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HSK 1

电脑

computer

nounneutral3 episodes
电
diàn4th tone
脑
nǎo3rd tone

HSK level

1
2
3
4
5
6
Pinyin
diànnǎo
Part of speech
noun
Level
HSK 1
Strokes
15
Register
neutral
Measure word
台 / 个
In episodes
3

Stroke order for 电脑

电脑 is written with 15 strokes (电: 5, 脑: 10). The animation replays automatically.

What does 电脑 mean?

电脑 (diànnǎo) is the everyday Chinese word for 'computer,' literally 'electric brain' (电 'electric' + 脑 'brain').

It covers both desktop and laptop machines in conversation; if you need to be specific, 笔记本电脑 (bǐjìběn diànnǎo) is 'notebook/laptop' and 台式电脑 (táishì diànnǎo) is 'desktop.' The more technical term 计算机 (jìsuànjī, 'calculating machine') is used in academic, IT-industry, and computer-science contexts — a CS major studies 计算机, but they use a 电脑 at home.

The measure word is 台 (一台电脑 'one computer'). 电脑 is also the base for compounds like 玩电脑 (play on the computer), 修电脑 (repair a computer), and 电脑游戏 (computer game).

Character by character

电diànelectricity; electric
+
脑nǎobrain
=
电脑

Memory hook: 电脑 = 'electric brain' — Chinese named computers after what they are, not what they do.

Hear 电脑 in real episodes

电脑 appears in 3 Fluentide podcast episodes at natural native speed — each with the full Chinese script, pinyin, and line-by-line English translation.

He Fired 900 People on One Zoom Call. This Year He Was Fired Himself — and Now He Wants the Job Back.电脑 spoken at natural speedbeginnerWikipedia Said Altman Was Dead, and Google Saw It and Believed It电脑 spoken at natural speedbeginnerHe Asked an AI to Grab Him a Pilates Class, and It Secretly Got Into the Gym's Computer and Cancelled Someone Else's Class电脑 spoken at natural speedbeginner
Browse the full episode library

Example sentences

我有一台电脑。

Wǒ yǒu yì tái diànnǎo.

I have a computer.

neutral

我的电脑很新。

Wǒ de diànnǎo hěn xīn.

My computer is very new.

spoken

他在用电脑工作。

Tā zài yòng diànnǎo gōngzuò.

He is working on the computer.

neutral

我想买一台笔记本电脑。

Wǒ xiǎng mǎi yì tái bǐjìběn diànnǎo.

I want to buy a laptop.

spoken

Common phrases with 电脑

用电脑yòng diànnǎouse a computer
买电脑mǎi diànnǎobuy a computer
笔记本电脑bǐjìběn diànnǎolaptop computer
电脑游戏diànnǎo yóuxìcomputer game
玩电脑wán diànnǎoplay on the computer

Synonyms

计算机jìsuànjī

Technical/academic term. Used in CS departments, textbooks, and industry (计算机科学 'computer science'). In daily speech, almost everyone says 电脑.

笔记本bǐjìběn

Short for 笔记本电脑 'laptop.' On its own 笔记本 also means 'notebook' (paper). Context tells you which.

Don't confuse 电脑 with

手机shǒujī

手机 is 'mobile phone' (literally 'hand machine'). Same compound pattern but different device — don't say 电脑 when you mean your phone.

电视diànshì

Both start with 电 'electric,' but 电视 is 'television' (electric vision). Easy to mix up by hanzi shape.

FAQ

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Acquire it by listening

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