<p>As pointed out by @Daniel Yeung above, they call it 小老鼠 (Xiao3 Lao3 Shu3）in Taiwan, which means 'little mouse'. Takes a little imagination to see the resemblance. 
I think that is precisely what you heard over the phone. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-09-07T13:09:23.100Z
2017-09-07T13:09:23.100Z
Sati
<p>I've heard at least two versions personally.</p>

<p>One is to use the English reading of "at".</p>

<p>The other is "圈(儿)a". Meaning "a" with a circle around it.</p>

<p>It might be different in different regions.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-09-07T09:41:42.463Z
Thanks!, in which region is this "圈(儿)a" used?
JEOG
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-09-07T10:01:31.557Z
I live in Beijing now and grew up in a nearby city. The two versions are both heard in this area. It may also have something to do with education level. There may be other ways to call it in other regions.
fefe
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-09-07T10:24:32.463Z
another funny version: 小老鼠  ^_^
Daniel Yang
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-08-19T06:22:04.160Z
"English reading of 'at'" is much less common than a sinicized approximation of it, such as 艾特.
Lionel Rowe
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-09-07T09:26:35.330Z
2017-09-07T09:26:35.330Z
fefe
<p>我觉得没有什么特别的叫法，只是音译（根据发音翻译）一般叫“艾特” means @</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-09-07T13:31:57.097Z
2017-09-07T13:31:57.097Z
Pedroski
<p>It is very common in social media or IM that we just use the word 艾特, where you use @ to mention another user. Probably by doing so, that user will receive a notification. For example, we often say, &quot;有消息记得艾特我。&quot; If you use the default iphone Pinyin input and type &quot;aite&quot; the recommended words include &quot;艾特” and &quot;艾特我&quot;.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-08-19T22:16:22.403Z
2020-08-20T01:35:54.797Z
2020-08-20T01:35:54.797Z
River
<p>What is "@"  "at" called when giving an email over the phone?
Is it different in different regions?  I have heard it as "XiaoLong ..." or something similar to that in Taiwan, but not sure what exactly they are saying.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-09-07T14:12:18.293Z
search web using e。g。@  怎么读？ -> e.g. @最早是表示“在每个里面”的意思，比如发票写作@25，表示在每本里面有25份。后来随着互联网
的普及，它就成了电子邮件地址专用的间隔符号，至于它的读音嘛，有读“埃特 ai te 的，也有读“诶特 ei te”的，还有读“圈a”的，港台地区还读作“小老鼠”，反正谁都知道是指的 @ 这个字符，读音准确不准确就无所谓了。
user6065
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-08-19T06:06:44.063Z
This was recently [asked @ r/ChineseLanguage](https://www.reddit.com/r/ChineseLanguage/comments/icaub8/whats_the_chinese_word_for/).  They also give 小老鼠，艾特，or 圈A.
Becky 李蓓
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-08-19T07:26:17.393Z
Of the 3, (i.e. 小老鼠，艾特，or 圈A), only 艾特 is translated as "at" by Google Translate; not to say GT is always right or correct.
Wayne Cheah
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-08-19T07:27:19.770Z
The symbol @ is known as "arroba" in many European languages. It is a unit of measurement still used in Spain, Portugal and some Latin American countries, notably in rural areas. For instance, "in the Valencian Community , an arroba of about 12.8 kg is used to measure the mass of oranges" (quoted from Wikipedia).
KK_Tse
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-08-19T22:25:18.170Z
Good to know that 小老鼠 means @ in Taiwan. I never heard of it in PRC.
River
<usage><pronunciation><spoken>
What is @ ("at") called when giving an email address over the phone?
# What is @ ("at") called when giving an email address over the phone?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-09-07)

What is "@" "at" called when giving an email over the phone?
Is it different in different regions? I have heard it as "XiaoLong ..." or something similar to that in Taiwan, but not sure what exactly they are saying.

**Tags:** usage, pronunciation, spoken

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: search web using e。g。@  怎么读？ -> e.g. @最早是表示“在每个里面”的意思，比如发票写作@25，表示在每本里面有25份。后来随着互联网 的普及，它就成了电子邮件地址专用的间隔符号，至于它的读音嘛，有读“埃特 ai te 的，也有读“诶特 ei te”的，还有读“圈a”的，港台地区还读作“小老鼠”，反正谁都知道是指的 @ 这个字符，读音准确不准确就无所谓了。  
> **username_2**: This was recently [asked @ r/ChineseLanguage](https://www.reddit.com/r/ChineseLanguage/comments/icaub8/whats_the_chinese_word_for/).  They also give 小老鼠，艾特，or 圈A.  
> **username_3**: Of the 3, (i.e. 小老鼠，艾特，or 圈A), only 艾特 is translated as "at" by Google Translate; not to say GT is always right or correct.  
> **username_4**: The symbol @ is known as "arroba" in many European languages. It is a unit of measurement still used in Spain, Portugal and some Latin American countries, notably in rural areas. For instance, "in the Valencian Community , an arroba of about 12.8 kg is used to measure the mass of oranges" (quoted from Wikipedia).  
> **username_5**: Good to know that 小老鼠 means @ in Taiwan. I never heard of it in PRC.  

---

## 4 answers

### Answer by username_6 on 2017-09-07. Score: 4 | Accepted answer

As pointed out by @username_8 Yeung above, they call it 小老鼠 (Xiao3 Lao3 Shu3）in Taiwan, which means 'little mouse'. Takes a little imagination to see the resemblance.
I think that is precisely what you heard over the phone.


---

### Answer by username_7 on 2017-09-07. Score: 4

I've heard at least two versions personally.

One is to use the English reading of "at".

The other is "圈(儿)a". Meaning "a" with a circle around it.

It might be different in different regions.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thanks!, in which region is this "圈(儿)a" used?  
> **username_7**: I live in Beijing now and grew up in a nearby city. The two versions are both heard in this area. It may also have something to do with education level. There may be other ways to call it in other regions.  
> **username_8**: another funny version: 小老鼠  ^_^  
> **username_9**: "English reading of 'at'" is much less common than a sinicized approximation of it, such as 艾特.  

---

### Answer by username_10 on 2017-09-07. Score: 3

我觉得没有什么特别的叫法，只是音译（根据发音翻译）一般叫“艾特” means @


---

### Answer by username_5 on 2020-08-19. Score: 2

It is very common in social media or IM that we just use the word 艾特, where you use @ to mention another user. Probably by doing so, that user will receive a notification. For example, we often say, "有消息记得艾特我。" If you use the default iphone Pinyin input and type "aite" the recommended words include "艾特” and "艾特我".


---

