馆 (guǎn) - Building for public use — refers to establishments

馆Tone 3

guǎn ｜ 11 strokes ｜ radical:

枫惠

馆 · guǎn

Building for public use — refers to establishments like museums, hotels, restaurants, embassies, or cultural centers.

Building for public use — refers to establishments

Usage highlights

MuseumHotelRestaurantEmbassyLibraryTeahouse

Synonyms

  • 院— courtyard, institution (similar institutional function)
  • 堂— hall, main room (similar public space concept)

Antonyms

  • 家— home, private residence (vs. public establishment)
  • 私— private (vs. public institution)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • We visited the art museum (美术馆).
  • They stayed at a luxury hotel (宾馆).
  • I ate lunch at a Chinese restaurant (中餐馆).
  • The embassy building is heavily guarded (大使馆).

Collocations

  • Museum(博物馆)
  • Hotel(宾馆)
  • Restaurant(餐馆)
  • Embassy(大使馆)
  • Library(图书馆)
  • Teahouse(茶馆)

Idioms

  • No direct idioms with 馆 as the core character, but it appears in many compound terms for public buildings

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Traditionally used for official guesthouses and educational institutions in imperial China
  • Modern usage extends to various public service and commercial establishments
  • Reflects Chinese architectural and institutional categorization

FAQ