Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 社群 | shèqún |
| 社團 / 社团 | shètuán |
| 共同體 / 共同体 | gòngtóngtǐ |
The term 社群 is the most common way to refer to modern, often digital, communities or social groups. In the context of modern internet slang and marketing, it is frequently used to refer to social media platforms or online social circles, such as in the phrase 社群媒體 for social media.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 社群 (shèqún) is composed of 社, meaning social or society and 群, meaning group or crowd.
Which one should you use?
While 社群 refers to general social groups or online communities, 社團 (shètuán) refers specifically to organized groups like student clubs or professional associations. If you are describing a more formal or abstract concept, such as a 'community of shared destiny' or a cohesive entity in political or philosophical contexts, use 共同體 (gòngtóngtǐ).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Taiwan and Hong Kong, 社群 is more commonly used to refer to online communities or social networks.
How do you pronounce it?
shèqún
Did you know?
- In the term 社群, the character 社 (shè) originally referred to a local land god or a shrine used by ancient village communities to worship the spirits of soil and grain.
- The word 群 (qún) in 社群 describes a 'flock' or 'herd'. Using it for a community evokes a sense of many individuals gathering together like birds or sheep.
- In modern digital contexts, if you are a 'member' of a community, you might be called a 群友 (qúnyǒu), which literally translates to 'group friend'.
Examples in context
- 湯姆是社群中的積極分子。Tom is an activist in his community.This sentence shows how to use 社群 to describe an individual's involvement in a community.Tatoeba #13958093 by LeviHighway, translation #680074 by Source_VOA
- 我们社区每年都举办各种活动。Every year, our community holds various activities.
- 请向社区委员会报告此问题。Please report this issue to the community committee.
- 我喜欢加入各种社群和讨论组。I enjoy joining various online communities and discussion groups.
- 我们村的文化传统非常丰富。Our village has a rich cultural heritage.
- 這個網路社群非常熱鬧。zhè ge wǎng lù shè qún fēi cháng rè nao.This online community is very lively.
- 他在加入這個社群後學到很多。tā zài jiā rù zhè ge shè qún hòu xué dào hěn duō.He learned a lot after joining this community.
Example conversation
Yuting and Junjie are talking about a hobby group online.
- 雨婷 Yuting你加入了那個攝影社群嗎？Nǐ jiārùle nàge shèyǐng shèqún ma?Did you join that photography community?
- 俊杰 Junjie還沒，那裡的人很多嗎？Hái méi, nàlǐ de rén hěnduō ma?Not yet, are there many people there?
- 雨婷 Yuting是的，是一個很熱鬧的社群。Shì de, shì yīgè hěn rènao de shèqún.Yes, it is a very lively community.
- 俊杰 Junjie聽起來不錯，我現在就加入。Tīng qǐlái bùcuò, wǒ xiànzài jiù jiārù.Sounds good, I will join right now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “community” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 社團, 社群, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
