钱
money
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HSK level
- Pinyin
- qián
- Part of speech
- noun
- Level
- HSK 1
- Strokes
- 10
- Register
- neutral
- Measure word
- 笔 / 块
- In episodes
- 12
Stroke order for 钱
钱 is written with 10 strokes. The animation replays automatically.
What does 钱 mean?
钱 (qián) is the Chinese word for 'money' — the all-purpose noun for currency, payment, and wealth.
The most important HSK 1 use is in the question 多少钱? (duōshǎo qián, 'how much money / how much does it cost?'), the single most useful sentence for any traveler in China. Two things to know: first, in real conversation, 钱 is often DROPPED from prices — when someone says 多少钱?, the answer is usually just '十块' (ten yuan), not '十块钱'; 钱 only appears for emphasis or in writing; second, 钱 is also a very common Chinese surname (e.
g., 钱学森, the famous scientist). The character has the 钅 (metal) radical, a reminder that money originally meant metal coins. In modern China, almost no one carries 钱 — payment is done by WeChat Pay or Alipay.
Memory hook: 钱 has the 钅 'metal' radical on the left — money started as metal coins, and the radical reminds you.
Hear 钱 in real episodes
钱 appears in 12 Fluentide podcast episodes at natural native speed, 4 of them below. Each sentence plays at the easiest difficulty it exists in — switch it to hear the same moment at your level, with full pinyin and English throughout.
但是钱没有去很多公司。
But the money did not go to many companies.
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三年里，他们拿到的钱多了很多。
In three years, the money they get has increased a lot.
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总统不一样，他在减少政府的钱。
The president is different; he is reducing the government's money.
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英伟达很大，值很多很多钱。
Nvidia is very big and worth a lot and a lot of money.
Nvidia Board Investigates Reports CEO Jensen Huang Was Target of Chinese Espionage; Trump Backs Him, Congress Demands BriefingBeginner
Example sentences
这个多少钱？
Zhège duōshǎo qián?
How much is this?
spoken
我没有钱。
Wǒ méiyǒu qián.
I don't have money.
neutral
他很有钱。
Tā hěn yǒu qián.
He's very rich.
spoken
我不想花钱。
Wǒ bù xiǎng huā qián.
I don't want to spend money.
spoken
Common phrases with 钱
Synonyms
钞票 specifically means 'paper money / banknotes,' not the abstract concept. 钱 is the general word. You'd say 我没钱 'I have no money,' not 我没钞票.
Don't confuse 钱 with
前 (same pinyin, same tone) means 'front / before / ago' (以前 'before,' 前面 'in front'). Identical sound to 钱; only context and the character distinguish them. Common beginner typo.
Frequently asked questions
Related words from the same episodes
Acquire it by listening
Meet 钱 again — in real Chinese, at your level.
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