<p>As others have mentioned, when you are using borrowed words you can sometimes get stuck with misunderstandings especially if you go to a market or book store to buy this item rather than going to a stationary or art store.</p>

<p>My suggestion is to take a glossy piece of cardboard and then ask for a 马克笔 (mǎkè bǐ).</p>

<p>If you are provided with what appears to be a whiteboard marker I would politely test it on the cardboard and if it is a white board marker I would say 我要擦不掉的那种. I think this should get you what you are after.</p>

<p>我要擦不掉的那种 (wǒ yào cā bú diào de nà zhǒng) = "I want the kind that cannot be wiped off"</p>

<p>我要 = I want</p>

<p>擦不掉 = cannot be wiped off</p>

<p>的那种 = the kind</p>

<p>This might also help if they show you a thin marker pen:</p>

<p>我要粗一点的 (wǒ yào cū yīdiǎn de) = I want a thicker one</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-11-18T00:06:26.550Z
2013-11-18T04:17:38.423Z
2013-11-18T04:17:38.423Z
going
<p>They're called 油(yóu)性(xìnɡ)记(jì)号(hào)笔(bǐ) in Chinese.</p>

<p>Or you can just say “擦(cā)不(bù)掉(diào)的(de)记(jì)号(hào)笔(bǐ)”, which means “those markers that can’t be erased.”</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-11-19T03:48:32.953Z
2013-11-19T07:14:46.650Z
2013-11-19T07:14:46.650Z
Wordoor
<p>Honestly, before I came to the UK, I don't know the difference between permanent and nonpermanent markers. Usually, we call those we use to write on a whiteboard 白板笔. I think we can call those pens that cannot be easily washed off 油性笔 as opposed to those that can be easily be washed off which we call 水性笔. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-11-19T07:10:30.890Z
The definition of 水性笔 in [Baidu-pedia](http://baike.baidu.com/view/277009.htm) says it is a kind of **gel pen**. And I haven't heard anyone would call a whiteboard marker "水性笔" before.
Stan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-11-17T16:55:40.997Z
2013-11-17T16:55:40.997Z
Pennie
<p>I would say 白板笔 for "Whiteboard marker"  and  油性笔 for "Permanent marker".
You see, I omit the "马克" in 油性"马克"笔.</p>

<p>In place where there are people who speak dialects other than Mandarin, “马克” does not necessarily sound like "marker". I am a Cantonese and I tend to avoid the phonetic transcriptions that only exist in Mandarin. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-11-23T17:07:13.530Z
Yes when I first found this term (I think via Google Translate) I did not spot that it was a transliteration. I only realized that part way through this thread.
hippietrail
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-11-23T17:02:41.650Z
2013-11-23T19:49:44.307Z
2013-11-23T19:49:44.307Z
yuen
<p>Today in Chengdu I wanted to buy a replacement <strong>permanent marker</strong> pen for writing on cardboard.</p>

<p>I don't like nonpermanent markers because the ink can sometimes wipe off and stain your clothes. I find that in English the nonpermanent ones seem to be called <strong>whiteboard markers</strong> most often, and indeed that was written on most of the markers I could find in stores today.</p>

<p>But permanent markers were not easy to find and I found myself wanting to say something like "I want one of these but this is a whiteboard marker and I want a permanent marker".</p>

