小心！
xiǎoxīn!
Watch out!
How to say "I lost my wallet" in Chinese
我的钱包丢了
wǒ de qiánbāo diū le
I lost my wallet
Character breakdown
Grammar and structure
The structure is: 我的钱包 (wǒ de qiánbāo) means "my wallet," 丢 (diū) means "to lose," and 了 (le) is a particle indicating a completed action. So it literally means "My wallet has been lost."
Variations and politeness
我丢了钱包
wǒ diū le qiánbāo
I lost my wallet. — Same meaning, but the word order is slightly different.
我的钱包不见了
wǒ de qiánbāo bùjiàn le
My wallet is missing. — More colloquial and softer in tone.
钱包丢了
qiánbāo diū le
The wallet is lost. — Shorter, omitting the pronoun.
Mini dialogue
A
你怎么了？
nǐ zěnme le?
What's wrong with you?
B
我的钱包丢了！
wǒ de qiánbāo diū le!
I lost my wallet!
A
真糟糕！我们应该报警。
zhēn zāogāo! wǒmen yīnggāi bàojǐng.
That's terrible! We should call the police.
When to use it
Appropriate
- When you need to report a lost wallet to authorities or staff.
- When you are in an emergency and need immediate help.
- When you want to clearly state that the loss has already happened.
Avoid when
- In casual conversation when you are not actually in trouble; it may cause unnecessary alarm.
- When you are talking about someone else's wallet; this phrase is specific to 'my wallet'.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I lost my wallet' in Chinese?
You say 'wǒ de qiánbāo diū le' (我的钱包丢了).
How do you pronounce 'wǒ de qiánbāo diū le'?
It is pronounced as: wǒ (falling-rising tone), de (neutral), qián (rising tone), bāo (high level tone), diū (high level tone), le (neutral).
When should I use '我的钱包丢了'?
Use it in emergency situations, such as when reporting to police or asking for help, to clearly state that you have lost your wallet.
More phrases for this situation
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