Chinese word

元

Pronunciation

Pinyinyuán

Meaning

  • nounyuan

Example

我有五十元。wǒ yǒu wǔ shí yuán

I have fifty yuan.

Illustration for 元 (yuan)

More examples

这本书五元。zhè běn shū wǔ yuán

This book costs five yuan.

Core concept

A standard money unit that measures the value of a purchase or payment.

Common phrases

  • 两元liǎng yuán

    two yuan

  • 五元wǔ yuán

    five yuan

Similar words

钱qián: The general idea of money or currency, rather than a particular unit.
块kuài: A familiar spoken unit used when quoting prices or amounts.
角jiǎo: A currency unit that makes up one tenth of a yuan.
毛máo: A familiar spoken unit for an amount that makes up one tenth of a yuan.

Definition in Chinese

表示人民币的货币计价单位，用来标示金额，1元＝10角＝100分。biǎo shì rén mín bì de huò bì jì jià dān wèi yòng lái biāo shì jīn é 1 yuán 10 jiǎo 100 fēn

Word origin

The character 元 (yuán, "beginning") originally referred to a starting point or root, but it later served in the names of Chinese silver dollars and became the basic unit of renminbi.

Usage tips

  • In Chinese-language prices, the symbol ¥ normally marks yuan, while in Japanese prices it marks yen, so the surrounding language matters.

Word lists with this word