Meaning of 自来水
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- running water; tap water
How to use 自来水
自来水 is the everyday word for tap water or running water supplied through pipes. It often appears when talking about whether water is safe to drink or about utilities at home. Example: 这里的自来水不能直接喝。(Zhèlǐ de zìláishuǐ bù néng zhíjiē hē.) The tap water here is not safe to drink directly.
Break it into 自 (zì) self, 来 (lái) come, and 水 (shuǐ) water. It is water that comes by itself, straight out of the pipe when you turn the tap.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes say 水龙头 (shuǐlóngtóu) when they mean the water itself, but 水龙头 is the tap or faucet and 自来水 is the water that comes out of it. Also keep 来 in the second tone, lái, rather than reading the word as zì lài shuǐ.
自来水 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.
自 zì · self · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
来 lái · to come · 7 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
水 shuǐ · water · 4 strokes
- 1
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- 4
Related words
Words that share a character with 自来水.
| 回来 | huílái | to return; to come back |
| 起来 | qǐlái | to stand up; to get up; also pr. [qi3lai2] |
| 出来 | chūlái | to come out; to appear |
| 进来 | jìnlái | to come in |
| 来到 | láidào | to arrive; to come |
| 水果 | shuǐguǒ | fruit |
| 自己 | zìjǐ | oneself; (attributive) one's own |
| 过来 | guòlái | to come over; to manage |
| 自由 | zìyóu | freedom; liberty; free; unrestricted |
| 带来 | dàilái | to bring; (fig.) to bring about; to produce |
| 来自 | láizì | to come from (a place); From: (in email header) |
| 原来 | yuánlái | original; former; originally; formerly; at first |
Questions about 自来水
What does 自来水 mean?
自来水 (zìláishuǐ) means "running water; tap water" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 自来水?
自来水 is made of 3 characters: 自 (6 strokes), 来 (7 strokes), 水 (4 strokes). That is 17 strokes in total.
Is 自来水 an HSK word?
Yes. 自来水 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 自来水 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 自来水 is written 自來水.
How do I ask for tap water instead of bottled water in a restaurant?
In China people usually drink boiled water, so you can ask for 白开水 (báikāishuǐ) plain boiled water or 温水 (wēnshuǐ) warm water. Asking for 自来水 would sound like you want unboiled water from the pipe, which is unusual to drink.
What word goes with 自来水 to talk about the water bill or water company?
The water bill is 水费 (shuǐfèi), and the water company is often called 自来水公司 (zìláishuǐ gōngsī). For example, 交水费 (jiāo shuǐfèi) means to pay the water bill.