美金

• Pinyin: měi jīn
• Hanzi breakdown: 美 = 羊 (sheep) + 大 (big) — beautiful, also short for America; 金 = pictograph of two nuggets under a roof — gold, money

Meaning

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

A common colloquial term for the US dollar, used interchangeably with the more formal 美元. 美金 is slightly more informal and widely used in conversation, while 美元 is preferred in financial and official contexts. Both are understood everywhere in the Chinese-speaking world.

Examples

1. 这件衣服大概要一百美金。 This piece of clothing costs about one hundred US dollars.
2. 你知道今天美金对人民币的汇率吗？ Do you know today's exchange rate of US dollars to RMB?
3. 她从美国带回来了一些美金。 She brought back some US dollars from America.

Usage Guide

Context: finance, travel, shopping

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 这个多少美金？(How many US dollars is this?)
• 我想把人民币换成美金。(I want to exchange RMB for US dollars.)

Don't Say

• 在银行正式文件上写美金 — in official banking documents, use 美元 (USD) instead of 美金; 美金 is considered informal

Origin & History

美 is short for 美国 (America) and 金 means 'gold' or 'money.' Together: American money.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal