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by Markoff·3d ago·view on hn ↗
it's actually "kuai" (pronounced same way as popular incorrect name of famous The Bridge on the River Kwai (the correct name is K(h)waE)) in Chinese streets, if you use yuan or renmimbi you will sound like you pretend to be some snobbish TV news host

I don't think I've ever used anywhere in street, shop or restaurant yuan/renmimbi, at least not in Beijing and around, some people may use yuan, hardly anyone renmimbi

here you have AI answer based on Reddit thread, which I can confirm is correct:

"In everyday spoken Chinese, kuai (块) is overwhelmingly the most common term used to state prices. Yuan (元) is used in formal writing and official contexts, while renminbi (人民币) names the overall currency system like "Sterling" or "USD" rather than a daily price unit."

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As a Western analogy, GBP has similar levels of formality:

Reminbi ~= Pound Sterling

Yuan ~= Pound

Kuai ~= Quid

Is quid really used in UK by 80-90% people? I thought it's very informal slang word (of some lower educated people), in China most of the people just use kuai (well I guess not bank tellers).
> Is quid really used in UK by 80-90% people?

I deal with Brits on a daily basis.

I seldom hear them use the term "pound". Everyone says quid.

Pretty much everyone uses it in informal settings in my experience.

In a professional environment, people usually say pound.

The distinction is context-based, not class- or education-based.

It's my understanding the same is the case for kuai vs yuan as well?