<p>These terms might not be considered basic enough vocabulary to be in most dictionaries. Google Translate translates them but I don't know if I can trust it.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-11-17T18:27:50.773Z
I would say 记号笔 for permanent markers. This is just a matter of personal preference, I think. If someone says 马克笔 I would understand it as permanent markers without additional information.
user58955
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-11-17T18:30:21.940Z
You can try to google the words given by Google Translate and see if there are Chinese advertisements ... If a lot of adverts show up then probably the term is right (at least should be understood by Chinese)
user58955
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-11-18T06:40:18.810Z
To me 记号笔 is the kind of markers that you use on your books, those with vivid colors. You see, the term for markers is a bit messed up in Chinese. I (along with most people that I know) will call permanent markers 马克笔, whiteboard markers 白板笔, colorful markers 记号笔, but in a different city or even a different neighborhood, the names might vary.
arax
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-11-18T16:43:50.200Z
@user58955: That would tell me whether the terms are popular, but not whether they mean what I think they mean, or whether a term could mean "any kind of marker, whether permanent or not".
hippietrail
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-11-19T08:00:13.813Z
@AlexSu to me the colourful markers (highlighters) are 荧光笔
user58955
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-11-19T11:03:12.807Z
Yes I was wondering if "colourful markers" might mean highlighters. Markers come in many colours besides black and dark blue whereas highlighters are dayglo / neon transparent colours designed primarily to highlight printed text.
hippietrail
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-11-17T16:16:06.143Z
"Whiteboard marker" is 白板笔. "Permanent marker" is 马克笔. But if you want to buy one in a store, I strongly suggest that you ask specifically for one that can('t) be erased. Example: 您好，我要一只白板笔，要擦得掉的那种.
arax
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-11-17T16:25:54.190Z
I'm such a beginner at Chinese that I don't have a hope of uttering such a sentence, but I'm less of a beginner at Han characters so I could write the terms. But I also ask just out of curiosity of these possibly "hard to look-up" terms. By the way Google Translate gives just "marker" for "马克笔". In English "marker" covers both types, is it really true that "马克笔" means permanant markers only?
hippietrail
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-11-17T16:39:34.373Z
Google is right, 马克笔 means marker(actually 马克 is the phonic transcription of marker), so when you ask for a 马克笔, it's possible that you end up with a whiteboard marker. It's safer to specify the type. The dictionary word for permanent markers is actually 油性马克笔, but I'm afraid most Chinese(including me) can't recognize this term. If someone ask a 油性马克笔 from me, I'd probably think: he might be asking for a permanent marker, but it's better to make sure. I'm not so used to express myself in English xD
arax
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-11-17T16:43:08.840Z
There seem to be several terms for each type of marker in English too, but looking at what's written on my markers and on the ones in the shops here that have any English writing on them, "permanent marker" and "whiteboard marker" seem to be the most usual contrasting terms.
hippietrail
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-11-17T16:47:31.220Z
@AlexSu: I just searched on the terms you gave and found another one, "记号笔". What implications does this term carry?
hippietrail
<vocabulary>
What are the most usual Chinese terms for permanent markers vs. whiteboard markers
# What are the most usual Chinese terms for permanent markers vs. whiteboard markers

(Asked by: username_0 on 2013-11-17)

Today in Chengdu I wanted to buy a replacement **permanent marker** pen for writing on cardboard.

I don't like nonpermanent markers because the ink can sometimes wipe off and stain your clothes. I find that in English the nonpermanent ones seem to be called **whiteboard markers** most often, and indeed that was written on most of the markers I could find in stores today.

But permanent markers were not easy to find and I found myself wanting to say something like "I want one of these but this is a whiteboard marker and I want a permanent marker".

These terms might not be considered basic enough vocabulary to be in most dictionaries. Google Translate translates them but I don't know if I can trust it.

