Chinatown

American

[chahy-nuh-toun] / ˈtʃaɪ nəˌtaʊn /

noun

the main Chinese district in any city outside China.

Chinatown British

/ ˈtʃaɪnəˌtaʊn /

noun

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.

"That doesn't mean that they can't have their own Arab mayor and their own Arab culture but it would be like a Chinatown within the broader Israel."

From Barron's • Jun. 29, 2026

Chinatown and downtown L.A. residents will be able to easily access the station via ride share, Metro rail or on foot.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2026

I was living in Boston and traveling to New York every chance I could slip away, thanks to the $30 round-trip bus tickets I could get my hands on in Chinatown.

From Salon • Jun. 3, 2026

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

When Auntie An-mei and Uncle George moved to the Sunset district from Chinatown twenty-five years ago, they bought new furniture.

From "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan

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