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yuan

/ˈjuˈɑn/
IPA guide

Other forms: yuans

The yuan is the Chinese equivalent of an American dollar or a British pound. When you're traveling in China, you'll need yuan to pay for meals, museums, hotels, and souvenirs.

In Mandarin, yuán means a "round object" or "round coin," and in the Qing Dynasty, the yuan was a round, silver coin. Today in China, money is issued in both coins and banknotes, which are printed in amounts ranging from one to 100 yuan. It takes ten jiao to make one yuan, or 100 fen — so if you pay in cash, your change may come in yuan, jiao, and fen.

Definitions of yuan
  1. noun
    the basic unit of money in China
    synonyms: kwai
    see moresee less
    type of:
    Chinese monetary unit
    the monetary unit in the People's Republic of China
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