Buildings, elevators, escalators and stairs in Chinese

In this post we’ll learn all vocabulary relating to buildings, elevators and others in Chinese.

How to say ‘building’ in Chinese

Thee are several ways to say building in Chinese, these are:

  • lóu (lóu) – a building, however this is also used to mean floor or storey
  • jiànzhù (jiàn​zhù) – a building
  • gāocéngjiànzhù (gāo​céng​jiàn​zhù) – “high rise building”, literally “high storey” or “high level building”
  • lóufáng (lóu​fáng) – a building of two or more storeys
  • lóu (dà​lóu) – a large multi storey building
  • fáng (fáng​wū) – a building

Chinese uses classifiers or measure words, so we can’t just say “this building”, but rather we have to say “this (unit of) building”, just as how we say “one piece of paper” and not “one paper” in English. Check out our post Chinese Classifiers: What are they and how to use them and Complete list of Mandarin Chinese classifiers and measure words.

The Chinese classifiers for buildings and houses are:

  • dòng (dòng)
  • zuò (zuò)
  • (gè), which is a generic classifier in Chinese

Here are some examples:

This building
zhèdònglóu
zhè dòng lóu

zhè
zhè
this
dòng
dòng
<classifier for buildings>
lóu
lóu
building

That building
zuòlóu
nà zuò dà​lóu


that
zuò
zuò
<classifier for buildings>
lóu
dà​lóu
building

These two buildings
zhèliǎngzuòlóu
zhè liǎng zuò dà​lóu

zhè
zhè
these
Note that 这 can mean this or these depending on the context
liǎng
liǎng
two
lóu
dà​lóu
buildings
Note that Chinese words don’t change for multiple (plural) items. So while in English we add an “s” to building to make the sentence “those two buildings”, this is not the case in Chinese.

Those (several) buildings
xiēlóu (nà​xiē dà​lóu)

xiē (nà​xiē) those
lóu (dà​lóu) buildings

How to say floors of a building in Chinese

The Chinese words for floors of a building are:

  • lóu (lóu)
  • lóu (lóu​tī)
  • céng (céng)
  • lóucéng (lóu​céng)

lóu (lóu) is the most common way of saying the storey of a building.

To say a given floor of a building such as the 3th floor, putting the floor number in front of lóu (lóu) or céng (céng):

  • “3rd floor” sānlóu (sān lóu) or 33lóu (3 lóu)
  • “3rd floor” sāncéng (sān céng) or 33céng (3 céng)

Where sān (sān) is the number three in Chinese. Check out our post how to count in Chinese.

You can also add the (dì) prefix, which indicates an ordinal number (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.):

  • “3rd floor” sānlóu (dì sān lóu)
  • “3rd floor” sāncéng (dì sān céng)
  • “3rd floor” sāncénglóu (dì sān céng lóu)

When talking about the number of stories in a building has céng (céng) should be used, for example:

This building has five floors,
zhèzuòfángziyǒucéng.
zhè zuò fáng​zi yǒu wǔ céng.

zhè
zhè
this
zuò
zuò
<classifier for buildings>
See our post Chinese Classifiers: What are they and how to use them
fángzi
fáng​zi
building
yǒu
yǒu
has
céng
wǔ céng
five floors

If you use lóu (lóu) meaning varies slightly:

This building has a 5th floor.
zhègefángziyǒulóu.
zhè​ge fáng​zi yǒu wǔ lóu.

zhè
zhè
this
zuò
zuò
<classifier for buildings>
See our post Chinese Classifiers: What are they and how to use them
fángzi
fáng​zi
building
yǒu
yǒu
has
lóu
wǔ lóu
a fifth floor

List of building levels in Chinese

The word for floor is combined with the Chinese number to create the words for “1st Floor”, “2nd Floor” and so on.

Floor Chinese Floor
B2 Basement 2
xiàèrcéng
dì​xià èr céng
B1 Basement1
xiàcéng
dì​xià yī​céng
1

1st Floor
(British English: Ground Floor)
lóu (yī lóu)
céng (yī​céng)
2
èr
èr
2nd Floor
(British English: 1st Floor)
èrlóu (èr lóu)
èrcéng (èr céng)
3
sān
sān
3rd Floor
(British English: 2nd Floor)
sānlóu (sān lóu)
sāncéng (sān céng)
4

4th Floor
(British English: 3rd Floor)
lóu (sì lóu)
céng (sì céng)
5

5th Floor
(British English: 4th Floor)
lóu (wǔ lóu)
céng (wǔ céng)
6
liù
liù
6th Floor
(British English: 5th Floor)
liùlóu (liù lóu)
liùcéng (liù céng)
7

7th Floor
(British English: 6th Floor)
lóu (qī lóu)
céng (qī céng)
8

8th Floor
(British English: 7th Floor)
lóu (bā lóu)
céng (bā céng)
9
jiǔ
jiǔ
9th Floor
(British English: 8th Floor)
jiǔlóu (jiǔ lóu)
jiǔcéng (jiǔ céng)
10
shí
shí
10th Floor
(British English: 9th Floor)
shílóu (shí lóu)
shícéng (shí céng)
15
shí
shí​wǔ
15th Floor
(British English: 14th Floor)
shílóu (shí​wǔ lóu)
shícéng (shí​wǔ céng)
20
èrshí
èr​shí
20th Floor
(British English: 19th Floor)
èrshílóu (èr​shí lóu)
èrshícéng (èr​shí céng)

Note that the number of floors is different to some English speaking countries where the floor at ground level is called “Ground” and the one above that is the “1st” floor. Chinese is the same as American floor naming where floors start from “1” and not “G”.

