監獄 / 监狱
jiānyù
The Chinese word for prison is 監獄 / 监狱 (jiānyù). Wiktionary also lists 牢獄 / 牢狱 (láoyù) and 監牢 / 监牢 (jiānláo).
Meaning: place of long-term confinement for those convicted of serious crimes (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 監獄 / 监狱 | jiānyù |
| 牢獄 / 牢狱 | láoyù |
| 監牢 / 监牢 | jiānláo |
| 班房 | bānfáng |
The term refers to a place of long-term confinement for those convicted of serious crimes.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 監獄 / 监狱 is composed of 監, meaning to supervise or oversee and 獄, meaning prison or jail.
Which one should you use?
監獄 / 监狱 (jiānyù) is the standard, modern term for a prison. In contrast, 牢獄 / 牢狱 (láoyù) is a more literary or archaic way to express the concept.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
监狱 is a formal term for prison. 班房 (bānfáng) is a historical or literary term, often seen in period dramas or literature, used to refer to a jail or a prison cell.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Cantonese, 監獄 is a formal way to say prison.
How do you pronounce it?
jiānyù
Did you know?
- The word 牢 (láo) is also used to describe a cage for animals, showing a linguistic link between human prisons and animal enclosures.
- The character 監 in 監獄 originally depicted a mirror or a tool for observing, reflecting the ancient idea that a prison was a place for constant surveillance.
- In historical Chinese dramas, a prisoner might be sent to a 班房 (bānfáng). While this sounds like a simple 'room', it literally translates to 'shift room', referring to the duty shifts of the guards.
Examples in context
- 他因为犯罪而被关进了监狱。He was imprisoned because of crime.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “prison” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
