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HSK 2

手机

cell phone; mobile phone

nounneutral4 episodes
手
shǒu3rd tone
机
jī1st tone

HSK level

1
2
3
4
5
6
Pinyin
shǒujī
Part of speech
noun
Level
HSK 2
Strokes
10
Register
neutral
Measure word
部 / 个
In episodes
4

Stroke order for 手机

手机 is written with 10 strokes (手: 4, 机: 6). The animation replays automatically.

What does 手机 mean?

手机 (shǒujī) is the standard Chinese word for a mobile phone — literally 'hand-machine.'

It replaced the older 大哥大 (dàgēdà, 'big brother' for 1990s brick phones) and is now the universal term covering everything from feature phones to the latest 智能手机 (zhìnéng shǒujī, 'smart phone'). In China, 手机 is the central device of daily life: payments (微信支付, 支付宝), ID, transport, and messaging all run on it, far more than in many Western countries. Common verbs that pair with it: 用 (use), 玩 (play with — also means scroll), 看 (look at), 充电 (charge).

The number itself is 手机号 or 手机号码 (shǒujī hàomǎ). To call someone, use 打电话 (dǎ diànhuà), not 打手机. Don't confuse the device 手机 with the action of calling, 打电话.

Character by character

手shǒuhand
+
机jīmachine; device
=
手机

Memory hook: A 'machine' (机) you hold in your 'hand' (手) — a cell phone.

Hear 手机 in real episodes

手机 appears in 4 Fluentide podcast episodes at natural native speed — each with the full Chinese script, pinyin, and line-by-line English translation.

Two Little Goats Boarded a Portland Bus, but People Looking at Their Phones Did Not See Them手机 spoken at natural speedbeginnerA magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia. Under the rubble, someone shouted: 'There's a baby down here.'手机 spoken at natural speedeasyHe Asked an AI to Snag Him a Pilates Class — Instead It Hacked the Gym's System and Cancelled Someone Else's Booking手机 spoken at natural speedeasyThe movie The Devil Wears Prada has a sequel 20 years later: now, fewer and fewer people read magazines.手机 spoken at natural speedbeginner
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Example sentences

我的手机没电了。

Wǒ de shǒujī méi diàn le.

My phone is out of battery.

spoken

你的手机号是多少？

Nǐ de shǒujī hào shì duōshao?

What's your cell phone number?

neutral

他一直在玩手机。

Tā yìzhí zài wán shǒujī.

He's been on his phone the whole time.

spoken

我想买一个新手机。

Wǒ xiǎng mǎi yí ge xīn shǒujī.

I want to buy a new phone.

neutral

上课的时候不要看手机。

Shàng kè de shíhou bú yào kàn shǒujī.

Don't look at your phone during class.

neutral

Common phrases with 手机

玩手机wán shǒujīto mess around on one's phone; scroll
手机号shǒujī hàocell phone number
智能手机zhìnéng shǒujīsmart phone
手机充电shǒujī chōngdiànto charge the phone
看手机kàn shǒujīto look at one's phone

Synonyms

电话diànhuà

电话 is 'telephone' in the broad sense — it can mean a landline, the phone call itself (打电话 'to make a call'), or the abstract idea of phone communication. 手机 is specifically the mobile device. Use 手机 for the physical phone, 电话 for the action of calling.

移动电话yídòng diànhuà

Literal 'mobile phone' — formal/technical term used in contracts, telecom documents, or news. 手机 is the everyday word; nobody says 移动电话 in conversation.

Don't confuse 手机 with

手表shǒubiǎo

手表 is 'wristwatch' (手 hand + 表 meter). 手机 is 'cell phone' (手 hand + 机 machine). Both start with 手 but the second character makes the difference.

电话diànhuà

电话 is the call or the landline. 手机 is the mobile device. 'I'll give you a call' = 我给你打电话, NOT 我给你打手机.

司机sījī

司机 means 'driver' (of a car or vehicle). Same 机 character but completely different word. Don't read 手机 as 'driver of hands' — it's 'hand machine.'

FAQ

Related words from the same episodes

安静quiet报告report抱to hold in the arms别人other people车站bus stop, station打电话to make a phone call地震earthquake电影film告诉to tell跟着to follow机器machine检查to check

Acquire it by listening

Meet 手机 again — in real Chinese, at your level.

You just saw 手机 in 4 episodes. Fluentide keeps feeding you news episodes at your level, so this word — and thousands like it — resurface in real sentences until they stick. Full pinyin and translation every time. Free to start.