How to Say "Meter" in Chinese

米

mǐ/mi²¹⁴/

In Chinese, the English phrase "meter" is translated as 米 (mǐ).

The word 米 refers to the unit of length. To refer to the "Metric system", you can use the term 米制.

Meaning: measuring instrument (noun)

Which one should you use?

While 米 is the unit of length, if you are referring to a measuring instrument (such as a gauge or meter), you should use words like 仪表 or 计 instead.

In Taiwanese Mandarin, the term 公尺 is used to mean "meter".

The pronunciation is mǐ (/mi²¹⁴/).

Be careful not to confuse the unit of length 米 with the word for "rice", as they are both written as 米 and pronounced the same way.

The Chinese word for 'meter' is actually a loanword from French. It is a shortened version of 米突, which is a phonetic approximation of the French word 'mètre'.

请在一米线外等候。
Please wait one meter away.
This sentence is useful for demonstrating how to use 米 to indicate a distance for waiting.
Tatoeba #6054155 by Sethlang, translation #6054156 by Sethlang
他刷新了百米短跑的世界紀錄。
His record is a new world record in the 100-meter dash.
This sentence shows how 米 is used when discussing distances in sports, such as a 100-meter dash.
Tatoeba #727966 by Martha, translation #285863 by CM
我剛百米衝刺，還累得不行呢。
I just did a 100-meter sprint and I'm so exhausted.
This sentence illustrates the use of 米 in the context of a 100-meter sprint.
Tatoeba #10530837 by DaoSeng, translation #11551902 by weihaiping
一公尺
One meter
这条街有几公尺长？
How many meters long is this street?
1 more sentence on Tatoeba

Jiayi and Wei are measuring a piece of fabric for a project.

佳怡 Jiayi

这块布有多少米？
Zhè kuài bù yǒu duōshǎo mǐ?
How many meters of fabric is this?
伟 Wei

大约有三米长。
Dàyuē yǒu sān mǐ cháng.
It is about three meters long.
佳怡 Jiayi

我们需要五米才够。
Wǒmen xūyào wǔ mǐ cái gòu.
We need five meters to have enough.
伟 Wei

那我再去买两米。
Nà wǒ zài qù mǎi liǎng mǐ.
Then I will go buy two more meters.

Sources

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