水槽
shuǐcáo
In Chinese, the word for sink (noun) is 水槽 (shuǐcáo). Wiktionary also lists 盥洗盆 (guànxǐpén) and 洗手盆 (xǐshǒupén).
Meaning: basin (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 水槽 | shuǐcáo |
| 盥洗盆 | guànxǐpén |
| 洗手盆 | xǐshǒupén |
The term used depends on the specific type of sink you are referring to, such as a kitchen sink or a bathroom washbasin.
Which one should you use?
水槽 is the most common term for a utility or kitchen sink used for washing dishes or large items. 洗手盆 is specifically used for a sink used for washing hands, such as a bathroom sink. 盥洗盆 is also used for a washbasin, but it serves as a more formal or technical term compared to the colloquial 洗手盆.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
shuǐcáo
Did you know?
- The character 槽 in 水槽 originally referred to a feeding trough for animals. This reveals that the modern word for a kitchen sink shares its roots with livestock equipment.
- While 水槽 refers to the basin, the 'sink' area in a kitchen is often referred to as the 水槽区 or more broadly the 洗碗池, where 池 means 'pond' or 'pool'.
- In many traditional Chinese homes, the 'sink' was not a basin but a large ceramic bowl called a 脸盆 placed on a stand. These are still common in rural areas today.
Examples in context
- 惠子巧妙地把碗碟迭起再拿到水槽。Keiko deftly piles up the dishes and takes them to the sink.This sentence shows how to use 水槽 in the context of carrying dishes.Tatoeba #6828259 by basilhan, translation #2427152 by xtofu80
- 齊里需要小蘇打，用來清潔他的廚房水槽。Ziri needs baking soda to clean his kitchen sink.This sentence demonstrates cleaning a kitchen 水槽 with baking soda.Tatoeba #13549599 by LeviHighway, translation #10861132 by Amastan
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A couple is cleaning up their new kitchen.
- 伟 Wei这个水槽很深。Zhè ge shuǐcáo hěn shēn.This sink is very deep.
- 佳怡 Jiayi很有用，可以洗很多碗。Hěn yǒuyòng, kěyǐ xǐ hěnduō wǎn.It's very useful, we can wash many bowls.
- 伟 Wei佳怡，帮我擦一下水槽。Jiāyí, bāng wǒ cā yīxià shuǐcáo.Jiayi, help me wipe the sink.
- 佳怡 Jiayi没问题，我现在就去。Méi wèntí, wǒ xiànzài jiù qù.No problem, I'll go do it now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sink” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
