How to Ask If an Apartment Is Furnished in Mandarin Chinese
Learn to ask 'Is it furnished?' in Mandarin and name common furniture and appliances, so you can check what an apartment includes before you rent it.
By SofiaGetting around · Yapr Learn
When you look at an apartment in a Chinese-speaking city, one of the first things you need to know is whether it comes with furniture. In Mandarin, the key word is 家具 (jiājù), which means 'furniture.' The basic question is 有家具吗？(Yǒu jiājù ma?) — literally 'Have furniture?' The particle 吗 (ma) turns a statement into a yes/no question, and 有 (yǒu) means 'have' or 'there is.' In this lesson you will learn to ask whether an apartment is furnished, ask about specific items such as a bed, sofa, washing machine, or air conditioner, and understand the answers you hear. You will also learn the useful pattern 带 (dài), meaning 'come with,' which is very common in rental listings. All examples use simplified Chinese characters, pinyin with tone marks, and everyday spoken Mandarin.
By the end, you can…
- ask whether an apartment is furnished using 有家具吗？
- ask about specific items such as a bed, sofa, washing machine, and air conditioner
- understand and answer simple yes/no questions about furnishings using 有 and 没有
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
有家具吗？
Is it furnished? / Does it have furniture?
yǒu jiājù ma
The most direct way to ask whether an apartment is furnished. Use it at the start of a viewing or in a message to a landlord or agent.
带家具吗？
Does it come with furniture?
dài jiājù ma
Very common in rental listings and ads. 带 (dài) means 'come with' or 'include,' so this sounds slightly more like listing language than 有.
有床吗？
Is there a bed? / Does it have a bed?
yǒu chuáng ma
Use this to check a specific item. You can replace 床 with other nouns, for example 有沙发吗？(yǒu shāfā ma) 'Is there a sofa?'
有洗衣机吗？
Is there a washing machine?
yǒu xǐyījī ma
洗衣机 (xǐyījī) literally means 'wash-clothes-machine.' Washing machines are not guaranteed in every rental, so this is a practical question.
有空调吗？
Is there air conditioning?
yǒu kōngtiáo ma
空调 (kōngtiáo) means 'air conditioner.' In many parts of China this matters a lot in summer and winter, so ask before you decide.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The pattern 有 + noun + 吗？(yǒu + noun + ma) asks whether something exists or is present. 有家具吗？means 'Is there furniture?' or 'Is it furnished?' 有床吗？means 'Is there a bed?' To answer yes, say 有 (yǒu). To answer no, say 没有 (méiyǒu). You can also use 带 (dài) to mean 'come with': 带家具 (dài jiājù) means 'comes with furniture.' For example, 这个房子带家具吗？(Zhège fángzi dài jiājù ma?) means 'Does this apartment come with furniture?'
When to use it
Use 有家具吗？when you want a simple yes/no answer about furniture in general. Use 带家具吗？when you are reading or discussing a rental listing, because 带 is common in advertisements. If you need details, ask about each item: 有床吗？有沙发吗？有冰箱吗？(yǒu bīngxiāng ma — 'Is there a refrigerator?'). When you hear an answer, listen for 有 (yes) or 没有 (no). If someone says 有家具，没有洗衣机 (Yǒu jiājù, méiyǒu xǐyījī), it means 'There is furniture, but no washing machine.'
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
你好，这个房子有家具吗？
Hello, is this apartment furnished?nǐ hǎo, zhège fángzi yǒu jiājù ma有家具。有床、沙发和桌子。
It is furnished. There is a bed, a sofa, and a table.yǒu jiājù. yǒu chuáng, shāfā hé zhuōzi有洗衣机和空调吗？
Is there a washing machine and air conditioning?yǒu xǐyījī hé kōngtiáo ma有空调，没有洗衣机。
There is air conditioning, but no washing machine.yǒu kōngtiáo, méiyǒu xǐyījīA little context goes a long way
In Chinese rentals, 家具 usually means basic furniture such as a bed, wardrobe, sofa, and table. Appliances like a washing machine, refrigerator, or air conditioner are often listed separately, so ask about each one. The word 拎包入住 (līn bāo rùzhù), literally 'carry your bag and move in,' appears in listings and means the place is fully ready to live in. It is a useful phrase to recognize, but still confirm the specific items you need.
One thing to watch for
Answering 'Is it furnished?' with 是 (shì), as in 是家具.
Try this instead: Use 有 (yǒu) for existence or possession, not 是 (shì). The correct answer is 有家具 (yǒu jiājù) 'It is furnished' or simply 有 (yǒu) 'Yes.' Use 没有 (méiyǒu) for 'No.'
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you ask 'Is it furnished?' in Mandarin?
Show a sample answer
有家具吗？(Yǒu jiājù ma?)
This uses 有 (have/there is) + 家具 (furniture) + 吗 (question particle). 带家具吗？(Dài jiājù ma?) is also correct, especially when talking about a rental listing.
2You hear 有空调，没有洗衣机. What does the apartment have and not have?
Show a sample answer
It has air conditioning but no washing machine.
有 (yǒu) means 'there is' and 没有 (méiyǒu) means 'there is not.' The sentence lists air conditioning first, then the missing washing machine.
3How do you ask specifically whether there is a bed?
Show a sample answer
有床吗？(Yǒu chuáng ma?)
Replace 家具 with the item you want to check: 床 (chuáng) means 'bed.' You can use the same pattern for 沙发 (shāfā, sofa) or 冰箱 (bīngxiāng, refrigerator).
Ask 有家具吗？for a general yes/no answer, and 有……吗？for each item you care about. Listen for 有 (yes) and 没有 (no).
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