幼兒園 / 幼儿园
yòu'éryuán
The English phrase kindergarten is translated into Chinese as 幼兒園 / 幼儿园 (yòu'éryuán) or 幼稚園 / 幼稚园.
Meaning: educational institution for young children, usually between ages 4 and 6 (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 幼兒園 / 幼儿园 | yòu'éryuán | |
| 幼稚園 / 幼稚园 | yòuzhìyuán | Taiwan |
The term refers to an educational institution for young children, usually between ages 4 and 6.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 幼兒園 / 幼儿园 (yòu'éryuán) literally means 'young child garden/institution', while 幼稚園 / 幼稚园 (yòuzhìyuán) literally means 'infantile/childish garden/institution'.
Which one should you use?
While 幼兒園 / 幼儿园 and 幼稚園 / 幼稚园 are often used interchangeably to mean kindergarten, 幼兒園 / 幼儿园 is more common in Mainland China and 幼稚園 / 幼稚园 is more common in Taiwan.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mainland China, the standard way to refer to a kindergarten is 幼兒園 / 幼儿园. In Taiwan, the standard term is 幼稚園 / 幼稚园.
How do you pronounce it?
yòu'éryuán
Did you know?
- The term 幼稚園 / 幼稚园 contains the word 幼稚, which in modern Chinese is often used as a pejorative to mean 'childish' or 'naive' when describing an adult.
- The character 園 (yuán) is also used in the word for 'zoo', meaning many children's institutions and wildlife parks share the same linguistic root for 'enclosed garden'.
- The term 幼兒園 (yòu'éryuán) is a direct calque of the German 'Kindergarten', meaning the concept of a 'garden for children' was imported directly from German educational philosophy.
Examples in context
- 我家孩子正在幼儿园学习。My child is studying at kindergarten.
- 她曾经在幼稚园工作过。She used to work at a kindergarten.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “kindergarten” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 幼兒園, CC BY-SA 4.0.
