報紙 / 报纸
bàozhǐ
Newspaper in Chinese is 報紙 / 报纸 (bàozhǐ). If unsure, use 報紙 / 报纸. Wiktionary also lists 報 / 报 (bào) and 報章 / 报章 (bàozhāng).
Meaning: publication (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 報紙 / 报纸 | bàozhǐ |
| 報 / 报 | bào |
| 報章 / 报章 | bàozhāng |
To say to read a newspaper, people use the verb 看, which literally means to look at and say 看報紙.
What does it mean word for word?
報紙 is made of 報, to report or announce and 紙, paper.
Which one should you use?
報章 / 报章 (bàozhāng) is a more formal or collective word used in writing for the press or newspapers in general. 報 / 报 (bào) works as a short form inside compound words but is rarely used alone for a newspaper in casual speech.
How do you pronounce it?
Say bàozhǐ with a falling tone and then a dipping tone.
Did you know?
- The earliest form of the character 報 was an ideogram depicting handcuffs and the act of subduing a criminal to declare them guilty.
- The character 報 / 报 shares a root with the word for 'revenge' or 'repayment' (報復 / 报复), as both stem from the idea of 'returning' or 'answering' an action.
- The character 紙 / 纸 consists of a 'silk' radical and a 'white' component, reflecting how early writing materials evolved from expensive silk to cheaper paper.
Examples in context
- 我每天都看报纸获取最新新闻。I read the newspaper every day to get the latest news.
- 这篇文章引用了《新报》的调查结果。This article cited the results of the investigation from 'Xīnbāo'.
- 这篇新闻只有在纸报上出现过。This news has only appeared in paper newspapers.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “newspaper” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 報, CC BY-SA 4.0.
