钱
qián
Money
Money and prices in Chinese
In speech the yuan is 块 (kuài); on a price tag it is 元 (yuán). A price is a number plus 块: 十块 is ten yuan.
The units
Saying a price
- The last unit of a price is often dropped: 三块五毛 → 三块五 (3.50).
- Two yuan is 两块, not 二块.
- Price tags use ¥ and 元: 35元.
- 钱 can be added at the end: 十块钱, "ten yuan of money", is very common in speech.
Grammar rule: Counting money with 块
十块
shí kuài
10 yuan
两块
liǎng kuài
2 yuan
三块五
sān kuài wǔ
3.50 yuan
九块九
jiǔ kuài jiǔ
9.90 yuan
一百零五块
yìbǎi líng wǔ kuài
105 yuan
At the shop
多少钱？
duōshao qián?
How much is it?
太贵了。
tài guì le.
That is too expensive.
便宜一点吧。
piányi yìdiǎn ba.
Could you make it cheaper?
一共三十五块。
yígòng sānshíwǔ kuài.
35 yuan altogether.
More about numbers
Frequently asked questions
How do you ask "how much" in Chinese?
多少钱？ (duōshao qián?) — literally "how much money?".
What is the difference between 块 and 元?
They are the same unit, the yuan. 块 (kuài) is spoken; 元 (yuán) is written on price tags and receipts.
How do you say 3.50 yuan in Chinese?
三块五 (sān kuài wǔ). The full form is 三块五毛, but the final 毛 is usually dropped.
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