存款

• Pinyin: cún kuǎn
• Hanzi breakdown: 存 (store, deposit) + 款 (money, funds)

Meaning

Savings; bank deposit.

Refers to money deposited in a bank account. Can be a verb (to deposit) or noun (the deposit/savings). Types include 定期存款 (fixed deposit) and 活期存款 (demand deposit). Opposite is 取款 (withdrawal).

Examples

1. 他把每月工资的三分之一存入银行作为存款。 He deposits a third of his monthly salary into the bank as savings.
2. 这笔存款的利率是多少？ What's the interest rate on this deposit?
3. 为了买房，她这几年省吃俭用攒了不少存款。 To buy a house, she's been living frugally for years and has saved up quite a bit.

Usage Guide

Context: banking, finance, savings

Tone: practical

Do Say

• 你有多少存款？(How much savings do you have?)
• 我想办理定期存款。(I want to open a fixed deposit.)

Don't Say

• 直接问别人'你存款有多少'可能不礼貌——存款金额是私人信息，除非关系很近否则不要随便问 (Asking 你存款有多少 directly can be rude — savings amount is private; don't ask unless you're close)

Origin & History

Compound of 存 (to store, to deposit) + 款 (money, funds), meaning stored money.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal