黑手黨 / 黑手党
hēishǒudǎng
In Chinese, the English phrase 'mafia' is translated as 黑手黨 / 黑手党 (hēishǒudǎng). If unsure, use 黑手黨 / 黑手党. Wiktionary also lists 秘密政黨 / 秘密政党 (mìmì zhèngdǎng) and 秘密集團 / 秘密集团 (mìmì jítuán).
Meaning: a crime syndicate (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 黑手黨 / 黑手党 | hēishǒudǎng |
| 秘密政黨 / 秘密政党 | mìmì zhèngdǎng |
| 秘密集團 / 秘密集团 | mìmì jítuán |
| 黑幫 / 黑帮 | hēibāng |
What does it mean word for word?
The term 黑手黨 / 黑手党 literally means 'black hand party'. The term 黑幫 / 黑帮 literally means 'black gang', where 'black' (黑) implies illicit or illegal activity.
Which one should you use?
黑手黨 / 黑手党 is specifically used to refer to the mafia, such as the international criminal organization of Sicilian origin. In contrast, use 黑幫 / 黑帮 as a more general, colloquial term for any criminal gang or organized crime group.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Cantonese, the term 古惑仔 is used to refer to gangsters or members of organized crime.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
hēishǒudǎng
Did you know?
- While 黑手黨 refers to the Sicilian Mafia, the term 黑社會 is used to describe the entire 'black society' of organized crime in Chinese culture.
- The word 黨 in 黑手黨 is the same character used in 'Communist Party', though here it refers to a clique or faction.
- In Cantonese, members of a 黑幫 may be referred to as 大佬 ('big brother'), a term that also denotes a respected senior in non-criminal contexts.
Example sentences for Chinese are not verified yet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “mafia” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
