Chinatown

Chi·na·town
C3H4I1N1A1T1O1W4N1
UK/ˈtʃaɪnətaʊn/US/ˈt͡ʃaɪnəˌtaʊn/

noun

A district of a city or town (in a country other than China) in which there is a large concentration of Chinese residents and businesses.

Less commonScrabble 17

Meanings

nounChinatown (plural Chinatowns)

plural Chinatowns

  1. A district of a city or town (in a country other than China) in which there is a large concentration of Chinese residents and businesses.

    She grabbed his hand again and marched him under the fake Oriental archway that heralded the beginning of Chinatown.

    2002, Zadie Smith, The Autograph Man, Penguin Books (2003), page 185
    1 more example

    Freud’s itinerary in the novel hews neatly to what he and his colleagues really did on their trip to the U.S.: They visited Chinatown and Central Park and the Met. They made it down to Coney Island, though Jung and Freud’s boat ride through the Tunnel of Love seems to be a Doctorowian flight of fancy.

    2022 September 7, Gillian Brassil, “The Real Lives of Early 20th-Century Celebrities, as Depicted in ‘Ragtime’”, in T: The New York Times Style Magazine, archived from the original on 03 Nov 2022
  2. broadlyproscribedA similar district filled with East Asians and Southeast Asians.
proper noun
  1. Several neighborhoods in the United States with concentrations of Chinese people or businesses:
    1. A neighborhood of New York City, New York, United States.
      1 more example

      Freud’s itinerary in the novel hews neatly to what he and his colleagues really did on their trip to the U.S.: They visited Chinatown and Central Park and the Met. They made it down to Coney Island, though Jung and Freud’s boat ride through the Tunnel of Love seems to be a Doctorowian flight of fancy.

      2022 September 7, Gillian Brassil, “The Real Lives of Early 20th-Century Celebrities, as Depicted in ‘Ragtime’”, in T: The New York Times Style Magazine, archived from the original on 03 Nov 2022

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see

Origin

Translations

Arabic حَيّ صِينِي, تْشَايْنَاتَاوْن
  • حَيّ صِينِي (ḥayy ṣīnī)a Chinese district outside China
  • تْشَايْنَاتَاوْن (tšāynātāwn)a Chinese district outside China
Bulgarian кита́йски кварта́л, ча́йната́ун
  • кита́йски кварта́л (kitájski kvartál)a Chinese district outside China
  • ча́йната́ун (čájnatáun)a Chinese district outside China
Catalan barri xinès
  • barri xinèsa Chinese district outside China
Chinese Cantonese 唐人街, 華埠 /华埠
  • 唐人街 (tong⁴ jan⁴ gaai¹)a Chinese district outside China
  • 華埠 /华埠 (waa⁴ fau⁶)a Chinese district outside China
  • 中國城 /中国城 (zung¹ gwok³ sing⁴)a Chinese district outside China
Chinese Mandarin 唐人街, 華埠 /华埠
  • 唐人街 (tángrénjiē)a Chinese district outside China
  • 華埠 /华埠 (huábù)a Chinese district outside China
  • 中國城 /中国城 (zhōngguóchéng)a Chinese district outside China
  • 牛車水 /牛车水 (in Singapore)a Chinese district outside China
Czech čínská čtvrť
  • čínská čtvrťa Chinese district outside China
Estonian hiinalinn
  • hiinalinna Chinese district outside China
Finnish kiinalaiskortteli
  • kiinalaiskorttelia Chinese district outside China
French quartier chinois
  • quartier chinoisa Chinese district outside China
German Chinatown, Chinesenstadt
  • Chinatowna Chinese district outside China
  • Chinesenstadta Chinese district outside China
Hebrew צ׳יינהטאון
  • צ׳יינהטאון (chaynataun)a Chinese district outside China
Hungarian kínai negyed
  • kínai negyeda Chinese district outside China
Indonesian pecinan
  • pecinana Chinese district outside China
Irish ceantar Síneach
  • ceantar Síneacha Chinese district outside China
Italian chinatown
  • chinatowna Chinese district outside China
Japanese 中華街, チャイナタウン
  • 中華街 (chūkagai)a Chinese district outside China
  • チャイナタウン (chainataun)a Chinese district outside China
Korean 차이나타운
  • 차이나타운 (chainataun)a Chinese district outside China
Latvian ķīniešu kvartāls
  • ķīniešu kvartālsa Chinese district outside China
Lithuanian kinų kvartalas
  • kinų kvartalasa Chinese district outside China
Malay Pekan Cina
  • Pekan Cinaa Chinese district outside China
Polish chińska dzielnica
  • chińska dzielnicaa Chinese district outside China
Portuguese Chinatown
  • Chinatowna Chinese district outside China
Russian кита́йский кварта́л, чайната́ун
  • кита́йский кварта́л (kitájskij kvartál)a Chinese district outside China
  • чайната́ун (čajnatáun)a Chinese district outside China
Spanish barrio chino
  • barrio chinoa Chinese district outside China
Swedish Chinatown
  • Chinatowna Chinese district outside China
Tagalog China Town
  • China Towna Chinese district outside China
Thai ไชน่าทาวน์
  • ไชน่าทาวน์ (chai-nâa-taao)a Chinese district outside China
Turkish Çin mahallesi
  • Çin mahallesia Chinese district outside China
Ukrainian кита́йський кварта́л, чайната́ун
  • кита́йський кварта́л (kytájsʹkyj kvartál)a Chinese district outside China
  • чайната́ун (čajnatáun)a Chinese district outside China
Vietnamese phố người Hoa, khu Hoa-kiều
  • phố người Hoaa Chinese district outside China
  • khu Hoa-kiềua Chinese district outside China
Welsh ardal Tsieineaidd
  • ardal Tsieineaidda Chinese district outside China
Cite this entry
APA

Chinatown. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Chinatown

MLA

“Chinatown.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Chinatown. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Chinatown,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Chinatown.

Source: Chinatown on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.