Mobile games & gacha in Chinese 手游和抽卡
shǒuyóu hé chōu kǎ
Do gacha pulls in Chinese is 抽卡 (chōu kǎ).
Also searched for as: gacha games, mobile games, phone games, loot boxes, pity system, whale.
Mobile games, daily logins and just one more pull. 15 essential mobile games & gacha 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 a mobile game in Chinese is 手游 (shǒu yóu), short for 手机游戏 (shǒu jī yóu xì), and many of the most popular ones are built around 抽卡 (chōu kǎ), pulling for random characters. Gacha players have a colourful set of words, from 氪金 (kè jīn), paying real money, to 欧皇 (ōu huáng) and 非酋 (fēi qiú) for the lucky and the unlucky. Knowing them helps you follow gaming chat and forums.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 手游 | shǒu yóu | mobile game |
| 抽卡 | chōu kǎ | to pull (gacha) |
| 氪金 | kè jīn | to pay real money in a game |
| 充值 | chōng zhí | to top up |
| 首充 | shǒu chōng | first top-up bonus |
| 保底 | bǎo dǐ | pity (guaranteed pull) |
| 十连抽 | shí lián chōu | ten-pull |
| 出货 | chū huò | to get the rare drop |
| 欧皇 | ōu huáng | super lucky player |
| 非酋 | fēi qiú | unlucky player |
| 限定 | xiàn dìng | limited (character or banner) |
| 零氪 | líng kè | free-to-play (spending nothing) |
| 签到 | qiān dào | daily login; to check in |
| 体力 | tǐ lì | stamina; energy |
| 肝 | gān | to grind hard; grindy |
Usage tips
- 氪金 (kè jīn) is a pun on 课金 (kè jīn), a term borrowed from Japanese for paying in games, using 氪 (kè, krypton); 零氪 (líng kè) means never spending anything.
- 欧皇 (ōu huáng), 'European emperor', is a lucky player and 非酋 (fēi qiú), 'African chief', an unlucky one; they're very common, but some people avoid them because they play on stereotypes.
- 肝 (gān), literally 'liver', describes a game or event that demands hours of grinding, linked to staying up late; 这个活动很肝 (zhè gè huó dòng hěn gān) means the event is a real grind.
Common mistakes
- Using 付钱 (fù qián) for buying in-game currency → people say 充值 (chōng zhí, to top up) or, more slangily, 氪金 (kè jīn).
- Translating the gacha 'pity' system literally as 可怜 (kě lián) → it's 保底 (bǎo dǐ), literally 'guaranteed floor', the rare pull you're promised after a set number of tries.
Mini dialogue
- A新的限定角色你抽了吗？Xīn de xiàn dìng jué sè nǐ chōu le ma?Have you pulled for the new limited character?
- B抽了，十连什么都没出，我真是非酋。Chōu le, shí lián shén me dōu méi chū, wǒ zhēn shì fēi qiú.Yes, a ten-pull and nothing, I'm so unlucky.
- A还差多少抽保底？Hái chà duō shao chōu bǎo dǐ?How many pulls till pity?
- B二十抽。可我不想再充值了。Èr shí chōu. Kě wǒ bù xiǎng zài chōng zhí le.Twenty. But I don't want to top up any more.
- A每天签到，慢慢攒吧。Měi tiān qiān dào, màn màn zǎn ba.Log in every day and save up slowly.
Example sentences
- 你手机里装了几个手游？How many mobile games have you got on your phone?
- 我这个月抽卡花了五百块。I spent 500 yuan on pulls this month.
- 这个游戏不氪金也能玩。You can play this game without paying.
- 他一冲动就充值了一千块。He topped up 1,000 yuan on impulse.
- 首充六块钱送一个角色。Top up 6 yuan for the first time and get a free character.
- 还差十抽就保底了。Ten more pulls until pity.
- 攒够了再来个十连抽。Save up, then do a ten-pull.
- 终于出货了，太开心了！Finally got the rare one, so happy!
- 你是欧皇吧，一抽就出了！You're so lucky, you got it in one pull!
- 我就是个非酋，十连什么都没出。I'm so unlucky, a ten-pull and nothing good.
- 这个限定角色错过就没了。If you miss this limited character, it's gone.
- 我是零氪玩家，一分钱都不花。I'm free-to-play, I don't spend a penny.
- 每天上线签到领奖励。Log in every day to claim your rewards.
- 体力用完了，明天再玩。I'm out of stamina, I'll play tomorrow.
- 这个活动太肝了。This event is a massive grind.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Mobile games & gacha speaking island has 8 everyday questions about mobile games & gacha to prepare your own answers to.