Renting & Moving House in Chinese 租房
zūfáng
Rent a home / to move house in Chinese are 租房 / 搬家 (zū fáng / bān jiā).
Also searched for as: rent, moving house, landlord, rent an apartment.
Where will you live next? 15 essential renting & moving 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.
Finding a place to live is one of the first big tasks for anyone moving to a Chinese-speaking city. 租房 (zū fáng) means renting a home, and you'll deal with a 房东 (fáng dōng), the landlord, often through a 中介 (zhōng jiè), an agent. Before you 搬家 (bān jiā), move house, you'll want to understand the 合同 (hé tong), the 押金 (yā jīn), or deposit, and who pays the bills.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 租房 | zū fáng | to rent a home |
| 房租 | fáng zū | rent |
| 房东 | fáng dōng | landlord |
| 中介 | zhōng jiè | agent |
| 合同 | hé tong | contract |
| 押金 | yā jīn | deposit |
| 搬家 | bān jiā | to move house |
| 水电费 | shuǐ diàn fèi | utility bills |
| 装修 | zhuāng xiū | to decorate; renovation |
| 室友 | shì yǒu | flatmate |
| 买房 | mǎi fáng | to buy a home |
| 贷款 | dài kuǎn | loan; mortgage |
| 看房 | kàn fáng | to view a property |
| 家电 | jiā diàn | home appliances |
| 交 | jiāo | to hand over; to pay |
Usage tips
- On the mainland, rent is often quoted as 押一付三 (yā yī fù sān): one month's deposit plus three months' rent paid up front. Always check the terms before you sign.
- The verb for paying rent and bills is 交 (jiāo): 交房租 (jiāo fáng zū), 交水电费 (jiāo shuǐ diàn fèi). 付 (fù) also works, but 交 is what you'll hear most.
- 看房 (kàn fáng) is a viewing, and an agent may ask 什么时候方便看房？ (shén me shí hou fāng biàn kàn fáng?), 'When suits you for a viewing?'
Common mistakes
- Saying 我搬 for 'I'm moving house': 搬 alone means to carry or shift something heavy, so say 搬家 (bān jiā), as in 我下个月搬家 (wǒ xià gè yuè bān jiā).
- Mixing up 房东 (fáng dōng), the landlord, and 房租 (fáng zū), the rent: both start with 房, so listen carefully for the second syllable.
- Using 装饰 for renovation work: 装修 (zhuāng xiū) means doing up or refitting a home, while 装饰 (zhuāng shì) refers to decorations and ornaments.
Mini dialogue
- A这套公寓的房租包括水电费吗？Zhè tào gōng yù de fáng zū bāo kuò shuǐ diàn fèi ma?Does the rent for this flat include the bills?
- B不包括，水电费你自己交。Bù bāo kuò, shuǐ diàn fèi nǐ zì jǐ jiāo.No, you pay the bills yourself.
- A押金要多少？Yā jīn yào duō shao?How much is the deposit?
- B一个月的房租。你想签合同吗？Yī gè yuè de fáng zū. Nǐ xiǎng qiān hé tong ma?One month's rent. Would you like to sign the contract?
- A我想先跟室友商量一下。Wǒ xiǎng xiān gēn shì yǒu shāng liang yī xià.I'd like to talk it over with my flatmate first.
Example sentences
- 在大城市租房很贵。Renting a home in a big city is expensive.
- 这里的房租一个月三千。The rent here is three thousand a month.
- 房东人很好，房租不贵。The landlord is nice and the rent isn't high.
- 我们是通过中介找的房子。We found the flat through an agent.
- 签合同前要看清楚。Read it carefully before you sign the contract.
- 搬走的时候，押金会退给你。You'll get the deposit back when you move out.
- 我们下个月搬家。We're moving house next month.
- 水电费不包括在房租里。Utility bills aren't included in the rent.
- 新房子还在装修。The new place is still being decorated.
- 我的室友是个学生。My flatmate is a student.
- 他们打算明年买房。They're planning to buy a home next year.
- 很多年轻人买房要贷款。Many young people need a mortgage to buy a home.
- 我们周六去看房。We're going to view a property on Saturday.
- 新家的家电都买好了。We've bought all the appliances for the new home.
- 房租每个月一号交。The rent is paid on the first of each month.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Renting & moving speaking island has 8 everyday questions about renting & moving to prepare your own answers to.