老闆

See also: 老板

Chinese

	respectful prefix	phonetic
trad. (老闆/老板)	老	闆/板
simp. (老板)	老	板
alternative forms	老版

Etymology

From earlier 老辦／老办 or 老班, from 老 (lǎo, “a respectful prefix”) + 辦／办 (bàn, “to manage”) or 班 (bān, “group”); 闆 and 板 in 老闆／老板 are phonetic loan characters; first attested as 老辦／老办 in the 16^th century (Yang, 2012).

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): lǎobǎn

(Zhuyin): ㄌㄠˇ ㄅㄢˇ
Cantonese
(Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): lou⁵ baan²

(Taishan, Wiktionary): lau² ban²
Gan (Wiktionary): lau³ 'ban³
Hakka (Meixian, Guangdong): lau³ ban³
Jin (Wiktionary): lau² ban²
Eastern Min (BUC): lō̤-*bēng
Southern Min
(Hokkien, POJ): láu-pán / làu-pán / lāu-pán

(Teochew, Peng'im): lao⁶ bang² / lao² bang²
Wu (Northern, Wugniu): ⁶lau-pe₅ / ²lau₆-pe₃
Xiang (Changsha, Wiktionary): lau³ ban³

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: lǎobǎn [Phonetic: láobǎn]
  - Zhuyin: ㄌㄠˇ ㄅㄢˇ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: lǎobǎn
  - Wade–Giles: lao³-pan³
  - Yale: lǎu-bǎn
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: laobaan
  - Palladius: лаобань (laobanʹ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /lɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ pän²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: lou⁵ baan²
  - Yale: lóuh báan
  - Cantonese Pinyin: lou⁵ baan²
  - Guangdong Romanization: lou⁵ ban²
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /lou̯¹³ paːn³⁵/
- (Taishanese, Taicheng)
  - Wiktionary: lau² ban²
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /lau⁵⁵ pan⁵⁵/
Gan
- (Nanchang)
  - Wiktionary: lau³ 'ban³
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /lau²¹³⁻²⁴ ˈpan²¹³/
Hakka
- (Meixian)
  - Guangdong: lau³ ban³
  - Sinological IPA: /lau³¹ pan³¹/
Jin
- (Taiyuan)⁺
  - Wiktionary: lau² ban²
  - Sinological IPA (old-style): /lau⁵³⁻¹¹ pæ̃⁵³/
Eastern Min
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: lō̤-*bēng
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /l̃o³³⁻³⁵ pɛiŋ³³/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese, Tainan, Yilan)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: láu-pán
  - Tâi-lô: láu-pán
  - Phofsit Daibuun: law'parn
  - IPA (Tainan, Yilan): /lau⁵³⁻⁵⁵ pan⁵³/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /lau⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ pan⁴¹/
  - IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Taipei): /lau⁵³⁻⁴⁴ pan⁵³/
- (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: làu-pán
  - Tâi-lô: làu-pán
  - Phofsit Daibuun: lao'parn
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /lau⁴¹⁻⁵⁵⁴ pan⁵⁵⁴/
- (Hokkien: variant in Taiwan)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: lāu-pán
  - Tâi-lô: lāu-pán
  - Phofsit Daibuun: lauxparn
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /lau³³⁻²¹ pan⁴¹/
  - IPA (Taipei): /lau³³⁻¹¹ pan⁵³/
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: lao⁶ bang² / lao² bang²
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: lău páng / láu páng
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /lau³⁵⁻¹¹ paŋ⁵²/, /lau⁵²⁻³⁵ paŋ⁵²⁻²¹/
Wu
- (Northern: Shanghai)
  - Wugniu: ⁶lau-pe₅
  - MiniDict: lau^去 pe^去
  - Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ³lau-pe₂
  - Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /lɔ²² pe⁴⁴/
- (Northern: Suzhou)
  - Wugniu: ²lau₆-pe₃
  - MiniDict: lau^去 pe^上
  - Sinological IPA (Suzhou): /læ²² pe³³/
Xiang
- (Changsha)
  - Wiktionary: lau³ ban³
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /lɒu̯⁴¹ pan⁴¹/

Noun

老闆

shop owner; business proprietor
boss; chief
老闆升了你的職。 [MSC, trad.]
老板升了你的职。 [MSC, simp.]
Lǎobǎn shēngle nǐde zhí. [Pinyin]
The boss gave you a promotion.

老闆拖欠我的工資。 [MSC, trad.]
老板拖欠我的工资。 [MSC, simp.]
Lǎobǎn tuōqiàn wǒ de gōngzī. [Pinyin]
My boss is behind on paying my wages.

老闆不願意增加店員。 [MSC, trad.]
老板不愿意增加店员。 [MSC, simp.]
Lǎobǎn bù yuànyì zēngjiā diànyuán. [Pinyin]
The boss is unwilling to increase the number of employees.

