鏡子 / 镜子
jìngzi
Mirror in Chinese is 鏡子 / 镜子 (jìngzi). If unsure, use 鏡子 / 镜子. Wiktionary also lists 鑒 / 鉴 (jiàn).
Meaning: smooth reflecting surface (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 鏡子 / 镜子 | jìngzi | |
| 鑒 / 鉴 | jiàn | |
| 鏡 / 镜 | kiàⁿ | Hokkien |
鏡子 / 镜子 is the everyday word for a mirror, the reflecting glass on a wall or in a bathroom.
What does it mean word for word?
鏡 or 镜 means mirror or lens and 子 is a common noun ending. The first spelling is traditional and the second simplified.
Which one should you use?
鑒 / 鉴 (jiàn) is an old literary word for mirror and is not used for an everyday mirror.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Hokkien a mirror is 鏡 / 镜 (kiàⁿ). In Dungan it is җинзы.
How do you pronounce it?
It is pronounced jìngzi, with a falling tone on the first syllable and a light second syllable.
Did you know?
- In ancient Chinese, the word for mirror 鑑 was used metaphorically to mean 'to examine' or 'to serve as a warning'. This usage survives in modern idioms about learning from the past.
- The character for mirror, 鏡, contains the radical for 'metal' 金, which reflects the historical reality that ancient mirrors were made of polished bronze rather than glass.
- While 鏡子 is the standard word for a mirror, the term 鏡 alone is also used for lenses in glasses, microscopes, and telescopes.
Example sentences for Chinese are not verified yet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “mirror” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
