(lín jū) - neighbour in Mandarin
línjūTraditional: 鄰居
Translation
neighbour
Word origin
A compound of 邻 (lín, adjacent, near) and 居 (jū, to dwell), so the people dwelling next door.
- Origin
- compound
- Root
- 邻 (lín, adjacent) + 居 (jū, to dwell)
Stroke order
邻
居
Examples
。
My neighbour is an elderly gentleman.
。
We get on well with our neighbours.
。
The neighbours upstairs were very noisy last night.
。
The new neighbours moved in yesterday.
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My neighbour looked after the cat for a few days.
邻居 (línjū) is the person or household next door, and it takes the measure word 个 (gè) or, politely, 位 (wèi). It is comfortably neutral: no warmth or hostility is implied, so you need an adjective to say whether they are good ones.
Chinese speakers usually locate the neighbour before naming them: 楼上的邻居 (lóushàng de línjū, the neighbours upstairs), 隔壁的邻居 (gébì de línjū, the ones next door).
The trap is treating 邻居 as a country. Neighbouring countries are 邻国 (línguó); 邻居 is people, not states.
Where this fits
Used in
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邻居: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "邻居" (neighbour): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 41.