n.
telephone; phone call
电话
telephone; phone call
Literally 'electric speech' (电 electricity + 话 words). Refers to a telephone, telephone call, or phone number; say 留个电话 (leave a number).
Common Usage & Traps
- 打电话 — make a phone call
- 接电话 — answer the phone
- 给他打个电话 — give him a call
- 电话号码 — phone number
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做电话打电话English says 'make a call,' so learners grab 做. Chinese fixes the verb as 打 — literally 'hit' the call. Wrong verb, instant foreigner alarm.
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我电话你我给你打个电话English lets 'phone' be a verb. Chinese 电话 never carries the action alone; it needs 打, and the person comes after 给.
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关电话挂电话 / 关机English 'turn off / hang up the phone' gets calqued as 关电话. Hanging up is 挂电话; powering off is 关机.
Why do you 打电话 but never 做电话?
电话 always pairs with 打 — you 'hit' a call, not 'make' one.
电话 is a noun, but the action of calling borrows a fixed partner verb. That partner is 打, which literally means 'hit.' English says 'make a call,' so learners reach for 做, and it lands wrong every single time. Answering has its own partner: 接, literally 'receive.' So you 打电话 when you dial, and 接电话 when you pick up. Name the person and the 给 must come first: 给他打电话, never 打电话他.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Making a call | 打电话 | 做电话 |
| Calling a specific person | 给他打个电话 | 打电话他 |
| Hanging up | 挂电话 | 关电话 |
Can you use 电话 as a verb, like 'I'll phone you'?
No. 电话 is only a noun — say 我给你打个电话 instead.
English happily turns 'phone' into a verb, so 我电话你 feels logical. Mandarin 电话 never carries the action by itself; it needs 打 in front to work. So 'I'll call you' is 我给你打个电话, and 'call me' is 给我打个电话. Keep 给 before the person and 打 before 电话, and you'll never sound like a translated robot.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| I'll call you | 我给你打个电话 | 我电话你 |
| He phoned me | 他给我打了个电话 | 他电话了我 |
| Call me tonight | 晚上给我打个电话 | 晚上电话我 |
Why does 电话不能打 put the phone before the verb?
Chinese names the topic first, then drops a comment on it.
Chinese loves laying the topic out front and then saying something about it. In 电话不能打, the phone is the topic and 不能打 is the comment hanging on it. 不能打电话 also works, but it focuses on the action being impossible rather than the phone being useless. The same shape shows up constantly: 他不能来, 这个字我不认识.
“超市非常小，
电脑没脑子，
电话不能打。” (The supermarket is very small, computers have no brain, and the phone can't make calls.)
“超市非常小，
电脑没脑子，
电话不能打。” (The supermarket is very small, computers have no brain, and the phone can't make calls.)
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Phone as topic | 电话不能打 | 打电话不能 |
| Person as topic | 他不能来 | 来不能他 |
Does 电话 mean the phone in your pocket too?
电话 is a landline or the call itself; your mobile is 手机.
In everyday mainland Mandarin, 手机 is the device in your hand, and 电话 usually means a fixed line or the act of calling. So 'my phone is dead' is 我手机没电了, never 我电话没电了. 电话 still shows up in 电话号码 and 接电话, where the meaning is the call, not the handset. Mixing these two up marks you as a beginner faster than any tone mistake.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| The device in your pocket | 手机 | 电话 |
| A fixed line | 电话 | 手机 |
| The act of calling | 打电话 | 打手机 |
Appears in Stories 4 stories
Real context sentences across different daily scenarios and graded readings.
Follow Xiao Li as he copes with the effects of forest fires near his home in the US and reflects on environmental changes. A thoughtful story for HSK 4 learners.
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他给爸爸妈妈打了个 电话 ，问他们那边怎么样。
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挂了 电话 ，小李看着窗外，心里有点儿难过。
This humorous dialogue follows a man who spends all his savings on his girlfriend's Apple phone and a lucky number, leaving him broke. A fun read for HSK 3 learners.
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她还要换一个 电话 号码，我帮她选了一个888的号码——这个号码又要八百块。
Why would a millionaire leave a table of lobster and wagyu untouched? This story explores the hidden rules of business dining and the true cost of staying alert.
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路上他接了个 电话 ，语气一下子变了，变得有点儿凶。
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挂了 电话 他把手机扔在座椅上，长长吐了一口气。
This playful poem will make you smile as you explore how Chinese words like 'computer' and 'phone' can be funnier than they seem. Get ready to enjoy simple HSK 1 vocabulary and a twist of logic!
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超市非常小，电脑没脑子， 电话 不能打。
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