钞票

• Pinyin: chāo piào
• Hanzi breakdown: 钞 = 钅 (metal/money) + 少 (few, phonetic); 票 = 覀 (west) + 示 (show)

Meaning

Banknote; paper money; cash. The physical currency in bill form.

Used colloquially to refer to money in general, especially cash. In informal speech, 钞票 can be used to mean wealth or money as a concept. More casual than 货币 or 纸币.

Examples

1. 现在很多年轻人出门都不带钞票了。 Nowadays many young people don't carry cash when they go out.
2. 验钞机检测出这张钞票是假的。 The counterfeit detector found this banknote to be fake.
3. 钱包里只剩下几张皱巴巴的钞票。 There were only a few crumpled bills left in the wallet.

Usage Guide

Context: everyday, finance

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 你身上带钞票了吗？这家店不收移动支付。(Do you have cash on you? This store doesn't accept mobile payment.)
• 他从抽屉里拿出一沓钞票数了起来。(He took out a stack of bills from the drawer and started counting.)

Don't Say

• 我在银行存了一些钞票 (For depositing money, use 钱 or 现金 — 钞票 emphasizes the physical paper bills)

Origin & History

Compound of 钞 (banknote, paper money) and 票 (ticket, certificate). 钞 originally referred to official documents.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal