市 shì — market; city
周末我们去超市买东西。Zhōu mò wǒ men qù chāo shì mǎi dōng xi.On weekends we go to the supermarket to shop.
Common words: 超市 (chāo shì)、市长 (shì zhǎng)、城市 (chéng shì)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "city"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "city", including 市 (shì), 城 (chéng). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words, and examples.
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "city" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 市 (shì), 城 (chéng) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span shì, chéng — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 市 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 市 shìmarket; cityUseful words: 超市, 市长
- 城 chéngcity walls; city; townUseful words: 城市, 城区
Common words for these 2 "city" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 市 (shì) — so "city" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "city".
城 chéng — city walls; city; town
北京是一座古老的城市。Běi jīng shì yí zuò gǔ lǎo de chéng shì.Beijing is an ancient city.
Common words: 城市 (chéng shì)、城区 (chéng qū)、城镇 (chéng zhèn)
All 2 characters
Open 市、城 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.