fángjiān: 房间 - Room, Chamber

• Keywords: fángjiān, 房间, room in Chinese, Chinese word for room, Chinese vocabulary, learn Chinese room, book a room in Chinese, measure word for room, HSK 1 Chinese, fángzi vs fángjiān.
• Summary: Learn the essential Chinese word for “room,” 房间 (fángjiān). This guide breaks down its meaning, cultural context, and practical use in everyday life, from describing your apartment to booking a hotel in China. Discover how to use it correctly with example sentences, understand its character origins, and avoid common mistakes made by Mandarin learners.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): fángjiān (fáng jiān)
• Part of Speech: Noun
• HSK Level: HSK 1
• Concise Definition: A space within a building enclosed by walls, a floor, and a ceiling.
• In a Nutshell: 房间 (fángjiān) is the most common and direct equivalent of the English word “room.” It's a fundamental noun used to describe any distinct interior space within a building. Whether you're talking about a bedroom at home, a meeting room at the office, or a room you're booking at a hotel, 房间 is the go-to term. It is a neutral, practical word essential for basic communication.

• 房 (fáng): This character relates to a house or building. It's composed of the radical `户 (hù)`, meaning “door” or “household,” on top of `方 (fāng)`, which means “square” and provides the phonetic component. Pictorially, you can think of it as a “square space associated with a household's door,” leading to its meaning of “house” or “room.”
• 间 (jiān): This character means “space,” “interval,” or “between.” It's a `门 (mén)` “door” radical with the character for “sun” `日 (rì)` inside. The original image was of sunlight peeking through the crack of a door, representing the space or gap.
• Together, 房 (fáng) “house” + 间 (jiān) “space” literally means “a space within a house,” which perfectly describes a room.

While 房间 (fángjiān) is a straightforward term, its context can reveal cultural nuances about space and privacy in China. In traditional and even many modern Chinese households, especially in dense urban areas, the concept of a private 房间 can be more fluid than in the West. It's common for multiple generations to live together, and rooms may serve multiple functions. A living room might convert into a sleeping area at night, and children often share a 房间 for longer than is typical in American culture. This contrasts with the Western emphasis on a personal room as a symbol of individuality and independence from a young age. In a Chinese context, the 房间 is often viewed less as a private sanctuary and more as an integral part of the collective family unit, the `家 (jiā)`. While privacy is valued, the boundary between personal space and family space can be more permeable.

房间 (fángjiān) is an everyday word used in numerous contexts.

• Describing a Home: When talking about an apartment or house, you'll use 房间 to refer to rooms in general. For example, “My apartment has three rooms” (我的公寓有三个房间 - Wǒ de gōngyù yǒu sān ge fángjiān).
• Booking a Hotel: This is a crucial term for travelers. You will use it to ask for a room (`我要一个房间 - Wǒ yào yī ge fángjiān`). Hotel staff will ask what kind of room (`房间`) you'd like.
• General Reference: You use it to ask where a room is, to say you are in your room, or to ask someone to clean their room. It's a neutral term, suitable for both formal and informal situations.

