Chinatown

American

[chahy-nuh-taun] / 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.

See Examples For:

Chinatown

The city has what is regarded as Central Europe’s largest Chinatown, about a $15 cab ride from the center, where Dabao Jiaozi is the dumpling purveyor of first resort.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

The answer is the academy he now runs with Dre Comers, located near Metro’s Chinatown station, providing art instruction to tens of thousands of people.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026

On my first trip to a small storefront in Chinatown, I spent about $20 to play nine times.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

For Wok Wok, a Malaysian restaurant tucked below a pharmacy in the heart of Chinatown, the exposure has been a game changer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

A Chinatown postcard of a parade dragon from our San Francisco excursion.

From "P.S. Be Eleven" by Rita Williams-Garcia

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