客 kè — customer; visitor; guest
今天家里来了几位客人。Jīn tiān jiā lǐ lái le jǐ wèi kè rén.A few guests came to our home today.
Common words: 不客气 (bù kè qi)、顾客 (gù kè)、客人 (kè rén)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "guest"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "guest", including 客 (kè), 宾 (bīn). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words, and examples.
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "guest" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 客 (kè), 宾 (bīn) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span kè, bīn — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 客 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 客 kècustomer; visitor; guestUseful words: 不客气, 顾客
- 宾 bīnvisitor; guestUseful words: 宾馆, 嘉宾
Common words for these 2 "guest" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 客 (kè) — so "guest" 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 "guest".
宾 bīn — visitor; guest
婚礼上，宾客们都来祝福新人。Hūn lǐ shàng, bīn kè men dōu lái zhù fú xīn rén.At the wedding, the guests came to bless the newlyweds.
Common words: 宾馆 (bīn guǎn)、嘉宾 (jiā bīn)、贵宾 (guì bīn)
All 2 characters
Open 客、宾 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.