data
HSK level
数据 is written with 24 strokes (数: 13, 据: 11). The animation replays automatically.
数据 (shùjù) means "data" — factual figures, statistics, or machine-readable information collected for analysis.
It is the everyday word behind 大数据 (big data), 数据库 (database), and 数据分析 (data analysis), and dominates tech, science, finance, and news writing. Unlike English "data," 数据 is uncountable and never takes a plural; you quantify it with a measure word (一组数据, "a set of data") or with amounts (很多数据).
Keep it distinct from 数字 (shùzì), which is a single digit or numeral, and from 资料 (zīliào), which is broader reference material — documents, files, background info — not necessarily numeric. 数据 is specifically the numeric or structured information a computer or analyst works with: 用户数据 (user data), 实时数据 (real-time data), 个人数据 (personal data).
Note: Neutral in both speech and writing, but especially frequent in tech, science, business, and news contexts.
Character by character
Memory hook: 数 (numbers) + 据 (evidence) = numbers used as evidence → data.
数据 appears in 3 Fluentide podcast episodes at natural native speed — each with the full Chinese script, pinyin, and line-by-line English translation.
这些数据说明市场正在增长。
Zhèxiē shùjù shuōmíng shìchǎng zhèngzài zēngzhǎng.
This data shows the market is growing.
written
我们需要更多数据才能下结论。
Wǒmen xūyào gèng duō shùjù cáinéng xià jiélùn.
We need more data before we can draw a conclusion.
neutral
公司必须保护用户的个人数据。
Gōngsī bìxū bǎohù yònghù de gèrén shùjù.
Companies must protect users' personal data.
written
大数据正在改变我们的生活。
Dà shùjù zhèngzài gǎibiàn wǒmen de shēnghuó.
Big data is changing the way we live.
neutral
资料 is broader — any reference material, documents, or background info. Use 资料 for files and reading material; use 数据 only for numeric or structured figures you analyze.
信息 is "information" in the general sense (a message, news, knowledge). 数据 is the raw numeric input; 信息 is what you get after interpreting it.
数字 is a single digit or numeral (the figure 7, a phone number). 数据 is a body of collected figures for analysis. A 数字 is one number; 数据 is the dataset.
资料 is reference material or documents and need not be numeric. 数据 is specifically numeric or machine-readable. 参考资料 = reference materials; 参考数据 = reference figures.
Acquire it by listening
You just saw 数据 in 3 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.
