樂高 / 乐高
lègāo
The English phrase "lego" is translated into Chinese as 樂高 / 乐高 (lègāo). If unsure, use 樂高 / 乐高. Wiktionary also lists 樂高玩具 / 乐高玩具 (lègāo wánjù) and 樂高積木 / 乐高积木 (lègāo jīmù).
Meaning: toy brick (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 樂高 / 乐高 | lègāo |
| 樂高玩具 / 乐高玩具 | lègāo wánjù |
| 樂高積木 / 乐高积木 | lègāo jīmù |
While 樂高 / 乐高 is a phonetic transliteration of the brand name, it is often used as a shorthand for the specific brand of toy bricks.
What does it mean word for word?
In the phrase 樂高積木 / 乐高积木, the component 積木 / 积木 (jīmù) literally means "building blocks".
Which one should you use?
The forms differ in how specifically they describe the subject: 樂高 / 乐高 is shorthand for the brand, 樂高玩具 / 乐高玩具 (lègāo wánjù) is used when referring to Lego products in a general sense as a category of toys and 樂高積木 / 乐高积木 (lègāo jīmù) is more descriptive and specifically refers to the physical Lego building blocks themselves.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is lègāo.
Did you know?
- While 樂高 / 乐高 is a phonetic loan, the characters chosen are not random. 樂 (lè) means 'happiness' or 'joy' and 高 (gāo) means 'high' or 'tall', giving the brand a positive meaning of 'happy height'.
- The word 積木 / 积木 (jīmù) is composed of characters that literally mean 'accumulated wood', reflecting the historical roots of children's building blocks.
- Chinese speakers sometimes refer to a single Lego brick as a 零件 / 零件 (língjiàn), which literally means 'a spare part' or 'component', treating the toy more like a piece of machinery than a block.
Examples in context
- 我购买了一款乐高城市建筑套装。I bought a LEGO City architecture set.
- 我小时候最喜欢玩乐高积木。I loved playing with LEGO building blocks when I was a child.
- 这些积木能拼出很多有趣的东西。These building blocks can be assembled into many interesting things.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “lego” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
