生词

• Pinyin: shēng cí
• Hanzi breakdown: 生 = pictograph of a plant growing, here meaning 'new/unfamiliar'; 词 = 讠(speech) + 司 (manage, phonetic)

Meaning

New word; unfamiliar vocabulary. A word that the learner has not yet studied or memorised.

Commonly used in language learning contexts to refer to words that are unfamiliar. Every Chinese textbook typically has a 生词表 (vocabulary list) at the end of each lesson. The opposite concept would be familiar or mastered words.

Examples

1. 这篇课文有很多生词。 This text has many new words.
2. 老师让我们记住这些生词。 The teacher asked us to memorise these new words.
3. 我每天学习十个生词。 I learn ten new words every day.

Usage Guide

Context: education, language learning, classroom

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 你认识这个生词吗？(Do you know this new word?)
• 请把生词写在本子上。(Please write the new words in your notebook.)

Don't Say

• 不要用生词来指所有的词语 (Don't use 生词 for all vocabulary — it specifically means words you haven't learned yet; for general vocabulary, use 词语 or 词汇)

Origin & History

生 (shēng, unfamiliar/raw) + 词 (cí, word). Literally 'raw word,' meaning a word one hasn't cooked/processed yet — i.e., hasn't learned.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal