<ul>
<li><p>Pocket money is a synonym of allowance and it is translated: 零用钱 or 零花钱.</p>
</li>
<li><p>Allowance, akin to subsidy, can be translated as 津贴 or 补贴.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>Disability allowance for instance would be translated: 残疾补贴.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-01-23T22:24:59.510Z
2021-01-23T22:30:36.393Z
2021-01-23T22:30:36.393Z
Mou某
<p>Allowance (pocket money) for kids is translated as 零用钱 or 零花钱. It is not the same as 红封包/ 利是 (lucky money contained in a red envelope).</p>
<p>Kids get 零用钱 on a regular basis but only get 红封包 on New year or special occasions</p>
<p><a href="https://cantoneseplus.com/character/2414" rel="nofollow noreferrer">津</a> - additional</p>
<p><a href="https://cantoneseplus.com/character/838" rel="nofollow noreferrer">贴</a> - allowance, subsidy</p>
<p>津贴 = allowance, subsidy. e.g. 伤残津贴 (disability allowance); 书本津贴 (textbooks subsidy)</p>
<p>More example of 津: <a href="https://cantoneseplus.com/word/194651" rel="nofollow noreferrer">薪津</a> = 薪金 + 津贴 (salary and additional allowance) = 'paycheck, pay'</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-01-23T23:43:19.473Z
2021-01-23T23:48:27.310Z
2021-01-23T23:48:27.310Z
Tang Ho
<p>Google Translate says it is 津贴, but my mom says it is 零用钱. Apparently 津贴 doesn't mean allowance, so what does each character mean? My book and google translate say 零用钱 is pocket money. How does that mean allowance? Also what is 零花钱?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-01-24T07:58:57.137Z
I am not sure which country you are in, but when you are a kid, (say between 7 to 17 of age), you get "pocket money", but when you attend college you get an "allowance" though both come from your parents. Perhaps that's why "pocket money" & "allowance" are synonymous in English in this particular context?
Wayne Cheah
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-01-24T14:12:56.487Z
"Pocket money" seems to be British English, and the use of "allowance" in this context American English.
Carsten S
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-01-24T17:43:44.943Z
@CarstenS oh my mandarin book refers to it as pocket money
Redwood
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-01-24T18:08:41.747Z
Please note that I am not sure about the AE/BE usage distinction that I mentioned, I am not even a native English speaker. I just thought that it might be helpful and perhaps explain part of the confusion.
Carsten S
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-01-25T09:32:35.180Z
Allowance has multiple meanings in English, which may correspond to different words in Chinese. Baggage allowance for example is neither 零用钱 or 津贴.
xngtng
<translation><word-choice><word><word-requests>
How do you say "allowance" in mandarin?
# How do you say "allowance" in mandarin?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-01-23)

Google Translate says it is 津贴, but my mom says it is 零用钱. Apparently 津贴 doesn't mean allowance, so what does each character mean? My book and google translate say 零用钱 is pocket money. How does that mean allowance? Also what is 零花钱?

**Tags:** translation, word-choice, word, word-requests

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I am not sure which country you are in, but when you are a kid, (say between 7 to 17 of age), you get "pocket money", but when you attend college you get an "allowance" though both come from your parents. Perhaps that's why "pocket money" & "allowance" are synonymous in English in this particular context?  
> **username_2**: "Pocket money" seems to be British English, and the use of "allowance" in this context American English.  
> **username_0**: @username_2 oh my mandarin book refers to it as pocket money  
> **username_2**: Please note that I am not sure about the AE/BE usage distinction that I mentioned, I am not even a native English speaker. I just thought that it might be helpful and perhaps explain part of the confusion.  
> **username_3**: Allowance has multiple meanings in English, which may correspond to different words in Chinese. Baggage allowance for example is neither 零用钱 or 津贴.  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_5 on 2021-01-23. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

Allowance (pocket money) for kids is translated as 零用钱 or 零花钱. It is not the same as 红封包/ 利是 (lucky money contained in a red envelope).

Kids get 零用钱 on a regular basis but only get 红封包 on New year or special occasions

[津](https://cantoneseplus.com/character/2414) - additional

[贴](https://cantoneseplus.com/character/838) - allowance, subsidy

津贴 = allowance, subsidy. e.g. 伤残津贴 (disability allowance); 书本津贴 (textbooks subsidy)

More example of 津: [薪津](https://cantoneseplus.com/word/194651) = 薪金 + 津贴 (salary and additional allowance) = 'paycheck, pay'


---

### Answer by username_4 on 2021-01-23. Score: 3

* Pocket money is a synonym of allowance and it is translated: 零用钱 or 零花钱.
* Allowance, akin to subsidy, can be translated as 津贴 or 补贴.

Disability allowance for instance would be translated: 残疾补贴.


---

