Chinese word

零钱

Pronunciation

Pinyinlíng qián

Meaning

  • nounsmall change

Example

我把零钱放在桌上。wǒ bǎ líng qián fàng zài zhuō shàng

I put my small change on the table.

Illustration for 零钱 (small change)

More examples

出门前，她总是把零钱放在口袋里。chū mén qián tā zǒng shì bǎ líng qián fàng zài kǒu dài lǐ

Before going out, she always puts her small change in her pocket.

Core concept

A handful of low-denomination money moving between pockets, counters, and the remainder of a payment.

Common phrases

  • 把零钱放在口袋里bǎ líng qián fàng zài kǒu dài lǐ

    put small change in a pocket

  • 用零钱买早点yòng líng qián mǎi záo diǎn

    buy breakfast with small change

Similar words

硬币yìng bì: A small, usually round piece of money made from metal.
钞票chāo piào: A paper note used as money and issued by a bank or government.

Definition in Chinese

少量的硬币或小面额纸币，常用于日常支付或作为找零使用。shǎo liàng de yìng bì huò xiǎo miàn é zhǐ bì cháng yòng yú rì cháng zhī fù huò zuò wéi zhǎo líng shǐ yòng

Word origin

零 (líng, "remainder or fragment") + 钱 (qián, "money") presents money as divided into small usable amounts rather than one large sum.

Usage tips

  • In Chinese, 零钱 (língqián, "small change") can describe money kept for small purchases before any transaction occurs, whereas English "change" often points to money returned after payment.

Other meanings

  • changenoun

Opposites

  • 大钞dà chāolarge billnoun

Related words

  • 零钱包líng qián bāocoin pursenoun

Word lists with this word