A guesthouse or inn providing food and lodging for traveling officials.
A hall, venue, or establishment such as a restaurant, museum, gym, or embassy. Food (饣) plus official (官): an official place for eating and lodging.
馆
Common Usage & Traps
- 饭馆 — restaurant
- 图书馆 — library
- 宾馆 — hotel
- 咖啡馆 — café
- 博物馆 — museum
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饭馆子饭馆馆 already means a place; adding 子 is redundant and unnatural.
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图书馆里图书馆When referring to the building itself, do not add 里 unless you mean inside the library.
What is the difference between 馆 and 家 when talking about places to eat?
馆 refers to a public establishment, while 家 is a general measure word for businesses or families.
馆 specifically means a building or establishment for a particular activity, like a restaurant (饭馆) or library (图书馆). 家 is a measure word for families or businesses, and can also mean home. When you say 一家饭馆, you are using 家 as the measure word for the restaurant. But 饭馆 itself already contains 馆. So you cannot say 一家馆; you say 一家饭馆.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Referring to a restaurant | 饭馆 | 馆 |
| Counting restaurants | 一家饭馆 | 一家馆 |
| Meaning 'home' | 家 | 馆 |
Can 馆 be used alone to mean a restaurant?
No, 馆 is a team player that must pair up with other words like 饭 or 图书.
馆 is not a standalone word in modern Chinese; it always appears as part of a compound noun. To say 'restaurant', you must say 饭馆 or 餐厅. Saying just 馆 would be incomplete and confusing. Similarly, for library you say 图书馆, for hotel 宾馆, etc.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurant | 饭馆 | 馆 |
| Library | 图书馆 | 馆 |
| Hotel | 宾馆 | 馆 |
Appears in Stories 3 stories
Ever wondered where old Beijing's tea-drinking culture has gone? Follow a visitor discovering why locals now avoid famous tea houses—and practice expressing surprise and comparisons in Chinese along the way.
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前天有个朋友告诉我，要想了解老北京的文化，应该去老 茶馆 喝一次"大碗儿茶"。
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我问一个老北京哪个 茶馆 儿最好。
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他说，现在喜欢去 茶馆 喝茶的老北京不很多了。
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因为他们不喜欢现在的 茶馆 。
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很多老北京以前是有去 茶馆儿 喝茶的习惯的。
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老北京们去 茶馆 ，就是因为想喝茶，也为了跟朋友说说话什么的。
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可现在的 茶馆 虽然还是可以喝茶，但是去那儿的人大多不是老北京。
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北京有一个有名的老 茶馆 儿，叫“ 老舍茶馆 ”。
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这还是 茶馆儿 吗？
In this warm dialogue, a parent introduces their family at a restaurant. A teacher gently corrects common mistakes about family words and names, making it perfect for HSK 2 learners.
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我的朋友说这个 饭馆 虽然很小，但是很有名。
Meet Gao Youpeng, a friendly Beijing coworker who welcomes the narrator with local dishes and a simple language-exchange plan. This warm HSK 2 story is perfect for first readings about work and friendship.
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他今天从上海回来，晚上就和我去了一个 饭馆儿 吃北京菜。
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