自来水
zìláishuǐ
Tap water in Mandarin is 自来水 (zìláishuǐ).
自来水 is used to refer to tap water. It specifically distinguishes water supplied by a municipal system through pipes from other sources like bottled water or well water. For a more formal or technical way to say municipal tap water, you can use 市政自来水.
Meaning: water from a tap (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The term 自来水 literally means 'water that comes by itself'. It is composed of 自 (self), 来 (come) and 水 (water).
How do you pronounce it?
zìláishuǐ
Did you know?
- If you ask for 水 (water) in a restaurant, you will often be served warm water rather than the ice-cold water common in the West.
- In many parts of China, people rarely drink 自来水 directly from the tap even if it is safe, preferring to boil it first or use a filter.
- While 'tap' in English refers to the hardware, the Chinese term 自来水 focuses entirely on the water's movement and its autonomous arrival through pipes.
Examples in context
- 请给我一杯自来水。Please give me a glass of tap water.
- 这里的自来水很干净。zhèlǐ de zìláishuǐ hěn gānjìng.The tap water here is very clean.
- 你可以直接喝自来水吗？nǐ kěyǐ zhíjiē hē zìláishuǐ ma?Can you drink tap water directly?
- 我喜欢用自来水洗脸。wǒ xǐhuān yòng zìláishuǐ xǐliǎn.I like using tap water to wash my face.
Example conversation
Jiayi and Junjie are in the kitchen preparing a meal.
- 佳怡 Jiayi俊杰，我们用自来水煮面吗？Jùnjié, wǒmen yòng zìláishuǐ zhǔ miàn ma?Junjie, shall we use tap water to cook the noodles?
- 俊杰 Junjie不要，我们用过滤水吧。Búyào, wǒmen yòng guòlǜshuǐ ba.No, let's use filtered water.
- 佳怡 Jiayi好的，那我去拿过滤水。Hǎo de, nà wǒ qù ná guòlǜshuǐ.Okay, I'll go get the filtered water then.
- 俊杰 Junjie谢谢佳怡。Xièxie Jiāyí.Thank you, Jiayi.
