超市

• Pinyin: chāo shì
• Hanzi breakdown: 超 = 走 (walk) + 召 (summon, phonetic); 市 = market, abbreviation for 市场 (marketplace)

Meaning

Supermarket. A large self-service retail store selling food and household items.

Short for 超级市场. The most common word for supermarket in everyday Chinese, used across all regions. Found in every city and most towns.

Examples

1. 我们去超市买点水果吧。 Let's go to the supermarket to buy some fruit.
2. 这家超市离我家很近，走路五分钟就到了。 This supermarket is very close to my home — just a five-minute walk.
3. 超市今天打折，东西比平时便宜很多。 The supermarket has a sale today — things are much cheaper than usual.

Usage Guide

Context: shopping, everyday life

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 我经常去超市买菜。(I often go to the supermarket to buy groceries.)
• 超市里什么都有。(The supermarket has everything.)

Don't Say

• 不要把超市和商场混用 — 超市 is a self-service grocery supermarket, while 商场 is a department store or shopping mall.

Origin & History

Abbreviated from 超级市场, itself a calque of English 'supermarket'. 超 (super) + 市 (market).

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal