垃圾桶

垃圾桶 (lājītǒng) is the noun for a trash can, rubbish bin, or wastebasket — literally 'garbage bucket,' from 垃圾 (garbage) + 桶 (bucket/barrel). It refers to the container itself, whether a small office bin, a kitchen bin, or a large street receptacle. A key pronunciation note distinguishes the two standards: in mainland Mandarin the word is lājītǒng, but in Taiwan 垃圾 is read lèsè, so Taiwanese speakers say lèsè tǒng — same characters, very different sound.

Unlike English, which splits 'trash can' (indoors) from 'dustbin' or 'garbage can' by region, Chinese uses the single 垃圾桶 across contexts. With China's mandatory waste-sorting rules, learners will also meet compounds like 分类垃圾桶 (sorted bins) and labels such as 可回收 (recyclable) and 厨余 (kitchen waste) on the bins themselves.