Post & Deliveries in Chinese 邮寄和快递
yóujì hé kuàidì
Express delivery / post office in Chinese are 快递 / 邮局 (kuài dì / yóu jú).
Also searched for as: post office, delivery, parcel, express delivery.
How do you send things? 15 essential post & deliveries 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.
Post office in Chinese is 邮局 (yóu jú), but in everyday life a huge number of parcels travel by 快递 (kuài dì), express courier, which is a big part of modern Chinese life. Here you'll find the words for sending things the traditional way, like 信 (xìn), a letter, and 邮票 (yóu piào), a stamp, plus what you need for online orders, such as 包裹 (bāo guǒ), a parcel, and 取快递 (qǔ kuài dì), collecting a parcel.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 邮局 | yóu jú | post office |
| 寄 | jì | to send (by post) |
| 信 | xìn | letter |
| 信封 | xìn fēng | envelope |
| 邮票 | yóu piào | stamp |
| 明信片 | míng xìn piàn | postcard |
| 包裹 | bāo guǒ | parcel |
| 快递 | kuài dì | express delivery |
| 地址 | dì zhǐ | address |
| 收件人 | shōu jiàn rén | recipient |
| 运费 | yùn fèi | postage; shipping fee |
| 到付 | dào fù | cash on delivery (postage) |
| 签收 | qiān shōu | to sign for |
| 取快递 | qǔ kuài dì | to collect a parcel |
| 国际 | guó jì | international |
Usage tips
- Measure words matter here: 一封信 (yī fēng xìn), a letter; 一张邮票 (yī zhāng yóu piào), a stamp; 一张明信片 (yī zhāng míng xìn piàn), a postcard; 一个包裹 (yī ge bāo guǒ), a parcel.
- 快递 means both the service and the parcel itself, so 我的快递到了 (wǒ de kuài dì dào le) means "my parcel has arrived". The courier is a 快递员 (kuài dì yuán), often informally called 快递小哥 (kuài dì xiǎo gē).
- Chinese addresses run from largest to smallest: country, province, city, district, street, building, then the recipient's name, the reverse of the usual English order.
Common mistakes
- Using 送 (sòng) for "send a letter": 送 means to deliver in person or give as a gift → sending by post or courier is 寄 (jì), as in 寄信 (jì xìn) and 寄包裹 (jì bāo guǒ).
- Using 寄 for messages: 寄短信 sounds as if you're posting a text → you 发 (fā) messages and emails: 发短信 (fā duǎn xìn), 发邮件 (fā yóu jiàn).
Mini dialogue
- A你去哪儿？Nǐ qù nǎr?Where are you off to?
- B我去邮局寄个包裹到英国。Wǒ qù yóu jú jì ge bāo guǒ dào Yīng guó.I'm going to the post office to send a parcel to the UK.
- A国际快递挺贵的，你问过运费了吗？Guó jì kuài dì tǐng guì de, nǐ wèn guo yùn fèi le ma?International delivery's pretty pricey. Have you asked about the postage?
- B问了，有点儿贵，不过这是给奶奶的生日礼物。Wèn le, yǒu diǎnr guì, bù guò zhè shì gěi nǎi nai de shēng rì lǐ wù.I have. It's a bit expensive, but it's a birthday present for my grandma.
- A那别忘了把地址写清楚。Nà bié wàng le bǎ dì zhǐ xiě qīng chu.Then don't forget to write the address clearly.
Example sentences
- 邮局几点关门？What time does the post office close?
- 我想寄一个包裹到英国。I'd like to send a parcel to the UK.
- 我给奶奶写了一封信。I wrote a letter to grandma.
- 信封上写地址。Write the address on the envelope.
- 一张邮票多少钱？How much is a stamp?
- 旅行的时候我寄明信片。I send postcards when I travel.
- 你有一个包裹。You've got a parcel.
- 我叫个快递寄东西。I'll book a courier to send something.
- 请写清楚地址。Please write the address clearly.
- 收件人的电话是多少？What's the recipient's phone number?
- 运费多少钱？How much is the postage?
- 可以到付吗？Can the recipient pay the postage?
- 包裹已经签收了。The parcel has been signed for.
- 我下楼取快递。I'm going downstairs to collect a parcel.
- 国际快递要一个星期。International delivery takes a week.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Post & deliveries speaking island has 8 everyday questions about post & deliveries to prepare your own answers to.