博物館 / 博物馆
The Cantonese word for museum is 博物館 / 博物馆.
The term refers to a building or institution.
Meaning: building or institution (noun)
Is it said differently in some regions?
The traditional character form 博物館 is used in Hong Kong and Macau, while the simplified character form 博物馆 is used in mainland China.
Did you know?
- The character 博 in 博物館 is also used in the word for 'gambling' 博彩, reflecting a shared root of 'taking a chance' or 'stretching' one's reach.
- The character 博 in 博物館 is also found in the word for 'doctorate', implying that a museum is a place of high academic achievement or deep expertise.
- The character 館 is used not only for museums but also for libraries 圖書館 and even some types of restaurants or inns in classical contexts.
Examples in context
- 我想去博物館。I want to go to a museum.
- 香港有好多博物館，你想去邊一個？Hong Kong has many museums. Which one do you want to go to?
- 可唔可以去香港歷史博物館？Can we go to the Hong Kong Museum of History?
Sources
- Wiktionary, “museum” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
