Rooms & Furniture in Chinese 家具
jiājù
Room / furniture in Chinese are 房间 / 家具 (fáng jiān / jiā jù).
Also searched for as: furniture, rooms of the house, table chair.
What's in your home? 20 essential rooms & furniture 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.
Once you can name the rooms and the things in them, you can describe your home, find the toilet and follow a host's directions. The living room is 客厅 (kè tīng), literally 'guest hall', and the kitchen is 厨房 (chú fáng). The polite word for the toilet or bathroom is 卫生间 (wèi shēng jiān), and the general word for furniture is 家具 (jiā jù).
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 房间 | fáng jiān | room |
| 客厅 | kè tīng | living room |
| 卧室 | wò shì | bedroom |
| 厨房 | chú fáng | kitchen |
| 卫生间 | wèi shēng jiān | bathroom; toilet |
| 书房 | shū fáng | study |
| 家具 | jiā jù | furniture |
| 床 | chuáng | bed |
| 沙发 | shā fā | sofa |
| 桌子 | zhuō zi | table |
| 椅子 | yǐ zi | chair |
| 柜子 | guì zi | cupboard |
| 衣柜 | yī guì | wardrobe |
| 书架 | shū jià | bookshelf |
| 灯 | dēng | light; lamp |
| 镜子 | jìng zi | mirror |
| 地毯 | dì tǎn | rug; carpet |
| 窗帘 | chuāng lián | curtain |
| 电视 | diàn shì | TV |
| 空调 | kōng tiáo | air conditioning |
Usage tips
- Each item of furniture has its own measure word: 一张床 (yī zhāng chuáng), 一张桌子 (yī zhāng zhuō zi), 一把椅子 (yī bǎ yǐ zi). 张 is for things with a flat surface and 把 for things you can grip, such as a chair's back.
- For the toilet, 卫生间 (wèi shēng jiān) and 洗手间 (xǐ shǒu jiān) are both polite; 厕所 (cè suǒ) is plainer and fine among friends or on signs.
- Lights and appliances are switched on with 开 (kāi) and off with 关 (guān): 开灯 (kāi dēng), 关空调 (guān kōng tiáo).
Common mistakes
- Using 房间 (fáng jiān) for a whole house or flat: 房间 is a single room. For the home as a whole, say 房子 (fáng zi) or 家 (jiā).
- Translating 'on the sofa' as 在沙发: Chinese needs a position word after the noun, so say 在沙发上 (zài shā fā shàng) or 在柜子里 (zài guì zi lǐ), 'in the cupboard'.
Mini dialogue
- A你的新家怎么样？Nǐ de xīn jiā zěn me yàng?How's your new place?
- B很好！客厅很大，卧室朝南。Hěn hǎo! Kè tīng hěn dà, wò shì cháo nán.Great! The living room is big and the bedroom faces south.
- A家具都买好了吗？Jiā jù dōu mǎi hǎo le ma?Have you bought all the furniture?
- B还没有，现在只有一张床和一个沙发。Hái méi yǒu, xiàn zài zhǐ yǒu yī zhāng chuáng hé yī gè shā fā.Not yet. At the moment there's just a bed and a sofa.
Example sentences
- 你的房间真干净！Your room is so tidy!
- 我们在客厅看电视。We're watching TV in the living room.
- 我的卧室朝南。My bedroom faces south.
- 妈妈正在厨房做饭。Mum is cooking in the kitchen.
- 请问，卫生间在哪儿？Excuse me, where's the toilet?
- 爸爸在书房工作。Dad is working in the study.
- 新家的家具都是白色的。All the furniture in the new home is white.
- 这张床很舒服。This bed is very comfortable.
- 猫在沙发上睡觉。The cat is sleeping on the sofa.
- 饭菜都在桌子上了。The food is all on the table.
- 这把椅子有点儿高。This chair is a bit high.
- 碗放在左边的柜子里。The bowls are in the cupboard on the left.
- 我的衣柜已经放不下了。My wardrobe is already full.
- 书架上都是他的书。The bookshelf is full of his books.
- 睡觉前记得关灯。Remember to turn off the light before bed.
- 她出门前总要照镜子。She always checks herself in the mirror before going out.
- 客厅里铺了一块地毯。There's a rug on the living room floor.
- 早上我拉开窗帘。I open the curtains in the morning.
- 晚饭后我们一起看电视。After dinner we watch TV together.
- 太热了，开空调吧。It's too hot. Let's turn on the air conditioning.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Rooms & furniture speaking island has 8 everyday questions about rooms & furniture to prepare your own answers to.