自動櫃員機 / 自动柜员机
zìdòng guìyuánjī
To say ATM in Chinese, use 自動櫃員機 / 自动柜员机 (zìdòng guìyuánjī), the automated teller machine at a bank. If unsure, use 自動櫃員機 / 自动柜员机. Wiktionary also lists 自動取款機 / 自动取款机 (zìdòng qǔkuǎnjī) and 自動提款機 / 自动提款机 (zìdòng tíkuǎnjī).
Meaning: (banking) automated teller machine (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 自動櫃員機 / 自动柜员机 | zìdòng guìyuánjī |
| 自動取款機 / 自动取款机 | zìdòng qǔkuǎnjī |
| 自動提款機 / 自动提款机 | zìdòng tíkuǎnjī |
| 提款機 / 提款机 | tíkuǎnjī |
| 櫃員機 / 柜员机 | guìyuánjī |
| 取款機 / 取款机 | qǔkuǎnjī |
The shorter 櫃員機 / 柜员机 (guìyuánjī) is also used.
What does it mean word for word?
自动 means automatic, 柜员 means teller and 机 means machine.
Which one should you use?
取款機 / 取款机 (qǔkuǎnjī) and 提款機 / 提款机 (tíkuǎnjī) stress the action of withdrawing cash. They also appear in the longer 自動取款機 / 自动取款机 and 自動提款機 / 自动提款机.
Is it said differently in some regions?
提款機 is the most common word for an ATM in Taiwan and Hong Kong, while 取款机 is the usual word in mainland China.
How do you pronounce it?
In pinyin it is zìdòng guìyuánjī.
When do people say it?
In many Chinese-speaking cities people also simply say ATM in casual conversation.
Did you know?
- The character 櫃 / 柜 in 櫃員機 / 柜员机 originally meant 'cupboard' or 'cabinet', as early bank tellers worked behind large wooden furniture.
- The word 卡 ('card') used to operate an ATM is a phonetic loanword, meaning the Chinese characters were chosen specifically to mimic the sound of the English word 'card'.
- Many modern ATMs in China have evolved beyond the 卡 ('card') system, utilizing facial recognition technology to identify users entirely without physical media.
Examples in context
- 我需要找一个自动取款机。I need to find an ATM.
- 去附近的取款机取点钱。Let's go to the nearby ATM to withdraw some money.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “atm” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
