Chinese Money Vocabulary — Words for Prices and Markets
Money vocabulary earns its keep fast in Chinese — at a market stall, a ticket window or just asking how much. This page gathers essential Chinese words for money and finance, from 钱 (money) and 价格 (price) to 账户 (account) and 储蓄 (savings), each with its English meaning, its pronunciation and a button to hear it spoken in a native voice. A note for English speakers: Mandarin is tonal, so the same syllable at a different pitch is a different word — mǎi (buy) and mài (sell) differ only by tone, a difference worth real money — which is exactly why hearing each word matters more than reading the pinyin. The everyday spoken word for the currency is kuài, while yuán is the formal name. Chinese grammar stays simple: no conjugation, no plurals. Tap any 🔊 to hear the tone, skim the table, then take these into Linguver, where the English word drops and you shoot its Chinese translation from the drum.
Key words explained
- money 钱 He saved enough money for the trip.
- price 价格 The price of coffee went up again.
- cost 费用 The repairs cost more than expected.
- budget 预算 We set a tight budget for the kitchen.
- account 账户 She opened a new bank account online.
- loan 贷款 They took out a loan to buy the car.
- debt 债务 He finally paid off the last of his debt.
- savings 储蓄 A sudden bill ate into their savings.
All 89 Chinese money words
| English | Pronunciation | Chinese | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| money | /ˈmʌni/ | 钱 | |
| price | /praɪs/ | 价格 | |
| cost | /kɔːst/ | 费用 | |
| budget | /ˈbʌdʒɪt/ | 预算 | |
| pension | /ˈpɛnʃən/ | 养老金 | |
| dividend | /ˈdɪvɪdɛnd/ | 股息 | |
| transaction | /trænsˈækʃən/ | 交易 | |
| stock | /stɑːk/ | 股票 | |
| account | /əˈkaʊnt/ | 账户 | |
| loan | /loʊn/ | 贷款 | |
| debt | /dɛt/ | 债务 | |
| savings | /ˈseɪvɪŋz/ | 储蓄 | |
| tax | /tæks/ | 税 | |
| interest | /ˈɪntrɪst/ | 利息 | |
| commerce | /ˈkɑːmɜːrs/ | 商业 | |
| refund | /ˈriːfʌnd/ | 退款 | |
| discount | /ˈdɪskaʊnt/ | 折扣 | |
| offer | /ˈɔːfər/ | 优惠 | |
| bill | /bɪl/ | 账单 | |
| invoice | /ˈɪnvɔɪs/ | 发票 | |
| income | /ˈɪnkʌm/ | 收入 | |
| expense | /ɪkˈspɛns/ | 开销 | |
| profit | /ˈprɑːfɪt/ | 利润 | |
| loss | /lɔːs/ | 损失 | |
| investment | /ɪnˈvɛstmənt/ | 投资 | |
| insurance | /ɪnˈʃʊərəns/ | 保险 | |
| currency | /ˈkɜːrənsi/ | 货币 | |
| exchange | /ɪksˈtʃeɪndʒ/ | 兑换 | |
| fee | /fiː/ | 费用 | |
| tip | /tɪp/ | 小费 | |
| economy | /ɪˈkɑːnəmi/ | 经济 | |
| export | /ˈɛkspɔːrt/ | 出口 | |
| import | /ˈɪmpɔːrt/ | 进口 | |
| supply | /səˈplaɪ/ | 供应 | |
| inflation | /ɪnˈfleɪʃən/ | 通货膨胀 | |
| recession | /rɪˈsɛʃən/ | 衰退 | |
| growth | /ɡroʊθ/ | 增长 | |
| GDP | /ˌdʒiːdiːˈpiː/ | GDP | |
| equity | /ˈɛkwɪti/ | 股权 | |
| bond | /bɑːnd/ | 债券 | |
| fund | /fʌnd/ | 基金 | |
| portfolio | /pɔːrtˈfoʊlioʊ/ | 投资组合 | |
| asset | /ˈæsɛt/ | 资产 | |
| liability | /ˌlaɪəˈbɪlɪti/ | 负债 | |
| wealth | /wɛlθ/ | 财富 | |
| poverty | /ˈpɑːvərti/ | 贫困 | |
| wage | /weɪdʒ/ | 工资 | |
| minimum wage | /ˈmɪnɪməm weɪdʒ/ | 最低工资 | |
| commission | /kəˈmɪʃən/ | 佣金 | |
| subsidy | /ˈsʌbsɪdi/ | 补贴 | |
| grant | /ɡrænt/ | 补助金 | |
| charity | /ˈtʃærɪti/ | 慈善 | |
| commodity | /kəˈmɑːdɪti/ | 商品 | |
| tariff | /ˈtærɪf/ | 关税 | |
| monopoly | /məˈnɑːpəli/ | 垄断 | |
| expenditure | /ɪkˈspɛndɪtʃər/ | 支出 | |
| surplus | /ˈsɜːrpləs/ | 盈余 | |
| deficit | /ˈdɛfɪsɪt/ | 赤字 | |
| treasury | /ˈtrɛʒəri/ | 国库 | |
| incentive | /ɪnˈsɛntɪv/ | 激励 | |
| payment | /ˈpeɪmənt/ | 付款 | |
| transfer | /ˈtrænsfɜːr/ | 转账 | |
| deposit | /dɪˈpɑːzɪt/ | 存款 | |
| withdrawal | /wɪðˈdrɔːəl/ | 取款 | |
| statement | /ˈsteɪtmənt/ | 账单明细 | |
| interest rate | /ˈɪntrɪst reɪt/ | 利率 | |
| remortgage | /ˌriːˈmɔːrɡɪdʒ/ | 再抵押 | |
| debit card | /ˈdɛbɪt kɑːrd/ | 借记卡 | |
| PIN | /pɪn/ | 密码 | |
| fraud | /frɔːd/ | 欺诈 | |
| scam | /skæm/ | 骗局 | |
| fine | /faɪn/ | 罚款 | |
| penalty | /ˈpɛnəlti/ | 违约金 | |
| auction | /ˈɔːkʃən/ | 拍卖 | |
| bid | /bɪd/ | 出价 | |
| estimate | /ˈɛstɪmɪt/ | 估价 | |
| quote | /kwoʊt/ | 报价 | |
| price tag | /ˈpraɪs tæɡ/ | 价格标签 | |
| bargain | /ˈbɑːrɡɪn/ | 便宜货 | |
| worth | /wɜːrθ/ | 价值 | |
| afford | /əˈfɔːrd/ | 负担得起 | |
| owe | /oʊ/ | 欠债 | |
| spend | /spɛnd/ | 花费 | |
| instalment | /ɪnˈstɔːlmənt/ | 分期付款 | |
| cashflow | /ˈkæʃfloʊ/ | 现金流 | |
| overdraft | /ˈoʊvərdræft/ | 透支 | |
| cheque | /tʃɛk/ | 支票 | |
| credit score | /ˈkrɛdɪt skɔːr/ | 信用评分 | |
| remittance | /rɪˈmɪtəns/ | 汇款 |
Reading a list won't make these stick. Linguver turns vocabulary into a shooting game — the English word falls, you spin the drum and fire its Chinese translation. You recall the word under a little pressure, so it stays. A way to learn that doesn't feel like studying.
→ Play in Linguver