1. Key Vocabulary
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 钱 | qián | money |
| 块 | kuài | (colloquial) yuan |
| 元 | yuán | (formal) yuan |
| 毛 | máo | (colloquial) 10 cents |
| 角 | jiǎo | (formal) 10 cents |
| 分 | fēn | 1 cent |
| 多少钱 | duō shǎo qián | how much (money) |
| 这个 | zhè ge | this one |
| 这些 | zhè xiē | these |
| 那个 | nà ge | that one |
| 那些 | nà xiē | those |
| 买 | mǎi | to buy |
| 卖 | mài | to sell |
| 东西 | dōng xi | thing; item |
| 太贵了 | tài guì le | too expensive |
| 便宜 | pián yi | cheap |
| 一共 | yí gòng | altogether, total |
| 找钱 | zhǎo qián | to give change |
2. Grammar Points
Measure Words with Money
- 块 (kuài) and 元 (yuán) are interchangeable, but kuài is more common in spoken Chinese.
- 毛 (máo) and 角 (jiǎo) is 1/10 of a yuan (like “dime” in English).
- 分 (fēn) is 1/100 of a yuan (like “cent”).
Example:
- 六块五毛。 (Liù kuài wǔ máo.) – 6 yuan and 50 cents.
3. Sentence Patterns
Asking how much something costs
[Item] + 多少钱？
→ “How much is [item]?”
Examples:
- 这个多少钱？ (Zhè ge duō shǎo qián?) – How much is this?
- 那个苹果多少钱？ (Nà ge píng guǒ duō shǎo qián?) – How much is that apple?
Saying how much something costs
[Item] + [price] + 块/元/毛/角/分。
Examples:
- 这个五块钱。 (zhè ge wǔ kuài qián.) – 5 yuan.
- 那个一块五。 (nà ge yí kuài wǔ.) – 1.5 yuan.
- 那些三十元。 (nà xiē sān shí yuán.) – 30 yuan (formal).
Expressing “too expensive” or “cheap”
- 太贵了！ (Tài guì le!) – Too expensive!
- 很便宜。 (Hěn pián yi.) – Very cheap.
Asking for the total
- 一共多少钱？ (Yí gòng duō shǎo qián?) – How much is it in total?