美元

• 拼音: měi yuán
• 汉字拆解: 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

含义

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).

例句

1. 现在一美元可以换多少人民币？
2. 这件商品的价格是五十美元。
3. 去美国旅行前，我换了一些美元。

用法指南

语境: finance, travel, shopping

语气: factual

正确说法

• 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.)

错误说法

• 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.)

起源与历史

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

文化背景

世代: All ages

社会背景: Universal