垃圾
lājī, lèsè
In Chinese, the word for garbage is 垃圾 (lājī, lèsè). Wiktionary also lists 廢物 / 废物 (fèiwù) and 破爛 / 破烂 (pòlàn, pòlànr).
Meaning: waste material (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 垃圾 | lājī, lèsè |
| 廢物 / 废物 | fèiwù |
| 破爛 / 破烂 | pòlàn, pòlànr |
| 廢品 / 废品 | fèipǐn |
The term for garbage varies depending on whether you are referring to household waste, useless items or recyclable scrap. For general household waste or trash, use 垃圾.
Which one should you use?
Use 废物 to refer to something that is useless or a waste of resources, which can also be used metaphorically to describe people. Use 废品 specifically when talking about recyclable waste or scrap materials like old paper or metal. Use 破烂 to describe junk or items that are broken and worn-out.
How does it change in a sentence?
You can form the word for a trash can or garbage bin by adding 桶 (meaning bucket or bin) to 垃圾 to get 垃圾桶. The verb 扔 (to throw) is commonly paired with 垃圾 to mean 'to throw away trash'.
How do you pronounce it?
lājī, lèsè
Did you know?
- In modern Chinese cities, 'garbage sorting' is so strictly regulated that some residential compounds have guards who check your 垃圾桶 to ensure you have separated wet and dry waste.
- The standard pronunciation lājī is actually a historical mistake. It happened when people misread a rare character and assumed it should be pronounced like the common word jí.
- The word 垃圾 can be used to describe someone who is a 'social' or 'moral' waste, not just physical refuse.
Examples in context
- 别忘了把垃圾拿出去。Don't forget to take out the garbage.This sentence shows how to use 垃圾 when talking about taking out the trash.Tatoeba #5091101 by mirrorvan, translation #3667566 by Hybrid
- 在街上亂丟垃圾不是好習慣，記得嗎？Throwing garbage on the street is not a good habit, remember?This sentence demonstrates using 垃圾 in the context of street habits.Tatoeba #11897851 by corina, translation #11886462 by Amastan
- 在我们的城市那，我们非常谨慎地分类收集垃圾。In our city, we carefully separate and collect garbage.This sentence illustrates the use of 垃圾 when discussing the sorting and collection of waste.Tatoeba #10019731 by GlossaMatik, translation #11272803 by Aphima
- 这个公园到处都是垃圾。This park is littered with garbage.
- 请将垃圾扔进垃圾桶。Please throw the garbage in the bin.
- 我不想再听你的废话了。I don't want to listen to your rubbish anymore.
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A young couple is cleaning up their apartment together.
- 志强 Zhiqiang晓雯，要把这些垃圾拿出去吗？Xiǎowén, yào bǎ zhèxiē lājī ná chūqù ma?Xiaowen, should I take this garbage out?
- 晓雯 Xiaowen是的，志强，请帮个忙。Shì de, Zhìqiáng, qǐng bāng ge máng.Yes, Zhiqiang, please help me out.
- 志强 Zhiqiang没问题，我马上就去。Méi wèntí, wǒ mǎshàng jiù qù.No problem, I will go right away.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen谢谢你，辛苦了。Xièxiè nǐ, xīnkǔ le.Thank you, thanks for your hard work.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “garbage” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 垃圾, 廢物, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
