Home / Guides / Household objects in Chinese

Household objects in Chinese (Mandarin)

Last updated July 7, 2026 · 6 min read

40 household objects

Phrases you can actually say

A word list gets you started, but a phrase is what you'll actually say out loud. Here are eight built from the table above:

• 沙发很舒服。 Shāfā hěn shūfu. — The sofa is very comfortable.
• 遥控器在哪里？ Yáokòngqì zài nǎlǐ? — Where is the remote control?
• 请把灯关掉。 Qǐng bǎ dēng guān diào. — Please turn off the light.
• 我的钥匙不见了。 Wǒ de yàoshi bú jiàn le. — I can't find my keys.
• 镜子上有灰尘。 Jìngzi shàng yǒu huīchén. — There's dust on the mirror.
• 拖鞋在床底下。 Tuōxié zài chuáng dǐxia. — The slippers are under the bed.
• 出门别忘了带伞。 Chūmén bié wàng le dài sǎn. — Don't forget to bring an umbrella when you go out.
• 我的手机和钱包都在桌子上。 Wǒ de shǒujī hé qiánbāo dōu zài zhuōzi shàng. — My phone and wallet are both on the table.

Catch them instead of memorizing them

A list like this one is a starting point, not the finish line. The words that actually stay with you are the ones attached to something you own — not a printed page. Open CatchFrase, walk from room to room, and point your camera at the lamp by your bed or the keys by your door. It names the object in Chinese: character, pinyin, and an example sentence, read aloud so you can hear it instead of guessing at it.

Every catch also becomes a sticker card in your own collection, and CatchFrase brings it back for a quick review right before you'd naturally forget it — the same spaced-repetition idea behind how to actually remember vocabulary, just applied to the actual objects around you instead of a deck someone else built.

Here's the honest math on the free tier: 10 catches a day means a 40-word list like this one takes about four days to fully catch, at roughly two minutes a session. Split it by room — living room one day, bedroom the next, bathroom after that — and it fits into a normal week without feeling like homework.

Common questions

Is this list simplified or traditional characters?

Simplified — the characters used in mainland China. Every word is shown with the character and pinyin tone marks together.

Do I need to know pinyin before I start?

No. Pinyin is just a way of writing the sound of a Chinese character using letters and tone marks, so you can read it the moment you see it. You don't need to study it separately — you'll pick up the patterns by seeing it next to characters over and over.

Is CatchFrase free to use for this?

The free tier includes 10 catches a day, a 75-card collection, and daily review — enough to work through a list like this one over a few days. CatchFrase Plus adds unlimited catches and deeper practice.