電貝斯 / 电贝斯
diànbèisī
The English phrase 'bass guitar' is translated into Mandarin as 電貝斯 / 电贝斯 (diànbèisī). If unsure, use 電貝斯 / 电贝斯. Wiktionary also lists 貝斯吉他 / 贝斯吉他 (bèisī jítā) and 低音吉他 (dīyīn jítā).
Meaning: electric stringed instrument (noun)
Ways to say it
| Mandarin | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 電貝斯 / 电贝斯 | diànbèisī |
| 貝斯吉他 / 贝斯吉他 | bèisī jítā |
| 低音吉他 | dīyīn jítā |
| 貝斯 / 贝斯 | bèisī |
This term refers to an electric stringed instrument.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 電貝斯 / 电贝斯 is a phonetic loan of 'electric bass', where 電 means electric and 貝斯 is a transliteration of 'bass'.
Which one should you use?
While 貝斯吉他 / 贝斯吉他 is the full term for 'bass guitar', in most musical contexts, people simply use the shortened form 貝斯 / 贝斯. In contrast, 低音吉他 is a more descriptive, formal term meaning 'low-tone guitar', whereas 貝斯 / 贝斯 is the common loanword used by musicians.
How do you pronounce it?
diànbèisī
Did you know?
- The term 貝斯 / 贝斯 is a phonetic transliteration that sounds like the English word 'bass', but it uses the character 貝, which means 'shell'.
- In Mandarin, the phonetic loan 貝斯 is used for 'bass' regardless of whether it refers to the guitar or the singer. However, to distinguish a bass singer from the instrument, musicians often prefer the descriptive 低音 to avoid confusion.
- In Mandarin, 低音 is used for both the bass guitar and the general concept of 'low frequency' or 'bass' on a stereo system.
Example sentences for Mandarin are not verified yet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bass guitar” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 貝斯, CC BY-SA 4.0.
