合影 (hé yǐng), group photos, filters and photo editing. They're perfect for asking a stranger 你能帮我拍一张吗？ (nǐ néng bāng wǒ pāi yī zhāng ma?), 'could you take one of me?'.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 拍照 | pāi zhào | to take photos |
| 相机 | xiàng jī | camera |
| 照片 | zhào piàn | photo |
| 自拍 | zì pāi | selfie |
| 合影 | hé yǐng | group photo |
| 帮我拍 | bāng wǒ pāi | take one of me |
| 茄子 | qié zi | cheese! (for photos) |
| 镜头 | jìng tóu | lens |
| 滤镜 | lǜ jìng | filter |
| 修图 | xiū tú | to edit a photo |
| 模糊 | mó hu | blurry |
| 光线 | guāng xiàn | light (for photos) |
| 横着拍 | héng zhe pāi | to shoot landscape |
| 竖着拍 | shù zhe pāi | to shoot portrait |
| 上镜 | shàng jìng | photogenic |
Usage tips
- The measure word for photos is 张 (zhāng): 一张照片 (yī zhāng zhào piàn), and you can simply say 拍一张 (pāi yī zhāng), 'take one'.
- 合影 (hé yǐng) can be split like a verb and object, so you'll hear 我们合个影吧 (wǒ men hé ge yǐng ba), 'let's take a photo together'.
- 修图 (xiū tú), retouching photos, is a normal and openly discussed part of posting pictures online, and 上镜 (shàng jìng) describes someone who looks good on camera.
Common mistakes
- Translating 'take a photo' as 拿照片 (ná zhào piàn) → that means picking up a printed photo; say 拍照 (pāi zhào) or 照相 (zhào xiàng).
- Pronouncing 相机 as xiāng jī → it's xiàng jī, fourth tone, as in 照相 (zhào xiàng); xiāng is the reading for 'mutual'.
Mini dialogue
- A不好意思，你能帮我们拍一张合影吗？Bù hǎo yì si, nǐ néng bāng wǒ men pāi yī zhāng hé yǐng ma?Excuse me, could you take a group photo of us?
- B没问题。横着拍还是竖着拍？Méi wèn tí. Héng zhe pāi hái shi shù zhe pāi?No problem. Landscape or portrait?
- A横着拍吧，后面的风景也拍进去。Héng zhe pāi ba, hòu miàn de fēng jǐng yě pāi jìn qu.Landscape, please, so the scenery behind us gets in too.
- B好，一、二、三，茄子！Hǎo, yī, èr, sān, qié zi!OK, one, two, three, cheese!
- A谢谢！拍得真好。Xiè xie! Pāi de zhēn hǎo.Thanks! That's a great shot.
Example sentences
- 这里可以拍照吗？Can we take photos here?
- 我用相机拍照。I take photos with a camera.
- 这张照片拍得很好。This photo turned out great.
- 我们来个自拍吧！Let's take a selfie!
- 大家来合影吧！Everyone, group photo!
- 你能帮我拍一张吗？Could you take one of me?
- 一、二、三，茄子！One, two, three, cheese!
- 这个镜头很贵。This lens is expensive.
- 加个滤镜更好看。It looks better with a filter.
- 她修图修了半个小时。She spent half an hour editing the photo.
- 这张照片有点儿模糊。This photo is a bit blurry.
- 今天的光线很好。The light's great today.
- 横着拍吧。Take it landscape.
- 竖着拍更好看。It looks better in portrait.
- 她很上镜。She's very photogenic.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Photography speaking island has 8 everyday questions about photography to prepare your own answers to.