社會媒體 / 社会媒体
shèhuì méitǐ
The English phrase "social media" can be translated into Chinese as 社會媒體 / 社会媒体 (shèhuì méitǐ). Wiktionary also lists 社交媒體 / 社交媒体 (shèjiāo méitǐ) and 社媒 (shèméi).
Meaning: applications or websites allowing users to communicate (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 社會媒體 / 社会媒体 | shèhuì méitǐ |
| 社交媒體 / 社交媒体 | shèjiāo méitǐ |
| 社媒 | shèméi |
| 社交平臺 / 社交平台 | shèjiāo píngtái |
This term refers to applications or websites that allow users to communicate.
Which one should you use?
While 社會媒體 / 社会媒体 is an option, 社交媒體 / 社交媒体 is more commonly used to refer to social media platforms. Additionally, if you are specifically referring to the actual apps or the digital spaces themselves, 社交平臺 / 社交平台 (social platform) is frequently used.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
社交媒體 / 社交媒体 is a formal way to say social media. In contrast, 社媒 is a common abbreviation used in casual conversation and digital shorthand.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The form 社交媒體 uses Traditional Chinese script, which is common in Taiwan and Hong Kong.
How do you pronounce it?
shèhuì méitǐ
Did you know?
- The character 社 in 社媒 originally referred to a 'shrine' or 'community gathering place' for ancestral spirits, linking modern digital networking to ancient village communalism.
- When discussing the act of 'socializing' on these platforms, users often use the verb 刷 /shuā, which literally means 'to brush'.
- The term 圈子 /quānzi ('circle') is used to describe a user's social media ecosystem, referring to the specific, often closed, group of friends they interact with.
Examples in context
- 最近我在社交媒体上看到了一条有趣的微博Recently, I saw an interesting Weibo post on social media.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “social media” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
