Chinese word

人口

Pronunciation

Pinyinrén kǒu

Meaning

  • nounpopulation

Example

这个城市的人口很多。zhè ge chéng shì de rén kǒu hěn duō

This city has a large population.

Illustration for 人口 (population)

More examples

老师问：这个县的人口多少？lǎo shī wèn zhè ge xiàn de rén kǒu duō shǎo

The teacher asks, "What is the population of this county?"

Core concept

One number representing the people living within a town, region, or country.

Common phrases

  • 人口多少rén kǒu duō shǎo

    population size

  • 人口很多rén kǒu hěn duō

    a large population

Similar words

人数rén shù: The number of people present in a place or belonging to a group.
居民jū mín: People who live in a particular area or community.

Definition in Chinese

在一定地域或行政区内居住的人的总数。zài yí dìng dì yù huò xíng zhèng qū nèi jū zhù de rén de zǒng shù

Word origin

The word combines 人 (rén, "person") with 口 (kǒu, "mouth"), since 口 was also an old way to count a person in a household and came to support the meaning of a total number of people.

Usage tips

  • In English, population takes singular verb agreement when it names a whole group, as in "The population is growing," not "The population are growing."

Word lists with this word