念珠 (niànzhū): prayer beads

Measure Word

一串念珠 chuàn

Lǎo héshang shǒu lǐ ná zhe yī chuàn niànzhū.

The old monk held a string of prayer beads in his hand.

Tā bǎ niànzhū guà zài bózi shang.

She hung the rosary around her neck.

memory

念 means 'to recite/chant' and 珠 means 'bead/pearl.' Prayer beads are literally 'chanting beads' — used to count chants or prayers.

culture

念珠 is used across Buddhist, Catholic, and Islamic traditions in Chinese-speaking communities. Buddhist prayer beads (佛珠) typically have 108 beads.

念 niàn

珠 zhū