Handling money, understanding banking terms, and talking about finance are essential skills for expat students living in China. From opening a bank account to paying bills, transferring money, and discussing investments, knowing the right Chinese vocabulary will make your life easier and more efficient.
In this blog post, we will cover key Chinese characters for banking (银行, yínháng), finance (金融, jīnróng), and everyday money matters (钱, qián), along with practical example sentences, pinyin, and English translations.
Common Banking Terms
- 银行 (yín háng) – bank
银行 (yín háng) is where you manage money, deposit or withdraw cash, and handle financial transactions.
Example: 我明天要去银行开户 (wǒ míngtiān yào qù yínháng kāi hù) – I will go to the bank tomorrow to open an account.
银行工作人员非常友好 (yínháng gōngzuò rényuán fēicháng yǒuhǎo) – The bank staff are very friendly. - 账户 (zhàng hù) – account
开一个银行账户 (kāi yí gè yínháng zhàng hù) – open a bank account
Example: 我想在这家银行开一个人民币账户 (wǒ xiǎng zài zhè jiā yínháng kāi yí gè rénmínbì zhàng hù) – I want to open a Renminbi account at this bank.
请告诉我账户余额是多少 (qǐng gàosù wǒ zhàng hù yú’é shì duōshǎo) – Please tell me what the account balance is.
- 存款 (cún kuǎn) – deposit / savings
银行存款可以保障资金安全 (yínháng cún kuǎn kě yǐ bǎozhàng zījīn ānquán) – Bank deposits can ensure your money is safe.
我每个月都会存款一部分工资 (wǒ měi gè yuè dū huì cún kuǎn yí bùfèn gōngzī) – I deposit part of my salary every month. - 取款 (qǔ kuǎn) – withdrawal
在ATM机上可以快速取款 (zài ATM jī shàng kěyǐ kuàisù qǔ kuǎn) – You can withdraw money quickly at the ATM.
我去银行取款的时候排了很长的队 (wǒ qù yínháng qǔ kuǎn de shíhòu pái le hěn cháng de duì) – When I went to the bank to withdraw money, there was a long queue. - 银行卡 (yín háng kǎ) – bank card / debit card
我的银行卡可以在中国和国外使用 (wǒ de yínháng kǎ kěyǐ zài zhōngguó hé guówài shǐyòng) – My bank card can be used in China and abroad.
请刷您的银行卡支付 (qǐng shuā nín de yínháng kǎ zhīfù) – Please swipe your bank card to pay.
Financial Transactions and Payments
- 转账 (zhuǎn zhàng) – money transfer / bank transfer
我需要给朋友转账 (wǒ xūyào gěi péngyǒu zhuǎn zhàng) – I need to transfer money to my friend.
你可以通过手机银行转账吗？(nǐ kěyǐ tōngguò shǒujī yínháng zhuǎn zhàng ma?) – Can you make a transfer through mobile banking? - 支付 (zhī fù) – to pay
现在很多人用支付宝或微信支付 (xiàn zài hěn duō rén yòng zhī fù bǎo huò wēixìn zhī fù) – Nowadays many people pay using Alipay or WeChat Pay.
你可以用现金支付，也可以刷卡支付 (nǐ kěyǐ yòng xiànjīn zhīfù, yě kěyǐ shuākǎ zhīfù) – You can pay with cash or swipe your card.
- 利息 (lì xī) – interest
银行存款有利息 (yínháng cún kuǎn yǒu lì xī) – Bank deposits earn interest.
如果贷款，利息会根据银行规定计算 (rúguǒ dàikuǎn, lì xī huì gēnjù yínháng guīdìng jìsuàn) – If you take a loan, interest will be calculated according to bank rules. - 贷款 (dài kuǎn) – loan
我想申请一笔房屋贷款 (wǒ xiǎng shēnqǐng yì bǐ fángwū dài kuǎn) – I want to apply for a mortgage loan.
银行贷款手续需要几天 (yínháng dài kuǎn shǒuxù xūyào jǐ tiān) – The bank loan procedure takes a few days. - 信用卡 (xìn yòng kǎ) – credit card
我的信用卡可以在国外刷 (wǒ de xìn yòng kǎ kě yǐ zài guówài shuā) – My credit card can be used abroad.
