Plants & Flowers in Chinese 植物
zhíwù
Plant in Chinese is 植物 (zhí wù).
Also searched for as: plants, flower, tree.
What grows there? 12 essential plants & flowers 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 plant in Chinese is 植物 (zhí wù), and the basics, 花 (huā), flower, 草 (cǎo), grass, and 树 (shù), tree, are some of the simplest characters you'll learn. Plants also carry strong cultural meaning in China: 竹子 (zhú zi), bamboo, and 荷花 (hé huā), lotus, appear again and again in poetry and painting, so this list is as useful for culture as it is for gardening.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 植物 | zhí wù | plant |
| 花 | huā | flower |
| 草 | cǎo | grass |
| 树 | shù | tree |
| 叶子 | yè zi | leaf |
| 种 | zhǒng | to plant |
| 浇水 | jiāo shuǐ | to water |
| 玫瑰 | méi guī | rose |
| 荷花 | hé huā | lotus |
| 竹子 | zhú zi | bamboo |
| 花园 | huā yuán | garden |
| 开花 | kāi huā | to bloom |
Usage tips
- Each plant word has its own measure word: 一棵树 (yī kē shù), 一朵花 (yī duǒ huā) for a single flower, 一束花 (yī shù huā) for a bunch and 一盆花 (yī pén huā) for a potted plant.
- Avoid giving chrysanthemums, 菊花 (jú huā), as a gift, especially white ones, because they're associated with funerals and remembering the dead.
- 花 (huā) is also a verb meaning to spend, as in 花钱 (huā qián), so context tells you whether someone is talking about flowers or money.
Common mistakes
- Reading 种 as zhǒng when it means to plant → the verb is fourth tone, 种 (zhòng), as in 种花 (zhòng huā); zhǒng means a type or kind.
- Calling a vegetable patch a 花园 → 花园 (huā yuán) is a flower garden; a vegetable garden is 菜园 (cài yuán), and a yard or garden round a house is often 院子 (yuàn zi).
Mini dialogue
- A你家的花开得真漂亮！Nǐ jiā de huā kāi de zhēn piào liang!Your flowers are looking lovely!
- B谢谢！这些都是我奶奶种的，她每天早上都浇水。Xiè xie! Zhè xiē dōu shì wǒ nǎi nai zhòng de, tā měi tiān zǎo shang dōu jiāo shuǐ.Thanks! My grandma planted them all. She waters them every morning.
- A那棵树是什么树？Nà kē shù shì shén me shù?What kind of tree is that?
- B是桃树，每年三月开花。Shì táo shù, měi nián sān yuè kāi huā.It's a peach tree. It blossoms every March.
Example sentences
- 办公室里放了很多植物。There are lots of plants in the office.
- 妈妈喜欢在家里放花。Mum likes to keep flowers at home.
- 请不要在草上走。Please keep off the grass.
- 学校门口有一棵大树。There's a big tree by the school gate.
- 秋天叶子都黄了。In autumn the leaves all turn yellow.
- 爷爷在院子里种了很多菜。Grandpa has planted lots of vegetables in the yard.
- 这些花每天都要浇水。These flowers need watering every day.
- 他送了女朋友一束玫瑰。He gave his girlfriend a bunch of roses.
- 夏天湖里开满了荷花。In summer the lake is full of lotus flowers.
- 这片竹子长得很高。This bamboo has grown very tall.
- 我们家后面有个小花园。There's a small garden behind our house.
- 这棵树每年四月开花。This tree blooms every April.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Plants & flowers speaking island has 8 everyday questions about plants & flowers to prepare your own answers to.