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HSK 1

商店

shop; store

nounneutral
商
shāng1st tone
店
diàn4th tone

HSK level

1
2
3
4
5
6
Pinyin
shāngdiàn
Part of speech
noun
Level
HSK 1
Strokes
19
Register
neutral
Measure word
家 / 个

Stroke order for 商店

商店 is written with 19 strokes (商: 11, 店: 8). The animation replays automatically.

What does 商店 mean?

商店 (shāngdiàn) is the general Chinese word for a 'shop' or 'store' — a small or medium retail business where things are sold.

The compound combines 商 ('commerce') and 店 ('shop / inn'), giving a neutral, all-purpose label. In daily life, native speakers more often name the specific kind of store: 书店 (bookstore), 便利店 (convenience store), 商场 (shopping mall), 超市 (supermarket). 商店 itself is the unmarked term used in textbooks and signs.

The measure word is 家 (jiā) — also used for restaurants, hotels, and companies. The verb 'go shopping' is 买东西 (mǎi dōngxi), literally 'buy things,' not 去商店.

Character by character

商shāngcommerce; business; merchant
+
店diànshop; store; inn
=
商店

Memory hook: 商 (commerce) + 店 (shop) = a place of commerce, a shop.

Example sentences

我去商店买东西。

Wǒ qù shāngdiàn mǎi dōngxi.

I'm going to the store to buy some things.

spoken

商店几点开门？

Shāngdiàn jǐ diǎn kāi mén?

What time does the shop open?

spoken

这家商店很大。

Zhè jiā shāngdiàn hěn dà.

This store is very big.

neutral

商店里有很多人。

Shāngdiàn lǐ yǒu hěn duō rén.

There are a lot of people in the shop.

spoken

Common phrases with 商店

去商店qù shāngdiàngo to the store
一家商店yì jiā shāngdiànone shop
商店关门shāngdiàn guān ménthe shop is closed
商店开门shāngdiàn kāi ménthe shop is open

Synonyms

店diàn

店 alone is the suffix used after a specific business type: 书店 bookstore, 饭店 restaurant, 花店 flower shop. 商店 is the standalone general word.

超市chāoshì

超市 is specifically a 'supermarket' — self-service, groceries, larger format. 商店 is a generic shop. Don't call a Walmart a 商店.

商场shāngchǎng

商场 is a larger shopping mall or department store with many vendors. 商店 is a single shop. 'Going to the mall' = 去商场, not 去商店.

Don't confuse 商店 with

饭店fàndiàn

Both contain 店 (shop). 商店 is for buying things; 饭店 is a restaurant or hotel — 饭 ('food/meal') gives it away.

书店shūdiàn

书店 is specifically a bookstore (书 = book). 商店 is the generic word for any shop. Use 书店 when you mean books, 商店 when you don't need to specify.

FAQ

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