报纸 (bào zhǐ) literally means 'report paper' — 报 (bào) means 'to report' or 'news', and 纸 (zhǐ) means 'paper'. Together, they refer to a printed publication containing news, articles, opinion pieces, and advertisements, typically issued daily or weekly. Newspapers are a traditional medium for sharing current events, politics, business, sports, and culture in China and worldwide.

In modern China, while digital news is increasingly popular, many people — especially older generations — still read physical newspapers every morning with tea or during their commute. Common types include national papers like 人民日报 (Rénmín Rìbào) and regional ones like 北京日报 (Běijīng Rìbào). The word is always used as a singular, uncountable noun; to specify quantity, use measure words like 一份 (yī fèn) — 'a copy of' — not 个 (gè).