塑料袋
sùliàodài
The English phrase 'plastic bag' in Mandarin is 塑料袋 (sùliàodài). Wiktionary also lists 塑膠袋 / 塑胶袋 and 膠袋 / 胶袋 (jiāodài).
Meaning: type of packaging (noun)
Ways to say it
| Mandarin | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 塑料袋 | sùliàodài | |
| 塑膠袋 / 塑胶袋 | ||
| 膠袋 / 胶袋 | jiāodài | China, South |
The term 塑料 specifically refers to the material plastic.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 塑料袋 (sùliàodài) is composed of 塑料 (sùliào), meaning 'plastic' and 袋 (dài), meaning 'bag'.
Which one should you use?
While 塑料袋 is the standard term in Mainland China, 塑胶袋 is a common variation used to refer to the same object.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Southern China and regions influenced by Cantonese, the term 胶袋 (jiāodài) is commonly used instead of 塑料袋.
How does it change in a sentence?
When counting plastic bags, you should use the measure word 个 (gè) or 袋 (dài), such as 一个塑料袋 (yī gè sùliàodài).
How do you pronounce it?
sùliàodài
Did you know?
- The word 胶 in 胶袋 literally means 'glue' or 'gum', reflecting how early synthetic plastics were viewed as rubber-like adhesives.
- The character 袋 (dài) is also used in the word 口袋 (kǒudài), which means 'pocket', suggesting that a pocket is simply a 'mouth-bag'.
- The character 塑 (sù) in 塑料 literally carries the meaning of 'to mold' or 'to shape', reflecting how the material is manufactured.
Examples in context
- 不，谢谢。我不需要塑料袋。No thank you, I don't need a plastic bag.Tatoeba #1545675 by clare, translation #1335215 by Saney
- 请给我一个塑料袋。Please give me a plastic bag.
- 在超市里，他总是看到满地的塑料袋子。In the supermarket, he always sees plastic bags all over the floor.
- 这个塑料袋很薄。Zhège sùliàodài hěn báo.This plastic bag is very thin.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Jiayi and Wei are at a supermarket checkout.
- 伟 Wei你需要塑料袋吗？Nǐ xūyào sùliàodài ma?Do you need a plastic bag?
- 佳怡 Jiayi我自带了袋子。Wǒ zìdài le dàizi.I brought my own bag.
- 伟 Wei那太好了。Nà tài hǎo le.That's great.
- 佳怡 Jiayi谢谢你，伟。Xièxiè nǐ, Wěi.Thank you, Wei.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “plastic bag” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
