房客
fángkè
In Mandarin, 'tenant' is expressed as 房客 (fángkè). Wiktionary also lists 佃戶 / 佃户 (diànhù) and 租戶 / 租户 (zūhù).
Meaning: one who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc. (noun)
Ways to say it
| Mandarin | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 房客 | fángkè |
| 佃戶 / 佃户 | diànhù |
| 租戶 / 租户 | zūhù |
The term refers to someone who pays a fee in return for the use of land, etc. You can also use the related verbs 租 or 租借 to express the act of holding as, or be, a tenant.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 房客 is composed of 房 (room/house) and 客 (guest/visitor).
Which one should you use?
房客 is the most common term for a residential tenant, such as someone renting a room or an apartment. In contrast, 佃戶 refers specifically to a tenant farmer who works land owned by a landlord. Finally, 租戶 is a more formal or legalistic term for a tenant.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
fángkè
Did you know?
- The word 客 in 房客 means 'guest', implying that a residential tenant is viewed as a temporary visitor in the home rather than a permanent resident.
- The character 戶 in 租戶 originally depicted a single-paneled door, representing a household or a family unit rather than just an individual person.
- The character 租 used in 租戶 can also mean 'tax' in ancient Chinese, as early taxes were often seen as a form of rent paid to the state.
Examples in context
- 他是我的房客。He is my tenant.
- 请找一位租户签字。Please find a tenant to sign.
- 那个新来的房客是我的朋友。The new tenant is my friend.
- 这个公寓有很多租客。This apartment has many tenants.
- 那里的房客都很安静。Nàlǐ de fángkè dōu hěn ānjìng.The tenants there are all very quiet.
- 他是这栋楼的新房客。Tā shì zhè dòng lóu de xīn fángkè.He is a new tenant in this building.
- 房客应该准时交房租。Fángkè yīnggāi zhǔnshí jiāo fángzū.Tenants should pay their rent on time.
Example conversation
Two landlords are discussing a rental property.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen志强，你找到合适的房客了吗？Zhìqiáng, nǐ zhǎodào héshì de fángkè le ma?Zhiqiang, have you found a suitable tenant?
- 志强 Zhiqiang还没，我想找一个安静的房客。Hái méi, wǒ xiǎng zhǎo yī gè ānjìng de fángkè.Not yet, I want to find a quiet tenant.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen我可以帮你介绍一个房客。Wǒ kěyǐ bāng nǐ jièshào yī gè fángkè.I can introduce a tenant to you.
- 志强 Zhiqiang太好了，谢谢你，晓雯。Tài hǎo le, xièxiè nǐ, Xiǎowén.That's great, thank you, Xiaowen.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “tenant” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
