In this age of digital communication, email has replaced snail mail as the main mode of long-distance communication.
But that doesn’t make the post office obsolete. Until we have a way to send goods over the Internet, we still need the post office to send and receive packages. And when we are in a foreign country, these packages from home can have a value far beyond the dollar-value of their contents.
So if you are staying in China or Taiwan, here are a few words and phrases that will be useful at your local post office, and help ensure your valuable packages don’t go astray.
Buying Stamps
Since stamps are printed on sheets, the measure word is the same as that for paper or flat objects: 張 zhāng.
The word for stamp is 郵票 / 邮票 yóu piào, and the denomination is stated as XX 塊的郵票 / XX 块的邮票 (XX kuài de yóu piào), as in these examples:
兩塊的郵票 / 两块的邮票
liǎng kuài de yóupiào
2 dollar stamp
十二塊的郵票 /十二块的邮票
shíèr kuài de yóupiào
12 dollar stamp
我要買三張五塊的郵票。
我要买三张五块的邮票。
Wǒ yào mǎi sān zhāng wǔ kuài de yóupiào.
I want to buy three 5-dollar stamps.
Sending Your Parcel
Use the particle 到 dào for saying where you want to send your parcel:
這個包裹寄到美國。
这个包裹寄到美国。
Zhègè bāoguǒ jì dào Měiguó.
This parcel is going to the USA. (literally: This parcel send to USA.)
這封信寄到加拿大要多久?
这封信寄到加拿大要多久?
Zhè fēng xìn jì dào jiānádà yào duō jiǔ?
How long will it take this letter to get to Canada? (literally: This letter send to Canada needs how much time?)
這個包裹寄到法國要多少錢?
这个包裹寄到法国要多少钱?
Zhègè bāoguǒ jì dào fǎguó yào duōshǎo qián?
How much does it cost to send this parcel to France? (literally: This parcel send to France wants how much money?)
More Post Office Vocabulary
Here is a list of common words related to the post office and sending and receiving mail.
| English | Pinyin | Traditional Characters | Simplified Characters |
| Post Office | yóu jú | 郵局 | 邮局 |
| registered letter | guà hào xìn | 掛號信 | 挂号信 |
| to register | guà hào | 掛號 | 挂号 |
| surface mail | shuǐlù | 水路 | 水路 |
| airmail | háng kōng | 航空 | 航空 |
| mail box (for sending) | yóu tǒng | 郵筒 | 邮筒 |
| mail box (for receiving) | xìn xiāng | 信箱 | 信箱 |
| postcard | míng xìn piàn | 明信片 | 明信片 |
| small packet | xiǎobāo | 小包 | 小包 |
| exceed weight limit | chāo zhòng | 超重 | 超重 |
| name chop | yìnzhāng | 印章 | 印章 |
| use (a) name chop | gàizhāng | 蓋章 | 盖章 |
| sign (a) name | qiānmíng | 簽名 | 签名 |
