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HSK 3

图书馆

library

nounneutral
图
tú2nd tone
书
shū1st tone
馆
guǎn3rd tone

HSK level

1
2
3
4
5
6
Pinyin
túshūguǎn
Part of speech
noun
Level
HSK 3
Strokes
23
Register
neutral
Measure word
个 / 家

Stroke order for 图书馆

图书馆 is written with 23 strokes (图: 8, 书: 4, 馆: 11). The animation replays automatically.

What does 图书馆 mean?

图书馆 (túshūguǎn) is the noun for 'library' — the building or institution where books are borrowed and read.

Literally 'picture-book hall,' it refers to public libraries, university libraries, and school libraries alike. Common collocations: 去图书馆 ('go to the library'), 在图书馆 ('at the library'), 图书馆员 ('librarian'). Do not confuse with 书店 (bookstore — where you buy books) or 书房 (study, the room at home).

In Chinese university culture, 图书馆 carries strong study-hard connotations: it's where students reserve seats, pull all-nighters, and meet study partners. The character 馆 (guǎn) is the same suffix you see in 餐馆 'restaurant,' 博物馆 'museum,' 体育馆 'gymnasium' — all public 'halls' for a specific activity.

Character by character

图túpicture; chart
+
书shūbook
+
馆guǎnhall; building (for a specific use)
=
图书馆

Memory hook: Picture (图) + book (书) + hall (馆) → the hall for books and visual materials.

Example sentences

我下午要去图书馆。

Wǒ xiàwǔ yào qù túshūguǎn.

I'm going to the library this afternoon.

spoken

图书馆里很安静。

Túshūguǎn lǐ hěn ānjìng.

It's very quiet in the library.

neutral

她在图书馆借了三本书。

Tā zài túshūguǎn jiè le sān běn shū.

She borrowed three books at the library.

neutral

我们学校的图书馆很大。

Wǒmen xuéxiào de túshūguǎn hěn dà.

Our school's library is very big.

neutral

Common phrases with 图书馆

去图书馆qù túshūguǎnto go to the library
在图书馆zài túshūguǎnat the library
国家图书馆guójiā túshūguǎnnational library
图书馆员túshūguǎn yuánlibrarian
学校图书馆xuéxiào túshūguǎnschool library

Don't confuse 图书馆 with

书店shūdiàn

书店 is a bookSTORE — where you BUY books. 图书馆 is the library — where you BORROW. Beginner mix-up.

书房shūfáng

书房 is a study or den at home (a room with books and a desk). 图书馆 is a public building or institution.

博物馆bówùguǎn

博物馆 is 'museum' — same 馆 suffix. Don't drop characters from one and reuse with the other.

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