美元

• Pinyin: měi yuán
• Hanzi breakdown: 美 = 羊 (sheep) + 大 (big), here short for 美国 (America); 元 = originally meant head/beginning, extended to mean a basic unit, especially of currency

Meaning

US dollar; American dollar. The currency of the United States.

The standard term for the US dollar in Chinese. Very common in business, finance, travel, and daily conversation about foreign currencies. Often abbreviated as 美金 in informal speech, especially in southern China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Used in contexts like exchange rates (汇率), international trade, and travel. Other currency terms follow the same pattern: 欧元 (euro), 日元 (yen).

Examples

1. 现在一美元可以换多少人民币？ How much renminbi can one US dollar be exchanged for now?
2. 这件商品的价格是五十美元。 The price of this item is fifty US dollars.
3. 去美国旅行前，我换了一些美元。 Before travelling to America, I exchanged some US dollars.

Usage Guide

Context: finance, travel, shopping

Tone: factual

Do Say

• 这本书要二十美元。(This book costs twenty US dollars.)
• 美元最近涨了不少。(The US dollar has risen quite a bit recently.)

Don't Say

• 我有三个美元。(Don't use 个 as the measure word for currency — say 我有三美元 or 我有三块美元.)

Origin & History

美 is short for 美国 (America/USA); 元 means a unit of currency. Together: American currency unit — the US dollar.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal