千
qiān
The Chinese word for thousand is 千 (qiān).
千 is the cardinal number 1000. In English, it is common to say "a thousand", but in Chinese, you must use the number one (一) before 千 to express the singular unit of a thousand.
Meaning: cardinal number 1000 (num)
How does it change in a sentence?
When expressing the number one thousand, you must include the number one (一) before 千, forming 一千.
How do you pronounce it?
qiān
Did you know?
- The term 千金 literally means 'a thousand pieces of gold' and is used to describe a precious daughter.
- While English speakers use a comma every three digits, Chinese speakers group numbers by four digits, meaning the unit after 千 is not 'ten thousand' but a unique word 万.
- The phrase 千秋 literally means 'a thousand autumns' and is used as a respectful way to refer to a long life or an eternal legacy.
Examples in context
- 他有一千多本书。He has more than a thousand books.This sentence shows how to use 千 to express having more than a thousand of something.Tatoeba #3378253 by GlossaMatik, translation #3378254 by _undertoad
- 有兩千小學生到校。Two thousand pupils attend school.This sentence demonstrates how to use 千 when counting a specific number of people.Tatoeba #5739307 by verdastelo9604, translation #2849040 by Dejo
- 数千人受此疾病所害。Several thousand people became victims of this disease.This sentence shows the use of 千 when referring to several thousand.Tatoeba #5640769 by verdastelo9604, translation #1168410 by CK
- 她有一千块钱。She has one thousand yuan.
- 我们有一千个观众。We have one thousand audience members.
- 去年有一千位学生参加了活动。Last year, one thousand students participated in the activity.
- 这本书值一千块。This book is worth one thousand yuan.
- 26 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Jia Yi and Jun Jie are shopping for clothes at a mall.
- 佳怡 Jiayi这件衣服要一千块吗？Zhè jiàn yīfu yào yīqiān kuài ma?Does this piece of clothing cost one thousand yuan?
- 俊杰 Junjie不，只要五百块。Bù, zhǐ yào wǔbǎi kuài.No, it's only five hundred yuan.
- 佳怡 Jiayi那太便宜了！Nà tài piányi le!That's so cheap!
- 俊杰 Junjie是啊，我们也买一件吧。Shì a, wǒmen yě mǎi yī jiàn ba.Yeah, let's buy one too.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “thousand” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
