欧元 (Ōuyuán) is the official currency of 20 European Union member states, commonly abbreviated as 'EUR' or symbolized by €. The character 欧 (Ōu) is short for 欧洲 (Ōuzhōu), meaning 'Europe', while 元 (yuán) is the standard Chinese term for 'currency unit'—the same character used in 人民币 (Rénmínbì, Chinese yuan). Together, 欧元 literally means 'European currency unit' and functions exclusively as a proper noun referring to the euro.

This word is widely used in financial, travel, and news contexts in Chinese. Unlike generic terms like 钱 (qián, 'money'), 欧元 always refers specifically to the euro—not any European money in general—and is never used as a verb or adjective. It appears in price tags, exchange rate reports, and travel discussions, especially when comparing currencies or discussing international payments.