Chinese addresses — how to read and write them

Chinese addresses run from big to small — the exact opposite of Western addresses. Learn the order and the vocabulary (路, 弄, 号, 室) and you'll never be lost on a form, a package, or a taxi pickup point again.

Updated August 2026 · Try the address formatter tool for instant conversion.

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The order: from country to room
The vocabulary you need
A full example, dissected
Practical rules for forms and deliveries
Questions & answers

The order: from country to room

A Chinese address is written largest to smallest:

Province / municipality (省/市)
City / district (市/区)
Road or street (路/街/大道)
Number (号) and lane (弄)
Building (幢/栋), unit (单元), floor (层)
Room (室/号房)

Example: 上海市黄浦区南京东路123弄45号2单元301室 = "Shanghai, Huangpu District, Nanjing East Road, Lane 123, No. 45, Unit 2, Room 301."

When written in English on forms, keep the big-to-small order (Western readers adapt) and put "China" at the end. For international shipping labels, Western order with "China" last is what carriers expect.

The vocabulary you need

Chinese	Meaning	Example
市 shì	City	上海市 Shanghai
区 qū	District	黄浦区 Huangpu District
路 lù / 街 jiē / 大道 dàdào	Road / street / avenue	南京东路 Nanjing East Road
号 hào	Number	123号 No. 123
弄 nòng	Lane (small alley off a road)	123弄 Lane 123
幢/栋 zhuàng/dòng	Building	45幢 Building 45
单元 dānyuán	Unit / entrance	2单元 Unit 2
室 shì / 号房 hàofáng	Room	301室 Room 301
层 céng / 楼 lóu	Floor	18层 18th floor
里 lǐ / 新村 xīncūn	Old-style residential lane / new village complex	淮海坊

A full example, dissected

上海市黄浦区南京东路123弄45号2单元301室 │ │ │ │ │ │ │ └─ 301室 Room 301 │ │ │ │ │ │ └────── 2单元 Unit 2 │ │ │ │ │ └──────── 45号 No. 45 │ │ │ │ └────────── 123弄 Lane 123 │ │ │ └────────────── 南京东路 Nanjing East Road │ │ └─────────────────── 黄浦区 Huangpu District │ └───────────────────────────── 上海市 Shanghai └────────────────────────────────────── (Province = municipality, none listed)

Reading tip: scan for the road name (usually the longest part), then the 弄/号 numbers, then the room. That's the order taxi and delivery drivers care about: district → road → numbers.

Practical rules for forms and deliveries

Delivery apps expect Chinese — paste the Chinese address your landlord or building management gave you. Don't translate it; translation invites mistakes.
Forms in English (hotels, embassies, banks): write big-to-small as shown above; "China" last.
Postal code (邮编): 6 digits, Shanghai codes start with 200 (e.g. 200001 for central Huangpu). Rarely needed for domestic deliveries.
Getting picked up: on Didi/taxi apps, use the pin on the map + the Chinese address; the driver follows the app, not your pronunciation.
Compound names: many apartments have community names (e.g. 某某花园 / 某某家园) — include them; streets can be long and drivers know compounds.
Building maps: large compounds have numbered buildings (1-50号), often mapped at the gate; ask security (保安) for the building number if unsure.

Questions & answers

What order is a Chinese address written in?

From largest to smallest: province/municipality → city/district → road → number/lane → building/unit → floor/room. The opposite of Western order.

Do courier apps need the address in Chinese?

Yes. Delivery apps expect Chinese addresses. Paste the address from your landlord or building — no translation needed.

What does 弄/号 mean?

弄 (nòng) is a lane, 号 (hào) is a number; 幢/栋 are building numbers, 单元 is a unit, 室 is the room. Example: 南京东路123弄45号2单元301室.

Do I need a postal code?

Almost never for domestic deliveries. Forms sometimes ask; Shanghai codes are 6 digits starting with 200.

How do I write my address in English on official forms?

Keep it big-to-small: Room 301, Unit 2, Building 45, Lane 123, Nanjing East Road, Huangpu District, Shanghai, China.