已婚
yǐhūn
In Chinese, the word for married can be expressed as 已婚 (yǐhūn). Wiktionary also lists 結婚了 / 结婚了 (jiéhūn le).
Meaning: in a state of marriage, having a wife or a husband (adj)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 已婚 | yǐhūn | |
| 結婚了 / 结婚了 | jiéhūn le | verb |
The term 已婚 is an adjective used to describe a person who is in a state of marriage, meaning they have a wife or a husband. It is the standard term used when describing marital status in official contexts, such as on forms or in surveys.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, 已婚 means 'already married', where 已 means 'already' and 婚 means 'marriage'.
Which one should you use?
已婚 acts as an adjective to describe a marital status, whereas 结婚了 is a verb phrase used to describe the action of getting married or to state colloquially that someone is married.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase 结婚了, the particle 了 indicates a change of state, specifically the transition from being single to being married.
How do you pronounce it?
yǐhūn
Did you know?
- In traditional contexts, the process of becoming 'married' was described as 结发, meaning 'tying the hair' together, symbolizing a lifelong bond.
- Chinese has a specific term 闪婚 which literally means 'flash marriage', describing couples who marry very shortly after meeting.
- Unlike in English where 'married' can be a simple adjective, the Chinese 结婚 is a 'separable verb', meaning you can place other words in the middle of the two characters.
Examples in context
- 萨米已婚12次了。Sami has been married twelve times.This sentence shows the use of 已婚 to indicate the number of times someone has been married.Tatoeba #5918442 by Sethlang, translation #5918403 by OsoHombre
- 我已婚，有两个孩子。I am married and have two children.This sentence uses 已婚 to state one's marital status and family details.Tatoeba #604461 by xiuqin, translation #1758 by brauliobezerra
- 他已婚並育有兩個孩子。He is married with two children.This sentence uses 已婚 to describe a person's marital status and children.Tatoeba #848455 by Martha, translation #295888 by CK
- 我已经结婚了I am already married
- We are a 夫妻We are a married couple
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two colleagues are chatting during a lunch break.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen俊杰，你是单身还是已婚？Jùnjié, nǐ shì dānshēn háishì yǐhūn?Junjie, are you single or married?
- 俊杰 Junjie我已经婚三年了。Wǒ yǐjīng yǐhūn sān nián le.I have been married for three years.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen真的吗？太惊讶了！Zhēnde ma? Tài jīngyà le!Really? I'm so surprised!
- 俊杰 Junjie是的，我妻子是医生。Shìde, wǒ qīzi shì yīshēng.Yes, my wife is a doctor.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “married” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
