街道
jiēdào
The English word street can be translated into Chinese using several terms, most commonly 街道 (jiēdào). Wiktionary also lists 街 (jiē) and 路 (lù).
Meaning: paved part of road in a village or a town (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 街道 | jiēdào |
| 街 | jiē |
| 路 | lù |
| 馬路 / 马路 | mǎlù |
| 街路 | jiēlù |
These terms refer to the paved part of a road in a village or town. When you want to refer to a specific street, it is common to combine the word for street with location words such as 这条 (zhè tiáo), 那条 (nà tiáo) or 哪条 (nǎ tiáo). In daily conversation, the phrase 过马路 (guò mǎlù) is the most common way to say 'to cross the street'.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 马路 (mǎlù) literally means 'horse road'.
Which one should you use?
The word 路 (lù) is a general term for any road, path or route. In contrast, 街道 (jiēdào) specifically refers to an urban street. The term 街 (jiē) is often used as a suffix in the names of specific streets or in compound words like 街口 (jiēkǒu), meaning 'street corner'.
How do you pronounce it?
jiēdào
Did you know?
- Some linguists suggest that the term 马路 (mǎlù) might actually be a phonetic borrowing from the English word 'macadam', a method of road construction, rather than a reference to animals.
- When using the word 路 (lù) to talk about streets, you will often see it paired with the measure word 条 (tiáo) to describe the street as a long, narrow strip.
Examples in context
- 他穿过公路。He crossed the street.This sentence demonstrates how to use the word 路 to describe crossing a road.Tatoeba #6482591 by FAErika, translation #302067 by CK
- 別在馬路上玩。Don't play in the street.This sentence uses the word 路 to warn against playing in the street.Tatoeba #3718941 by egg0073, translation #280465 by CK
- 我們過馬路吧。Let's cross the street.This sentence uses the word 路 to suggest crossing the street.Tatoeba #9176161 by xjjAstrus, translation #280435 by CK
- 这条街道上有很多商店。(Zhè tiáo jiēdào shàng yǒu hěnduō shāngdiàn.)There are many shops on this street.
- 我住在这条路上。(Wǒ zhù zài zhè tiáo lù shàng.)I live on this street.
- 这一家餐厅在哪条街上？(Zhè yī jiā cāntīng zài nǎ tiáo jiē shàng?)Which street is this restaurant on?
- 这个街市有很多美食。(Zhè ge jiēshì yǒu hěnduō měishí.)This street market has a lot of delicious food.
- 请问，这条巷出口在哪里？(Qǐngwèn, zhè tiáo xiàng chūkǒu zài nǎlǐ?)Excuse me, where is the exit of this lane?
- 那条大街上有一家书店。(Nà tiáo dàjiē shàng yǒu yī jiā shūdiàn.)There is a bookstore on that street.
- 108 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Zhiqiang and Jiayi are walking through a quiet neighborhood.
- 志强 Zhiqiang這條街道真漂亮。Zhè tiáo jiēdào zhēn piàoliang.This street is truly beautiful.
- 佳怡 Jiayi是的，這裡很乾淨。Shì de, zhèlǐ hěn gānjìng.Yes, it is very clean here.
- 志强 Zhiqiang我們沿著這條街道走吧。Wǒmen yánzhe zhè tiáo jiēdào zǒu ba.Let's walk along this street.
- 佳怡 Jiayi好，我也很喜歡這裡。Hǎo, wǒ yě hěn xǐhuān zhèlǐ.Okay, I like it here too.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “street” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 街, 路, 馬路, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
