Updated July 2, 2020
I remember visiting a Chinese bank for the first time; it was so difficult to have any conversation with the bank staff members. Thankfully, I didn’t go to the bank alone. One of my Chinese colleague accompanied me, and the rest was very simple.
Well, managing money is an important part of our daily life. The same issues are applicable in China. Make no mistake, if you are living in China, you are going to visit the bank once in a while.
In this post, I am listing 40 very important terms for banking in China. These words are practically “essential” for living in China.
Btw, if you are learning Chinese, you are nevertheless expected to learn/know them.
Important words/phrases: Banking in China
| English | Pinyin | Chinese |
|---|---|---|
| Bank | yínháng | 银行 |
| ATM | zìdòng tíkuǎnjī | 自动提款机 |
| Bank account | zhànghù | 账户 |
| Counter | guì tái | 柜台 |
| Account balance | jiéyú | 结余 |
| Bank account number | yínháng zhànghào | 银行帐号 |
| ATM card | tíkuǎnkǎ | 提款卡 |
| Bank staff | yínháng rényuán | 银行人员 |
| Currency | huòbì | 货币 |
| Money exchange | huànhuì | 换汇 |
| Cash withdrawal | qǔ xiànjīn | 取现金 |
| Transfer | zhuǎnzhàng | 转账 |
| Manager | jīng lǐ | 经理 |
| Percentage | bǎifēn bǐ | 百分比 |
| Money | qián | 钱 |
| Coin | yìngbì | 硬币 |
| Traveler’s check | lǚ xíng zhī piào | 旅行支票 |
| Credit card | xìn yòng kǎ | 信用卡 |
| Cash | xiànjīn | 现金 |
| Deposit | cúnkuǎn | 存款 |
| Euro | ōuyuán | 欧元 |
| Usa dollar | měiyuán | 美元 |
| Gold | huángjīn | 黄金 |
| Diamond | zuànshí | 钻石 |
| Safe | bǎoxiǎn guì | 保险柜 |
| Debt | zhàiwù | 债务 |
| Passport | hù zhào | 护照 |
| ID card | zhèng jiàn | 证件 |
| Visa | qiānzhèng | 签证 |
| Open account | kāi hù | 开户 |
| I want open account. | wǒ yào kāi hù | 我要开户 |
| Online banking | wǎng yín | 网银 |
| I want to activate online banking. | wǒ yào kāi wǎng shàng yín háng | 我要开网上银行 |
| What time does bank open? | yínháng jǐ diǎn kāimén a | 银行几点开门啊？ |
| The bank opens at nine o'clock. | yínháng jiǔ diǎn kāimén | 银行九点开门 |
| Bank of China | zhōngguó yínháng | 中国银行 |
| Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) | zhōngguó gōngshāng yínháng | 中国工商银行 |
| Bank of Communication | Jiāotōng yínháng | 交通银行 |
| China Construction Bank | zhōngguó jiànshè yínháng | 中国建设银行 |
| Agricultural Bank of China | zhōngguó nóngyè yínháng | 中国农业银行 |