Board games & card games in Chinese 桌游和棋牌
zhuō yóu hé qí pái
Board game in Chinese is 桌游 (zhuō yóu).
Also searched for as: board games, card games, Dou Dizhu, Fight the Landlord, poker, Chinese chess.
From Fight the Landlord to werewolf nights. 15 essential board games & card games words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
The word for board games in Chinese is 桌游 (zhuō yóu), literally 'table games', and a café where you play them is a 桌游吧 (zhuō yóu bā). China also has hugely popular social games such as 狼人杀 (láng rén shā, Werewolf) and 剧本杀 (jù běn shā, murder mystery), plus the card game families play at New Year, 斗地主 (dòu dì zhǔ), 'Fight the Landlord'. These words get you a seat at the table.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 桌游 | zhuō yóu | board game |
| 桌游吧 | zhuō yóu bā | board game café |
| 狼人杀 | láng rén shā | Werewolf (party game) |
| 剧本杀 | jù běn shā | murder mystery game |
| 扑克牌 | pū kè pái | playing cards |
| 斗地主 | dòu dì zhǔ | Fight the Landlord (card game) |
| 地主 | dì zhǔ | landlord (in Fight the Landlord) |
| 炸弹 | zhà dàn | bomb (four of a kind) |
| 王炸 | wáng zhà | rocket (both jokers) |
| 要不起 | yào bu qǐ | can't beat that; pass |
| 发牌 | fā pái | to deal (cards) |
| 骰子 | tóu zi | dice |
| 象棋 | xiàng qí | Chinese chess |
| 围棋 | wéi qí | Go (board game) |
| 下棋 | xià qí | to play chess (or Go) |
Usage tips
- The verb for chess and Go is 下 (xià): 下象棋 (xià xiàng qí), 下围棋 (xià wéi qí); for cards you use 打 (dǎ), as in 打牌 (dǎ pái), and for party games like 狼人杀 you use 玩 (wán).
- In 斗地主 (dòu dì zhǔ), when you can't beat the cards just played you say 要不起 (yào bù qǐ) or simply 不要 (bù yào), meaning 'pass'.
- 剧本杀 (jù běn shā) is a role-play murder mystery where each player gets a character script; sessions often last several hours and are usually played at dedicated shops.
Common mistakes
- Calling Chinese chess 中国棋 → it's 象棋 (xiàng qí), Go is 围棋 (wéi qí), and Western chess is 国际象棋 (guó jì xiàng qí).
- Saying 洗牌 when you mean dealing → 洗牌 (xǐ pái) is shuffling; dealing is 发牌 (fā pái).
Mini dialogue
- A周末来我家玩桌游吧。Zhōu mò lái wǒ jiā wán zhuō yóu ba.Come round to mine this weekend for board games.
- B好啊，玩狼人杀吗？Hǎo a, wán láng rén shā ma?Sure, are we playing Werewolf?
- A人不够，我们斗地主吧。Rén bù gòu, wǒ men dòu dì zhǔ ba.Not enough people, let's play Fight the Landlord.
- B行，我带扑克牌。这次我当地主！Xíng, wǒ dài pū kè pái. Zhè cì wǒ dāng dì zhǔ!OK, I'll bring the cards. I'm being the landlord this time!
- A那你小心，上次我一个王炸就赢了。Nà nǐ xiǎo xīn, shàng cì wǒ yī gè wáng zhà jiù yíng le.Watch out then, last time I won with a rocket.
Example sentences
- 周末去朋友家玩桌游。We're playing board games at a friend's this weekend.
- 这家桌游吧有几百种游戏。This board game café has hundreds of games.
- 我们晚上玩狼人杀吧。Let's play Werewolf tonight.
- 剧本杀一般要玩四五个小时。A murder mystery game usually takes four or five hours.
- 你带扑克牌了吗？Did you bring a pack of cards?
- 过年的时候我们一直斗地主。At New Year we play Fight the Landlord non-stop.
- 这把我当地主。I'll be the landlord this round.
- 我有炸弹，你们小心点。I've got a bomb, watch out.
- 王炸！你们要不起吧？Rocket! Bet you can't beat that.
- 要不起，你出吧。Can't beat it, your go.
- 这一把该你发牌了。It's your turn to deal this round.
- 该你掷骰子了。It's your turn to roll the dice.
- 公园里有很多老人下象棋。There are lots of old people playing Chinese chess in the park.
- 围棋比象棋难多了。Go is much harder than Chinese chess.
- 爷爷每天下午都去下棋。Grandpa goes to play chess every afternoon.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Board games & card games speaking island has 8 everyday questions about board games & card games to prepare your own answers to.