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Chinatown

American  
[chahy-nuh-toun] / ˈtʃaɪ nəˌtaʊn /

noun

  1. the main Chinese district in any city outside China.

Chinatown British  
/ ˈtʃaɪnəˌtaʊn /

noun

  1. a quarter of any city or town outside China with a predominantly Chinese population

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of Chinatown

China + town

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He was in the Royal Navy for eight years, and worked for a company providing security for events in Chinatown.

From BBC • May 7, 2026

He and Wai were introduced at a restaurant in London's Chinatown by Chu Ting Tang, a prominent figure in the area is known to be sympathetic to the Chinese government's policies in Hong Kong.

From BBC • May 7, 2026

Raul Claros: A resident of Chinatown, Claros is chief executive of UNO Partners, a government relations consulting firm.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

“I found a little place in Chinatown with no sign on the doors,” Ausman says.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

Chinatown in San Francisco had been like its own city.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.