Meaning of 小费
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- tip
- gratuity
How to use 小费
小费 is a noun, usually used with the verbs 给 (gěi) or 付 (fù). Tipping is not a common custom in mainland China, so the word often comes up when talking about travel abroad or hotels that serve foreigners. Example: 在美国吃饭要给小费。(Zài Měiguó chīfàn yào gěi xiǎofèi.) In the US you need to leave a tip when you eat out.
小 (xiǎo) means small and 费 (fèi) means fee or cost. A tip is a small extra fee you leave for good service.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes mix up 小费 (xiǎofèi, tip) with 消费 (xiāofèi, to consume, spending). They sound almost the same, but 小 is third tone and 消 is first tone.
小费 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
小 xiǎo · small · 3 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
费 fèi · to cost · 9 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
Related words
Words that share a character with 小费.
| 小姐 | xiǎojiě | young lady; miss |
| 小时 | xiǎoshí | hour |
| 小朋友 | xiǎopéngyǒu | child; kid (used to refer to a child, or by an adult to address a child, or, in Taiwan, to |
| 小学 | xiǎoxué | elementary school; primary school |
| 小孩儿 | xiǎoháir | erhua variant of 小孩[xiao3 hai2] |
| 小学生 | xiǎoxuéshēng | primary school student; schoolchild |
| 小心 | xiǎoxīn | to be careful; to take care |
| 小时候 | xiǎoshíhou | in one's childhood |
| 小组 | xiǎozǔ | group |
| 小说 | xiǎoshuō | novel; fiction |
| 大小 | dàxiǎo | large and small; size |
| 从小 | cóngxiǎo | from childhood; from a young age |
Questions about 小费
What does 小费 mean?
小费 (xiǎofèi) means "tip; gratuity" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 小费?
小费 is made of 2 characters: 小 (3 strokes), 费 (9 strokes). That is 12 strokes in total.
Is 小费 an HSK word?
Yes. 小费 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 小费 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 小费 is written 小費.
Do people give 小费 in China?
In most restaurants and taxis in mainland China, tipping is not expected. Some high-end hotels, tour guides, and places used to foreign visitors may accept tips, but many places add a 服务费 (fúwùfèi, service charge) instead.
How do I say 'keep the change' in Chinese?
You can say 不用找了 (bú yòng zhǎo le), which means 'no need to give change.' It works as a simple way to leave a small tip.