县 xiàn — a district; county
他的老家在一个小县城。Tā de lǎo jiā zài yí ge xiǎo xiàn chéng.His hometown is in a small county town.
Common words: 县地 (xiàn dì)、县长 (xiàn zhǎng)、知县 (zhī xiàn)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "county"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "county", including 县 (xiàn), 郡 (jùn). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "county" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 县 (xiàn), 郡 (jùn) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span xiàn, jùn — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 县 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 县 xiàna district; countyUseful words: 县地, 县长
- 郡 jùncanton; county; regionUseful words: 郡会, 郡治
Common words for these 2 "county" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 县 (xiàn) — so "county" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
县地xiàn dìcounty seat; county town县长xiàn zhǎngcounty's head commissioner知县zhī xiàncounty head magistrate (old)郡会jùn huìcounty capital郡治jùn zhìseat of the principal county magistrate in imperial China郡望jùn wàngchoronym (a family's region of origin, used as an indicator of superior social status in a surname-choronym combination)
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 "county".
郡 jùn — canton; county; region
古时候，“郡”是一种行政区域。Gǔ shí hou, “jùn” shì yì zhǒng xíng zhèng qū yù.In ancient times, a jun was an administrative region.
Common words: 郡会 (jùn huì)、郡治 (jùn zhì)、郡望 (jùn wàng)
All 2 characters
Open 县、郡 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.