How to say “hospital” in Chinese
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Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.
Word by word
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医 is high and flat, 院 falls; the 'yuan' rhyme is 'ü-en' with rounded lips. A doctor is 医生 (yīshēng). In an emergency, the ambulance number in mainland China is 120.
In a sentence
Wǒ xūyào qù yīyuàn.
I need to go to the hospital.
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Start freeFrequently asked questions
How do you say "hospital" in Chinese?+
"hospital" in Mandarin Chinese is 医院, pronounced yīyuàn. 医 is high and flat, 院 falls; the 'yuan' rhyme is 'ü-en' with rounded lips. A doctor is 医生 (yīshēng). In an emergency, the ambulance number in mainland China is 120.
What does 医院 mean literally?+
医院 breaks down as 医 (yī) = medicine / doctor, 院 (yuàn) = institution / courtyard. Together it means "hospital".
How do I get the tones right in yīyuàn?+
医 is high and flat, 院 falls; the 'yuan' rhyme is 'ü-en' with rounded lips. A doctor is 医生 (yīshēng). In an emergency, the ambulance number in mainland China is 120.
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