老闆說他想先試用你六個月。 [MSC, trad.]
老板说他想先试用你六个月。 [MSC, simp.]
Lǎobǎn shuō tā xiǎng xiān shìyòng nǐ liù ge yuè. [Pinyin]
The boss said he would like to put you on six months probation first.
(honorific) famous actor in Beijing opera

Synonyms

Dialectal synonyms of 老闆 (“boss; proprietor”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		老闆
Northeastern Mandarin	Beijing	掌櫃的
	Taiwan	老闆, 頭家
	Harbin	掌櫃的
	Malaysia	老闆
	Singapore	老闆
Jilu Mandarin	Jinan	老闆
Jiaoliao Mandarin	Yantai (Muping)	老闆
Central Plains Mandarin	Xining	老闆
Central Plains Mandarin	Xuzhou	老闆兒, 老闆, 掌櫃的
Lanyin Mandarin	Yinchuan	老闆
Lanyin Mandarin	Ürümqi	掌櫃底
Southwestern Mandarin	Chengdu	老闆兒, 老闆
	Chongqing	老闆兒
	Wuhan	老闆
	Guiyang	老闆
	Liuzhou	老闆
Jianghuai Mandarin	Nanjing	老闆
Jianghuai Mandarin	Yangzhou	老闆
Cantonese	Guangzhou	事頭, 老細, 老闆, 波士, 阿頭 boss
	Hong Kong	事頭, 老細, 老闆, 波士, 阿頭 boss, 老頂 boss
	Hong Kong (Kam Tin; Weitou)	事頭
	Macau	事頭, 老細
	Guangzhou (Panyu)	事頭
	Guangzhou (Huashan, Huadu)	事頭
	Guangzhou (Conghua)	事頭
	Guangzhou (Zengcheng)	事頭
	Foshan	事頭
	Foshan (Shatou, Nanhai)	事頭
	Foshan (Shunde)	事頭
	Foshan (Sanshui)	事頭
	Foshan (Mingcheng, Gaoming)	老闆
	Zhongshan (Shiqi)	事頭, 老細
	Zhuhai (Qianshan, Xiangzhou)	事頭
	Zhuhai (Shangheng, Doumen; Tanka)	事頭
	Zhuhai (Doumen)	事頭
	Jiangmen (Baisha)	事頭
	Jiangmen (Xinhui)	事頭
	Taishan	事頭, 老細, 老闆
	Kaiping (Chikan)	事頭, 老細
	Enping (Niujiang)	事頭
	Heshan (Yayao)	老闆, 事頭
	Dongguan	事頭, 老細, 老闆, 波士
	Shenzhen (Shajing, Bao'an)	事頭
	Yangjiang	老闆, 事頭
	Nanning	老闆, 事頭
	Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu)	老闆, 事頭, 阿頭 boss
	Penang (Guangfu)	老細
	Singapore (Guangfu)	老細, 老闆
	Ho Chi Minh City (Guangfu)	老細
Gan	Nanchang	老闆
	Lichuan	老闆
	Pingxiang	老闆
Hakka	Meixian	頭家, 老闆
	Huizhou (Huicheng; Bendihua)	老闆
	Dongguan (Qingxi)	事頭
	Shenzhen (Shatoujiao)	事頭
	Wuhua (Shuizhai)	老闆
	Wuhua (Huacheng)	老闆, 店家 shopkeeper
	Wuhua (Changbu)	老闆
	Wuhua (Mianyang)	老闆
	Guangzhou (Lütian, Conghua)	老闆
	Jiexi	頭家
	Luhe	老闆
	Yudu	老闆
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	頭家
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	頭家
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	頭家
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	頭家
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	頭家
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	頭家
	Kuching (Hepo)	頭家
Jin	Taiyuan	老闆, 掌櫃, 掌櫃的
Jin	Xinzhou	掌櫃子
Northern Min	Jian'ou	老闆
Eastern Min	Fuzhou	老闆
Southern Min	Xiamen	頭家
	Xiamen (Tong'an)	頭家
	Quanzhou	頭家
	Jinjiang	頭家
	Yongchun	頭家
	Zhangzhou	頭家
	Zhao'an	頭家, 老闆
	Taipei	老闆, 頭家
	New Taipei (Sanxia)	頭家
	Kaohsiung	頭家
	Yilan	老闆, 頭家
	Changhua (Lukang)	頭家
	Taichung	頭家
	Tainan	老闆, 頭家
	Hsinchu	頭家
	Kinmen	頭家
	Penghu (Magong)	頭家
	Penang (Hokkien)	頭家
	Singapore (Hokkien)	頭家, 老大
	Manila (Hokkien)	頭家
	Chaozhou	頭家, 老闆
	Shantou	頭家
	Shantou (Chenghai)	頭家
	Jieyang	頭家
	Bangkok (Teochew)	頭家
	Johor Bahru (Teochew)	頭家, 阿頭 boss
	Singapore (Teochew)	頭家
	Leizhou	老闆
	Wenchang	頭家
	Haikou	頭家, 老闆
	Singapore (Hainanese)	頭家
Zhongshan Min	Zhongshan (Longdu, Shaxi)	老闆
Southern Pinghua	Nanning (Tingzi)	老闆
Wu	Shanghai	老闆
	Shanghai (Chongming)	老闆
	Suzhou	老闆
	Danyang	老闆
	Hangzhou	老闆
	Ningbo	老闆, 冷士 dated
	Wenzhou	老闆
	Jinhua	老闆兒
Xiang	Changsha	老闆
Xiang	Loudi	老闆

Derived terms

你老闆 / 你老板
大老闆 / 大老板
小老闆 / 小老板
後臺老闆 / 后台老板
老闆娘 / 老板娘 (lǎobǎnniáng)
老闆鍵 / 老板键 (lǎobǎnjiàn)

References

“老闆”, in 教育部臺灣台語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwanese Taigi] (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2025.