请问这张信用卡可以分期付款吗？(qǐng wèn zhè zhāng xìn yòng kǎ kěyǐ fēn qī fù kuǎn ma?) – Can this credit card be used for installment payments?
Investments and Financial Planning
- 投资 (tóu zī) – investment
很多人会投资股票或基金 (hěn duō rén huì tóu zī gǔpiào huò jījīn) – Many people invest in stocks or mutual funds.
我最近在学习如何投资理财 (wǒ zuìjìn zài xuéxí rúhé tóu zī lǐcái) – I have been learning how to invest and manage finances. - 理财 (lǐ cái) – financial management / wealth management
理财产品可以帮助你积累财富 (lǐ cái chǎnpǐn kě yǐ bāngzhù nǐ jīlěi cáifù) – Financial products can help you accumulate wealth.
银行提供不同的理财方案 (yínháng tígōng bùtóng de lǐcái fāng’àn) – Banks offer different financial management plans.
- 股市 (gǔ shì) – stock market
股市最近波动很大 (gǔ shì zuìjìn bō dòng hěn dà) – The stock market has fluctuated a lot recently.
很多人通过股市赚钱 (hěn duō rén tōngguò gǔ shì zhuànqián) – Many people make money through the stock market. - 基金 (jī jīn) – mutual fund / investment fund
我想买一个低风险基金 (wǒ xiǎng mǎi yí gè dī fēng xiǎn jī jīn) – I want to buy a low-risk mutual fund.
基金的收益率每年都有变化 (jī jīn de shōuyì lǜ měi nián dōu yǒu biànhuà) – The return rate of funds changes every year. - 汇率 (huì lǜ) – exchange rate
现在人民币对美元的汇率是多少？(xiàn zài rénmínbì duì měiyuán de huì lǜ shì duōshǎo?) – What is the current exchange rate of RMB to USD?
汇率变化会影响跨国转账 (huì lǜ biànhuà huì yǐngxiǎng kuàguó zhuǎn zhàng) – Exchange rate changes can affect international money transfers.
Practical Sentences for Everyday Money Matters
在中国生活，你可能经常用到这些句子：
我想存一些钱在银行 (wǒ xiǎng cún yìxiē qián zài yínháng) – I want to deposit some money in the bank.
请问最近的ATM机在哪里？(qǐng wèn zuìjìn de ATM jī zài nǎlǐ?) – Where is the nearest ATM?
我想把工资转到另一个账户 (wǒ xiǎng bǎ gōngzī zhuǎn dào lìng yí gè zhàng hù) – I want to transfer my salary to another account.
你能帮我查询信用卡账单吗？(nǐ néng bāng wǒ cháxún xìn yòng kǎ zhàng dān ma?) – Can you help me check my credit card statement?
我计划投资一些基金 (wǒ jìhuà tóu zī yìxiē jī jīn) – I plan to invest in some mutual funds.
Talking About Financial Habits
学习这些词汇还能让你谈论日常理财习惯：
我每个月都会存一部分钱以备不时之需 (wǒ měi gè yuè dū huì cún yí bùfèn qián yǐ bèi bù shí zhī xū) – I save a portion of money each month for emergencies.
我喜欢用手机银行支付水电费 (wǒ xǐ huān yòng shǒujī yínháng zhī fù shuǐ diàn fèi) – I like to pay utilities through mobile banking.
很多人通过投资理财增加收入 (hěn duō rén tōng guò tóu zī lǐ cái zēng jiā shōurù) – Many people increase income through investments.
New Words
- 银行 (yín háng) – bank
- 账户 (zhàng hù) – account
- 存款 (cún kuǎn) – deposit
- 取款 (qǔ kuǎn) – withdrawal
- 银行卡 (yín háng kǎ) – bank card / debit card
- 转账 (zhuǎn zhàng) – money transfer
- 支付 (zhī fù) – to pay
- 信用卡 (xìn yòng kǎ) – credit card
- 投资 (tóu zī) – investment
- 汇率 (huì lǜ) – exchange rate