Stationery & Pencil Case in Chinese 文具
wénjù
Stationery in Chinese is 文具 (wén jù).
Also searched for as: pencil case, pen, pencil, school supplies.
What do you write with? 15 essential my pencil case 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 stationery in Chinese is 文具 (wén jù), and stationery shops in China are full of colourful pens, notebooks and pencil cases. These words cover everything in your 铅笔盒 (qiān bǐ hé), pencil case, from a 铅笔 (qiān bǐ), pencil, to a 橡皮 (xiàng pí), rubber or eraser. They're perfect for classroom requests like borrowing a pen, and good practice for measure words, since different items take different ones.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 文具 | wén jù | stationery |
| 铅笔盒 | qiān bǐ hé | pencil case |
| 铅笔 | qiān bǐ | pencil |
| 圆珠笔 | yuán zhū bǐ | ballpoint pen |
| 橡皮 | xiàng pí | rubber; eraser |
| 尺子 | chǐ zi | ruler |
| 卷笔刀 | juǎn bǐ dāo | pencil sharpener |
| 剪刀 | jiǎn dāo | scissors |
| 胶水 | jiāo shuǐ | glue |
| 荧光笔 | yíng guāng bǐ | highlighter |
| 修正带 | xiū zhèng dài | correction tape |
| 本子 | běn zi | notebook; exercise book |
| 文件夹 | wén jiàn jiā | folder |
| 彩色笔 | cǎi sè bǐ | coloured pens |
| 计算器 | jì suàn qì | calculator |
Usage tips
- Pens and pencils take the measure word 支 (zhī), as in 一支铅笔 (yī zhī qiān bǐ); scissors and rulers take 把 (bǎ), as in 一把剪刀; exercise books take 本 (běn) or 个.
- 橡皮 (xiàng pí), literally 'rubber', is both the British 'rubber' and the American 'eraser', so it works wherever your classmates are from.
- To ask politely to borrow something, say 能借我一支笔吗？ (néng jiè wǒ yī zhī bǐ ma), can you lend me a pen?
Common mistakes
- Learners think 借 (jiè) only means borrow, but it covers both directions: 借我 (jiè wǒ) is 'lend me', and 跟你借 (gēn nǐ jiè) is 'borrow from you'.
- Learners use 钢笔 (gāng bǐ) for any pen, but it means a fountain pen; for a biro say 圆珠笔 (yuán zhū bǐ), or just 笔 (bǐ).
Mini dialogue
- A你有橡皮吗？我写错了。Nǐ yǒu xiàng pí ma? Wǒ xiě cuò le.Have you got a rubber? I've made a mistake.
- B没有橡皮，用我的修正带吧。Méi yǒu xiàng pí, yòng wǒ de xiū zhèng dài ba.I haven't got a rubber, use my correction tape.
- A谢谢！还能借我一把尺子吗？Xiè xie! Hái néng jiè wǒ yī bǎ chǐ zi ma?Thanks! Could I borrow a ruler as well?
- B在我的铅笔盒里，你自己拿吧。Zài wǒ de qiān bǐ hé lǐ, nǐ zì jǐ ná ba.It's in my pencil case, help yourself.
Example sentences
- 我喜欢买文具。I love buying stationery.
- 铅笔盒里有很多笔。There are lots of pens in my pencil case.
- 借我一支铅笔。Lend me a pencil.
- 用圆珠笔写。Write in biro.
- 你有橡皮吗？Do you have a rubber?
- 用尺子画一条线。Draw a line with a ruler.
- 铅笔断了，用卷笔刀削一下。The pencil broke, sharpen it.
- 小心用剪刀。Be careful with the scissors.
- 用胶水把纸粘上。Glue the paper down.
- 我用荧光笔画重点。I use a highlighter to mark the key points.
- 写错了用修正带。Use correction tape if you make a mistake.
- 我买了三个新本子。I bought three new exercise books.
- 试卷放在文件夹里。Put the test papers in the folder.
- 小朋友用彩色笔画画。The kids are drawing with coloured pens.
- 考试可以用计算器吗？Can we use calculators in the exam?
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The My pencil case speaking island has 8 everyday questions about my pencil case to prepare your own answers to.