华盛顿哥伦比亚特区
huá shèng dùn gē lún bǐ yà tè qū
Washington DC is called 华盛顿哥伦比亚特区 (huá shèng dùn gē lún bǐ yà tè qū) in Chinese.
This phrase refers to the capital city of the United States of America.
Which one should you use?
华盛顿哥伦比亚特区 is the full, formal administrative name used in official documents, whereas 华盛顿 is the common way to refer to the city.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Taiwanese Mandarin, 華府 is commonly used.
How do you pronounce it?
huá shèng dùn gē lún bǐ yà tè qū
Did you know?
- Chinese phonetic translations of 'Washington' like 华盛顿 are designed to sound prestigious, as 盛 can mean 'prosperous' and 顿 suggests a stable stop.
- The term 华府 (Huáfǔ), used in Taiwan, employs the word 府 which historically referred to the official residence of a high-ranking government official.
- The term 特区 (tèqū) used in the full name of the city is the exact same term used to describe the 'Special Administrative Regions' of Hong Kong and Macau.
Examples in context
- 我们计划去华盛顿旅行。We plan to travel to Washington DC.
- 许多外交使团定居在华府。Many diplomatic missions reside in Washington DC.
- 上个月我去了DC参观了很多有名的建筑。Last month, I went to DC and visited many famous buildings.
- 华盛顿哥伦比亚特区是美国的首都。Huáshèngdùn Gēlúnbǐyà Tèqū shì Měiguó de shǒudū.Washington D.C. is the capital of the United States.
Example conversation
Wei and Jiayi are discussing their upcoming vacation.
- 伟 Wei佳怡，你想去哪里旅游？Jiāyí, nǐ xiǎng qù nǎlǐ lǚyóu?Jiayi, where do you want to travel?
- 佳怡 Jiayi我想去华盛顿哥伦比亚特区看博物馆。Wǒ xiǎng qù Huáshèngdùn Gēlúnbǐyà Tèqū kàn bówùguǎn.I want to go to Washington, D.C. to see museums.
- 伟 Wei那里现在应该很热闹。Nàlǐ xiànzài yīnggāi hěn rènào.It should be very lively there right now.
- 佳怡 Jiayi是的，我们一起去吧。Shì de, wǒmen yìqǐ qù ba.Yes, let's go together.
