一千
yì qiān
1000
一千 (yī qiān) is the standard way to say “one thousand” in Mandarin Chinese. It's used for counting, prices, quantities, and any other situation where you need to express the number 1000.
When to use it
Neutral and universally applicable. When referring to money, you'll often hear 一千块 (yī qiān kuài) or 一千元 (yī qiān yuán). For larger numbers, 千 (qiān) is used as the 'thousand' place value, like 两千 (liǎng qiān) for 2000.
How to pronounce it
Sounds like “YEE-chyen.” Both characters are pronounced with a first (flat) tone.
Other ways to say it
- 一千块yì qiān kuàione thousand yuan (colloquial for money)
- 一千元yì qiān yuánone thousand yuan (formal for money)
- 几千jǐ qiānseveral thousand
Examples
这个手机一千块。
zhè ge shǒu jī yì qiān kuài 。
This phone is one thousand yuan.
这里有一千本书。
zhè lǐ yǒu yì qiān běn shū 。
There are one thousand books here.
他有一千个朋友。
tā yǒu yì qiān gè péng yǒu 。
He has one thousand friends.
Pro tip: When counting objects, remember to use a measure word after the number, e.g., 一千本书 (yī qiān běn shū - one thousand books), not just 一千书.
Related phrases
和平 · Peace钱 · Money闭嘴 · Shut up
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