• Example 1:
  • 我的房间很干净。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ de fángjiān hěn gānjìng.
  • English: My room is very clean.
  • Analysis: A simple descriptive sentence using 房间 as the subject. This is a very common and basic structure.
• Example 2:
  • 你好，我想预订一个房间。
  • Pinyin: Nǐ hǎo, wǒ xiǎng yùdìng yī ge fángjiān.
  • English: Hello, I would like to book a room.
  • Analysis: This is a key phrase for travelers booking accommodation. `一个房间` (yī ge fángjiān) means “one room.”
• Example 3:
  • 这套公寓有几个房间？
  • Pinyin: Zhè tào gōngyù yǒu jǐ ge fángjiān?
  • English: How many rooms does this apartment have?
  • Analysis: Demonstrates how to ask about the number of rooms. `几个 (jǐ ge)` is used to ask “how many” for small, countable numbers.
• Example 4:
  • 请把你的房间打扫一下。
  • Pinyin: Qǐng bǎ nǐ de fángjiān dǎsǎo yīxià.
  • English: Please clean up your room.
  • Analysis: Uses the `把 (bǎ)` structure to show disposal of an object. Here, the “room” is the object being acted upon (“cleaned”).
• Example 5:
  • 他现在在房间里看书。
  • Pinyin: Tā xiànzài zài fángjiān lǐ kàn shū.
  • English: He is in the room reading a book right now.
  • Analysis: Shows location. `在…里 (zài…lǐ)` means “inside…” So, `在房间里` means “in the room.”
• Example 6:
  • 我们需要一个有两个床的房间。
  • Pinyin: Wǒmen xūyào yī ge yǒu liǎng zhāng chuáng de fángjiān.
  • English: We need a room with two beds.
  • Analysis: A more complex descriptive sentence common when booking a hotel. `有…的房间` (yǒu…de fángjiān) is a structure for “a room that has…”
• Example 7:
  • 这间房间的窗户很大。
  • Pinyin: Zhè jiān fángjiān de chuānghu hěn dà.
  • English: This room's window is very big.
  • Analysis: This sentence uses `间 (jiān)` as the measure word for room, which is an alternative to `个 (gè)`. Both are correct.
• Example 8:
  • 他一回家就进了自己的房间。
  • Pinyin: Tā yī huí jiā jiù jìn le zìjǐ de fángjiān.
  • English: As soon as he got home, he went into his room.
  • Analysis: Shows movement. `进 (jìn)` means “to enter.” `进了房间` means “entered the room.”
• Example 9:
  • 酒店的每个房间都有空调。
  • Pinyin: Jiǔdiàn de měi ge fángjiān dōu yǒu kōngtiáo.
  • English: Every room in the hotel has air conditioning.
  • Analysis: `每个…都… (měi ge…dōu…)` is a common structure for “every… all…”
• Example 10:
  • 这个房间太小了，我们换一个吧。
  • Pinyin: Zhè ge fángjiān tài xiǎo le, wǒmen huàn yī ge ba.
  • English: This room is too small, let's change to another one.
  • Analysis: A practical sentence for expressing dissatisfaction and making a request. `太…了 (tài…le)` means “too…”

• 房间 (fángjiān) vs. 屋子 (wūzi): Learners often confuse these two. 房间 is the standard, neutral word for “room.” `屋子 (wūzi)` is more colloquial and can mean “room,” but it can also refer to a “house” or “building,” especially a smaller one. For a beginner, sticking with 房间 for “room” and `房子 (fángzi)` for “house” is the safest bet.
• Measure Word Confusion: The most common measure word for 房间 is the universal `个 (gè)` (e.g., `一个房间 - yī ge fángjiān`). However, you will also frequently hear `间 (jiān)` used as a measure word (`一间房间 - yī jiān fángjiān`). Since `间` is part of the word itself, this can be confusing. Both are correct and widely used.
• General vs. Specific: 房间 is a general term. While you can say `这是我的房间` (This is my room), it's more natural to use the specific term if you mean “bedroom”: `这是我的卧室 (wòshì)`. Mistakingly using 房间 isn't wrong, but using the specific term (like `卧室` for bedroom or `客厅` for living room) sounds more fluent.

• 房子 (fángzi) - The general word for a house or building. A 房子 is made up of one or more 房间.
• 屋子 (wūzi) - A more colloquial term for a room or a small house.
• 卧室 (wòshì) - Bedroom (lit. “sleep room”). A specific type of 房间.
• 客厅 (kètīng) - Living room (lit. “guest hall”). A specific type of 房间.
• 书房 (shūfáng) - Study room, home office (lit. “book room”).
• 厨房 (chúfáng) - Kitchen.
• 卫生间 (wèishēngjiān) - Bathroom, restroom (lit. “hygiene space”).
• 公寓 (gōngyù) - Apartment, flat.
• 酒店 (jiǔdiàn) - Hotel. Where you book a 房间 when traveling.
• 间 (jiān) - A common measure word for rooms.