广告

• Pinyin: guǎng gào
• Hanzi breakdown: 广 = simplified from 廣, broad; 告 = 牛 (ox, top part) + 口 (mouth) — to announce

Meaning

Advertisement; ad; commercial. Paid promotion of a product, service, or event.

Covers all types of advertising: TV commercials, online ads, billboards, and more. In internet slang, people say 打广告 (to run an ad) or 广告太多了 (too many ads).

Examples

1. 电视上的广告太多了。 There are too many ads on TV.
2. 我在手机上看到了一个广告。 I saw an advertisement on my phone.
3. 这个广告做得很有意思。 This advertisement is made very interestingly.

Usage Guide

Context: media, marketing, internet

Tone: informative

Do Say

• 这个广告很有创意。(This ad is very creative.)
• 你看到那个广告了吗？(Did you see that ad?)

Don't Say

• 不要把广告用来描述通知或公告 — 广告 specifically means commercial advertising. For official notices, use 通知 or 公告.

Origin & History

Compound of 广 (wide, broad) and 告 (to tell, to announce), meaning 'to announce widely' — public notice.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal