shǒu biǎo
montre
Practice writing with stroke order guidance, audio pronunciation, and interactive exercises in our mobile app.
Step-by-step stroke order animations
Native speaker audio pronunciation
Interactive writing recognition
我有一块手表。
wǒ yǒu yī kuài shǒubiǎo.
I have a watch.
手表多少钱？
shǒubiǎo duōshǎo qián?
How much is the watch?
手表坏了。
shǒubiǎo huàile.
The watch is broken.
腕表 (wǎn biǎo)
wristwatch
表 (biǎo)
watch
闹钟 (nàozhōng)
alarm clock
手机 (shǒujī)
mobile phone
The Chinese word for "watch" is 手表 (shǒubiǎo), which literally means "hand watch". The character 手 (shǒu) means "hand", while the character 表 (biǎo) means "watch" or "clock". The term 手表 is a relatively new word in Chinese, as watches were not introduced to China until the 16th century by European traders. Before that, the Chinese used sundials, water clocks, and incense clocks to tell time. The word 手表 is a combination of the two characters 手 and 表, which together mean "hand watch". The character 手 (shǒu) is a pictograph of a hand, while the character 表 (biǎo) is a pictograph of a sundial. The combination of these two characters creates the word 手表, which literally means "hand watch".