**Tags:** vocabulary

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: "Whiteboard marker" is 白板笔. "Permanent marker" is 马克笔. But if you want to buy one in a store, I strongly suggest that you ask specifically for one that can('t) be erased. Example: 您好，我要一只白板笔，要擦得掉的那种.  
> **username_0**: I'm such a beginner at Chinese that I don't have a hope of uttering such a sentence, but I'm less of a beginner at Han characters so I could write the terms. But I also ask just out of curiosity of these possibly "hard to look-up" terms. By the way Google Translate gives just "marker" for "马克笔". In English "marker" covers both types, is it really true that "马克笔" means permanant markers only?  
> **username_2**: Google is right, 马克笔 means marker(actually 马克 is the phonic transcription of marker), so when you ask for a 马克笔, it's possible that you end up with a whiteboard marker. It's safer to specify the type. The dictionary word for permanent markers is actually 油性马克笔, but I'm afraid most Chinese(including me) can't recognize this term. If someone ask a 油性马克笔 from me, I'd probably think: he might be asking for a permanent marker, but it's better to make sure. I'm not so used to express myself in English xD  
> **username_0**: There seem to be several terms for each type of marker in English too, but looking at what's written on my markers and on the ones in the shops here that have any English writing on them, "permanent marker" and "whiteboard marker" seem to be the most usual contrasting terms.  
> **username_0**: @AlexSu: I just searched on the terms you gave and found another one, "记号笔". What implications does this term carry?  
> **username_1**: I would say 记号笔 for permanent markers. This is just a matter of personal preference, I think. If someone says 马克笔 I would understand it as permanent markers without additional information.  
> **username_1**: You can try to google the words given by Google Translate and see if there are Chinese advertisements ... If a lot of adverts show up then probably the term is right (at least should be understood by Chinese)  
> **username_2**: To me 记号笔 is the kind of markers that you use on your books, those with vivid colors. You see, the term for markers is a bit messed up in Chinese. I (along with most people that I know) will call permanent markers 马克笔, whiteboard markers 白板笔, colorful markers 记号笔, but in a different city or even a different neighborhood, the names might vary.  
> **username_0**: @username_1: That would tell me whether the terms are popular, but not whether they mean what I think they mean, or whether a term could mean "any kind of marker, whether permanent or not".  
> **username_1**: @AlexSu to me the colourful markers (highlighters) are 荧光笔  
> **username_0**: Yes I was wondering if "colourful markers" might mean highlighters. Markers come in many colours besides black and dark blue whereas highlighters are dayglo / neon transparent colours designed primarily to highlight printed text.  

---

## 4 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2013-11-18. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

As others have mentioned, when you are using borrowed words you can sometimes get stuck with misunderstandings especially if you go to a market or book store to buy this item rather than username_3 to a stationary or art store.

My suggestion is to take a glossy piece of cardboard and then ask for a 马克笔 (mǎkè bǐ).

If you are provided with what appears to be a whiteboard marker I would politely test it on the cardboard and if it is a white board marker I would say 我要擦不掉的那种. I think this should get you what you are after.

我要擦不掉的那种 (wǒ yào cā bú diào de nà zhǒng) = "I want the kind that cannot be wiped off"

我要 = I want

擦不掉 = cannot be wiped off

的那种 = the kind

This might also help if they show you a thin marker pen:

我要粗一点的 (wǒ yào cū yīdiǎn de) = I want a thicker one


---

### Answer by username_4 on 2013-11-19. Score: 1

They're called 油(yóu)性(xìnɡ)记(jì)号(hào)笔(bǐ) in Chinese.

Or you can just say “擦(cā)不(bù)掉(diào)的(de)记(jì)号(hào)笔(bǐ)”, which means “those markers that can’t be erased.”


---

### Answer by username_5 on 2013-11-17. Score: 1

Honestly, before I came to the UK, I don't know the difference between permanent and nonpermanent markers. Usually, we call those we use to write on a whiteboard 白板笔. I think we can call those pens that cannot be easily washed off 油性笔 as opposed to those that can be easily be washed off which we call 水性笔.

> **Comments:**
> **username_6**: The definition of 水性笔 in [Baidu-pedia](http://baike.baidu.com/view/277009.htm) says it is a kind of **gel pen**. And I haven't heard anyone would call a whiteboard marker "水性笔" before.  

---

### Answer by username_7 on 2013-11-23. Score: 1

I would say 白板笔 for "Whiteboard marker" and 油性笔 for "Permanent marker".
You see, I omit the "马克" in 油性"马克"笔.

In place where there are people who speak dialects other than Mandarin, “马克” does not necessarily sound like "marker". I am a Cantonese and I tend to avoid the phonetic transcriptions that only exist in Mandarin.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Yes when I first found this term (I think via Google Translate) I did not spot that it was a transliteration. I only realized that part way through this thread.  

---