Some other useful vocabulary for levels in a hotel are as follows:

tánglóucéng
dà​táng lóu​céng
lobby level
cāntīnglóucéng
cān​tīng lóu​céng
restaurant level
jiànshēnfáng
jiàn​shēn​fáng
gym
yóuyǒngchí
yóu​yǒng​chí
swimming pool

How to say “take the lift” in Chinese

The Chinese word for elevator or lift is diàn (diàn​tī), literally electric stairs.

There are several ways you can say “take the elevator” in Chinese, these are:

  • “to ride the elevator” chéngdiàn (chéng diàn​tī) where chéng (chéng) means “ride”
  • “to take the elevator” diàn (dā diàn​tī) where (dā) means “take”
  • “to use the elevator” yòngdiàn (yòng diàn​tī) where yòng (yòng) means “to use”

Finding the elevator

Let’s look at some some useful phrases for finding the elevator:

Where is the elevator?
diànzài?
diàn​tī zài nǎ​lǐ?

diàn
diàn​tī
elevator (lift)
zài
zài
located

nǎ​lǐ
where

The elevator is just around the corner.
diànzàiguǎijiǎor.
diàn​tī zài guǎi​jiǎo nà​r.

diàn
diàn​tī
elevator(lift)
zài
zài
located
guǎijiǎo
guǎi​jiǎo
around (the) corner:
guǎi (guǎi) is the word for “turn (a corner)”
jiǎo (jiǎo)is the word for “corner”
r
nà​r
there

Does the apartment building have an elevator?
zhègefángziyǒudiànma?
zhè​ge fáng​zi yǒu diàn​tī ma?

zhège
zhè​ge
this
fángzi
fáng​zi
building
yǒu
yǒu
has
diàn
diàn​tī
elevator
ma
ma
This character indicates that a yes/no question is being asked.

The elevator is on the left side.
diànzàizuǒbian.
diàn​tī zài zuǒ​bian.

diàn
diàn​tī
elevator
zài
zài
located
zuǒbian
zuǒ​bian
left side
– “left” zuǒ (zuǒ)
– “side” biān (biān)

The elevator is on the right side.
diànzàiyòubian.
diàn​tī zài yòu​bian.

diàn
diàn​tī
elevator
zài
zài
located
yòubian
yòu​bian
right side
– “left” zuǒ (zuǒ)
– “side” biān (biān)

The elevator is at the end of the hallway on the left.
diànzàizuǒbianzǒulángdejìntóu.
diàn​tī zài zuǒ​bian zǒu​láng de jìn​tóu.

rax say=”电梯” newline=”true”] elevator
rax say=”在” newline=”true”] located
rax say=”左边” newline=”true”] left side
rax say=”走廊的尽头。” newline=”true”] corridors end
Here rax say=”走”] means “corridor” and rax say=”尽头”] means “end”. The rax say=”的”

How to use an elevator in Chinese

Sentence Explanation / Break down
What floor is it on? zàicéng? (tā zài dì jǐ céng?)
Push button ànniǔ (àn​niǔ)
Hold the lift ànzhùdiàn (àn zhù diàn​tī)
hold the lift ànxiàdiàn. (àn yī​xià diàn​tī.)
Wait! děngděng! (děng​děng!)
After you. qǐngxiānxià (qǐng xiān xià)
Literally “please” qǐng (qǐng) + “first” xiān (xiān) + “go down” xià (xià)
which floor are you going to? lóu? (nǐ qù jǐ lóu?)
restaurant floor cāntīnglóucéng.xièxie. (qù cān​tīng lóu​céng. xiè​xie.)
which floor is it on? 'èrcéng.xièxie. (dì​'èr céng. xiè​xie.)
Literally “number two” “floor” “thank you”
Please press the button for the fifth floor, okay? qǐngànxiàcéngdeànniǔ,hǎoma? (qǐng àn yī​xià wǔ céng de àn​niǔ, hǎo ma?)

How to say “take the stairs” in Chinese

The Chinese word for stairs is lóu (lóu​tī), literally floor stairs.

