Chinese word

单词

Pronunciation

Pinyindān cí

Meaning

  • nounword

Example

请把那个单词查一下。qǐng bǎ nà ge dān cí chá yí xià

Please look up that word.

Illustration for 单词 (word)

More examples

我正在用APP记单词。wǒ zhèng zài yòng APP jì dān cí

I am using an app to memorize words.

Core concept

One small piece of language that can be stored, looked up, and recalled as a unit.

Common phrases

  • 查单词chá dān cí

    look up a word

  • 背单词bèi dān cí

    memorize words

  • 记住单词jì zhù dān cí

    remember a word

Similar words

词cí: The smallest meaningful unit that functions as a word.
词汇cí huì: The set of words used in a language or area of study.
词语cí yǔ: A word or connected group of words that expresses meaning.
短语duán yǔ: Two or more words joined to make a single meaningful phrase.

Definition in Chinese

单词指单一词形与特定意义相对应的词汇单位，多用于教学与记忆中作为最小的可检索条目，区别于较宽泛的词语或短语。dān cí zhǐ dān yì cí xíng yǔ tè dìng yì yì xiāng duì yīng de cí huì dān wèi duō yòng yú jiào xué yǔ jì yì zhōng zuò wéi zuì xiǎo de kě jián suǒ tiáo mù qū bié yú jiào kuān fàn de cí yǔ huò duán yǔ

Word origin

The compound 单 (dān, "single") + 词 (cí, "word") highlights a word as one separate entry rather than a longer string of language.

Usage tips

  • In conversation, 单词 (dāncí, "word") usually means one vocabulary item, while a useful spoken chunk may contain several words, so both levels matter for natural speech.

Related words

  • 单词本dān cí běnword notebooknoun
  • 单词表dān cí biǎoword listnoun
  • 单词卡dān cí kǎflashcardnoun

Word lists with this word