文具
wénjù
In Chinese, stationery is said as 文具 (wénjù).
The term 文具 is a broad category that covers everything from pens and pencils to notebooks and erasers. Specific items include 钢笔 (fountain pen), 笔记本 (notebook), 胶带 (tape), 订书机 (stapler), 尺子 (ruler), 橡皮擦 (eraser) and 便签纸 (sticky notes).
Meaning: writing materials (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word 文具 is composed of 文, meaning writing or culture and 具, meaning tool or implement.
Which one should you use?
While 文具 is the general term, you might use 办公用品 (bàn gōng yòng pǐn) to refer specifically to office supplies in professional settings or 写字用品 (xiě zì yòng pǐn) to emphasize writing supplies in educational contexts.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For a more colloquial or casual feel, you can use 文具玩意儿 (wén jù wán yì er), which translates to "stationery stuff".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Southern Min, it is expressed as 文房用具 (bûn-hong-iōng-kú).
How does it change in a sentence?
文具 is a mass noun and does not have a plural form in Chinese.
How do you pronounce it?
wénjù
Did you know?
- Historically, the concept of 文具 was defined by the 'Four Treasures of the Study', which consists of the brush, ink, paper and inkstone.
- The character 文 in 文具 links writing tools directly to the concepts of 'culture' and 'civilization' in the Chinese worldview.
- In classical literature and formal contexts, you might see the term 文房 (wén fáng), which literally means 'the literary studio', used to describe the space where one uses these tools.
Examples in context
- 哪些文具不值得买？What stationery isn't worth buying?This sentence is useful for asking about the value of different items of 文具.Tatoeba #9952512 by Ivanovb, translation #10508998 by DaoSeng
- 我去商店买文具。Wǒ qù shāngdiàn mǎi wénjù.I am going to the store to buy stationery.
- 书包里有很多文具。Shūbāo lǐ yǒu hěnduō wénjù.There are many writing materials in the backpack.
Example conversation
志强 and 晓雯 are at the office school supply closet.
- 志强 Zhiqiang你需要什么文具吗？Nǐ xūyào shénme wénjù ma?Do you need any stationery?
- 晓雯 Xiaowen我需要一支笔。Wǒ xūyào yī zhī bǐ.I need a pen.
- 志强 Zhiqiang这里还有很多文具。Zhèlǐ hái yǒu hěnduō wénjù.There is still a lot of stationery here.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen好的，谢谢你。Hǎo de, xièxiè nǐ.Okay, thank you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “stationery” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