The most common ways to say “take the stairs” in Chinese:

  • walk (up or down) the stairs” zǒulóu (zǒu lóu​tī) where zǒu (zǒu) means “walk”
  • use the stairs” yònglóu (yòng lóu​tī) where yònglóu (yòng lóu​tī) means “to use”
  • climb the stairs” lóu (pá lóu​tī) where (pá) means “to climb”

Here are some sample sentences for using the stairs:

lóuzàir?
lóu​tī zài nǎ​r?

lóu
lóu​tī
stairs
zài
zài
located
r
nǎ​r
where

Use the stairs for a few floors rather than the elevator.
duōzǒulóu,shǎoyòngshēngjiàng.
duō zǒu jǐ bù lóu​tī, shǎo yòng shēng​jiàng​jī.

duō
duō
zǒu
zǒu

jǐ bù
lóu
lóu​tī
shǎoyòng
shǎo yòng
shēngjiàng
shēng​jiàng​jī
elevator

She ran up the stairs.
pǎoshànglóu.
tā pǎo shàng lóu​tī.


she
pǎoshàng
pǎo shàng
ran up
– “run“ pǎo (pǎo)
– “go up” rax say=”上” newline=”true”]
lóu
lóu​tī
stairs

He climbed down the stairs.
xiàlóu.
tā pá xià lóu​tī.


he
xià
pá xià
climbed down
– “climbed” (pá)
– “go down” xià (xià)
lóu
lóu​tī
stairs

How to say “take the escalator” in Chinese

There are several ways to say escalator in Chinese, these are:

  • dòng (zì​dòng​fú​tī), literally “automatic” dòng (zì​dòng) + “stairs” (fú​tī)
  • diàn (diàn​tī), literally “electric” diàn (diàn) + “stairs” (tī)
  • diàn (diàn fú​tī), literally “electric” diàn (diàn) + “stairs” (fú​tī)
  • diàndòng (diàn​dòng fú​tī), literally “electrically powered” diàndòng (diàn​dòng) + “stairs” (fú​tī)

Common ways to say “take the escalator” in Chinese are:

  • ride the escalator” chéngdiànkkee (chéng diàn ke fú​tī) where chéng (chéng) means “ride”
  • ride the escalator“ chéngzuòdiàn (chéng​zuò diàn​tī) where chéngzuò (chéng​zuò) means to “ride”, but is comprised of the characters “ride” chéng (chéng) and “to take a (bus, car, etc)” zuò (zuò).
  • use the escalator” () where 使shǐyòng (shǐ​yòng) means “use”

When taking the escalator, please hold the handrail tightly
chéngzuòdiànshíqǐngjǐnshǒu
chéng​zuò diàn​tī shí qǐng jǐn​wò fú​shǒu

chéngzuò
chéng​zuò
ride
diàn
diàn​tī
escalator
shí
shí
when
Note that the sentence order in this example is no t the same as English; while the sentence order in English would be “when you ride the escalator…”, in Chinese the sentence order is “ride the escalator, at which time…”
qǐng
qǐng
please
jǐn
jǐn​wò
hold firmly
shǒu
fú​shǒu
handrail

Take the escalator on your left.
chéngzuǒbiandedòngdiàn.
chéng nǐ zuǒ​bian de zì​dòng diàn​tī.

chéng
chéng
take (ride)

your
Although (nǐ) means “you”, when used with de (de) it changes it’s meaning to “your”. In this case 的 is omitted, which is allowed for things that are close to us. Technically this sentence could be written as ()
zuǒbiande
zuǒ​bian de
left side’s
Literally “left” () + “side” ()
de (de) turns “your left hand side” to your left hand side’s”. So here we are saying “take your left hand side’s escalator”.
dòngdiàn
zì​dòng diàn​tī
escalator

Take the escalator down.
zǒuxiàdiàn.
zǒu xià diàn fú​tī.

zǒu
zǒu
take (walk)
xiàdiàn
xià diàn
down
diàn
diàn fú​tī
esclaator

The restroom is right opposite the escalator.
shǒujiānjiùzàidònglóudeduìmiàn.
xǐ​shǒu​jiān jiù zài zì​dòng​lóu​tī de duì​miàn.

shǒujiān
xǐ​shǒu​jiān
restroom
Literally “wash“ () + “hands” () + “room” ()
jiù
jiù
(is) just
zài
zài
located at
dònglóude
zì​dòng​lóu​tī de
escalator’s
The addition of de (de) changes “escalator” to “escalator’s”
duìmiàn
duì​miàn
opposite

Let’s take the escalator.
menchéngdòngba.
wǒ​men chéng zì​dòng​fú​tī ba.

men
wǒ​men
we
chéng
chéng
take
dòng.
zì​dòng​fú​tī.
escalator
ba
ba
Okay?
() is a particle that acts as a suggestion and the statement from “we’ll take the escalator” () to the equivalent of “let’s take the escalator, okay?” ()

Conclusion

This is quite a long post, however feel free to come back and review sections as you become familiar with navigating elevators, escalators, stairs and buildings in Chinese. T

Here is some key vocabulary:

building lóu (lóu), fángzi (fáng​zi)
elevator ()
stairs lóu (lóu​tī)
escalator dòng (zì​dòng​fú​tī). diàn (diàn​tī)
level 1 (ground floor) lóu (yī lóu)
level 2 (the floor above ground) èrlóu (èr lóu)
Level 10 shílóu (shí lóu)