視頻通話 / 视频通话
shìpín tōnghuà
In Chinese, video call is expressed as 視頻通話 / 视频通话 (shìpín tōnghuà). Wiktionary also lists 視頻電話 / 视频电话 (shìpín diànhuà) and 視訊通話 / 视讯通话 (shìxùn tōnghuà).
Meaning: kind of telephone call accompanied by video imagery (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 視頻通話 / 视频通话 | shìpín tōnghuà | |
| 視頻電話 / 视频电话 | shìpín diànhuà | |
| 視訊通話 / 视讯通话 | shìxùn tōnghuà | Taiwan |
| 視像通話 / 视像通话 | shìxiàng tōnghuà | Hong Kong |
This term refers to a telephone call accompanied by video imagery.
Which one should you use?
While 視頻通話 / 视频通话 refers to the act of making a video call, 視頻電話 / 视频电话 can refer to the video phone device itself.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Taiwan, the term 視訊通話 / 视讯通话 is commonly used. In Hong Kong, the term 視像通話 / 视像通话 is a common way to express a video call.
How do you pronounce it?
shìpín tōnghuà
Did you know?
- In mainland China, the word for 'video' is 视频 / 视频, which literally translates to 'image stream'. This describes the way digital video is perceived as a continuous flow of moving pictures.
- The character 通 in 通話 means 'to pass through' or 'to connect'. This reflects an older conceptualization of telecommunications as opening a physical path between two points.
- While 視頻 means 'video' in a tech context, in everyday speech it can also refer to 'video clips' or 'shorts' on social media platforms like Douyin.
Examples in context
- 今天我们需要进行一次视讯通话。(jīn tiān wǒ men xū yào jìn xíng yī cì shì xùn tōng huà)Today we need to have a video call.
- 昨天晚上我和朋友视频聊天了很久。(zuó tiān wǎn shàng wǒ hé péng you shì pín liáo tiān le hěn jiǔ)Yesterday evening, I had a long video chat with my friend.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “video call” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
