Definition
元 (yuán) is the basic unit of Chinese currency, used as a measure word for money. In daily life, people often say 块 (kuài) informally, but 元 is the standard written form and appears on banknotes. For HSK 1, you only need to know this currency sense.
classifier
yuanthe basic unit of Chinese currency
Easily confused
- 光guānglook-alike(noun) light; ray
- 员yuánsound-alike(suffix) person; employee; member
- 先xiānlook-alikefirst, in advance, before others
- 远yuǎnsound-alikefar, distant (in space or time)
- 充chōnglook-aliketo fill; to charge (a battery)
- 愿yuànsound-aliketo wish, to hope (often used in blessings and formal expressions)
- 原yuánsound-alikeoriginal, former
- 圆yuánsound-alike(noun) circle
- 怨yuànsound-aliketo blame, to complain (with a sense of grievance)
- 园yuánsound-alikegarden; park; (in compounds) a place for a specific purpose (e.g., kindergarten, botanical garden)
Examples
- 元。Zhè běn shū shì shí yuán.This book is ten yuan.
- 元。Wǒ yǒu wǔ yuán qián.I have five yuan.
- 元。Yí gè píngguǒ liǎng yuán.One apple costs two yuan.
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