Sino-Tibetan · Hanzi
Chinese中文
1.1B speakers · East Asia
250 terms
Nǐ hǎo
Hello
The most common Chinese greeting, used at any time of day.
Zǎoshang hǎo
Good morning
A polite morning greeting used before noon.
Wǎnshang hǎo
Good evening
A greeting used in the evening.
Wǎn'ān
Good night
Said before going to bed or parting at night.
Zàijiàn
Goodbye
The standard way to say goodbye, literally meaning see you again.
Xièxie
Thank you
The standard expression of gratitude.
Bú kèqi
You're welcome
The standard reply to thank you, literally meaning don't be polite.
Qǐng
Please
Used to make polite requests or invite someone to do something.
Duìbuqǐ
Sorry
An apology for a mistake or inconvenience.
Méi guānxi
It's okay
A reply to an apology meaning no problem or it doesn't matter.
Shì de
Yes
An affirmative answer confirming something is true.
Bú shì
No
A negative answer meaning that something is not the case.
Nǐ hǎo ma
How are you?
A common question asking about someone's wellbeing.
Wǒ jiào
My name is
Used to introduce yourself by name.
Hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ
Nice to meet you
A polite phrase said when meeting someone for the first time.
Huānyíng
Welcome
Used to greet guests or new arrivals warmly.
Jiāyóu
Keep going / Good luck
An encouragement meaning add oil, used to cheer someone on.
Gānbēi
Cheers
A toast before drinking, literally meaning dry the cup.
yī
One
The number one.
èr
Two
The number two.
sān
Three
The number three.
sì
Four
The number four.
wǔ
Five
The number five.
liù
Six
The number six.
qī
Seven
The number seven.
bā
Eight
The number eight, considered lucky in Chinese culture.
jiǔ
Nine
The number nine.
shí
Ten
The number ten, the base for forming larger numbers.
bǎi
Hundred
The number one hundred.
qiān
Thousand
The number one thousand.
jīntiān
Today
The present day.
míngtiān
Tomorrow
The day after today.
zuótiān
Yesterday
The day before today.
xiànzài
Now
The present moment.
xiǎoshí
Hour
A period of sixty minutes.
fēnzhōng
Minute
A period of sixty seconds.
xīngqī
Week
A period of seven days.
nián
Year
A period of twelve months.
māma
Mom
An informal word for mother.
bàba
Dad
An informal word for father.
érzi
Son
A male child in relation to his parents.
nǚ'ér
Daughter
A female child in relation to her parents.
gēge
Older brother
A brother who is older than you.
jiějie
Older sister
A sister who is older than you.
dìdi
Younger brother
A brother who is younger than you.
mèimei
Younger sister
A sister who is younger than you.
yéye
Grandfather
The father of your father.
nǎinai
Grandmother
The mother of your father.
jiātíng
Family
A group of people related by blood or marriage.
péngyou
Friend
A person you know well and like.
háizi
Child
A young person, or someone's son or daughter.
nánrén
Man
An adult male person.
nǚrén
Woman
An adult female person.
zhàngfu
Husband
The man a woman is married to.
qīzi
Wife
The woman a man is married to.
línjū
Neighbor
A person who lives next to or near you.
shuǐ
Water
The clear liquid that is essential for life.
chá
Tea
A hot drink made from tea leaves, central to Chinese culture.
kāfēi
Coffee
A hot drink made from roasted coffee beans.
mǐfàn
Rice
Cooked rice, the staple food in much of China.
miàntiáo
Noodles
Long thin strips of pasta, a staple in northern China.
jiǎozi
Dumplings
Boiled or fried dough parcels with meat or vegetable filling.
miànbāo
Bread
A baked food made from flour and water.
jīdàn
Egg
An egg laid by a hen, a common breakfast food.
ròu
Meat
The flesh of animals eaten as food.
niúròu
Beef
Meat from a cow.
yú
Fish
An animal that lives in water, eaten as food.
shūcài
Vegetables
Plants grown for food, such as cabbage and carrots.
shuǐguǒ
Fruit
Sweet plant foods such as apples and bananas.
píngguǒ
Apple
A round fruit with red or green skin.
niúnǎi
Milk
A white drink produced by cows.
píjiǔ
Beer
An alcoholic drink made from malt and hops.
tāng
Soup
A liquid dish, often served at the end of a Chinese meal.
zǎofàn
Breakfast
The first meal of the day.
wǔfàn
Lunch
The meal eaten in the middle of the day.
wǎnfàn
Dinner
The main meal eaten in the evening.
jīchǎng
Airport
A place where airplanes take off and land.
huǒchēzhàn
Train station
A place where trains stop for passengers.
jiǔdiàn
Hotel
A place where travelers pay to stay overnight.
fàndiàn
Restaurant
A place where you pay to eat meals.
shāngdiàn
Shop
A place where goods are sold.
chāoshì
Supermarket
A large shop selling food and household goods.
yínháng
Bank
A place where people keep and borrow money.
chéngshì
City
A large town where many people live and work.
dìtú
Map
A drawing showing streets, cities, or countries.
hùzhào
Passport
An official document needed for traveling abroad.
piào
Ticket
A piece of paper that allows you to travel or enter a place.
chūzūchē
Taxi
A car you pay to be driven somewhere in.
gōnggòng qìchē
Bus
A large road vehicle that carries many passengers.
dìtiě
Subway
An underground railway system in a city.
fēijī
Airplane
A flying vehicle with wings and engines.
huǒchē
Train
A connected line of carriages that runs on rails.
lù
Road
A way for cars and people to travel between places.
lǚxíng
To travel
To go on a journey to visit other places.
tàiyáng
Sun
The star that gives Earth light and warmth.
yuèliang
Moon
The bright object seen in the sky at night.
xīngxing
Star
A point of light visible in the night sky.
tiānkōng
Sky
The space above the earth where clouds and stars appear.
shān
Mountain
A very high hill, often with steep sides.
hé
River
A large natural stream of water flowing to the sea.
hǎi
Sea
The large body of salt water that covers much of the earth.
shù
Tree
A tall plant with a trunk, branches, and leaves.
huā
Flower
The colorful blossom of a plant.
yǔ
Rain
Water that falls from clouds in drops.
xuě
Snow
Soft white frozen water that falls in winter.
fēng
Wind
Moving air that you can feel.
tiānqì
Weather
The condition of the air, such as sun, rain, or wind.
dòngwù
Animal
A living creature such as a dog, bird, or fish.
gǒu
Dog
A common pet animal that barks.
māo
Cat
A small pet animal that meows.
tóu
Head
The top part of the body containing the brain and face.
yǎnjing
Eye
The part of the body used for seeing.
ěrduo
Ear
The part of the body used for hearing.
bízi
Nose
The part of the face used for smelling and breathing.
zuǐ
Mouth
The part of the face used for eating and speaking.
shǒu
Hand
The part of the body at the end of the arm.
jiǎo
Foot
The part of the body at the end of the leg.
xīn
Heart
The organ that pumps blood, also used for feelings.
tóufa
Hair
The hair that grows on a person's head.
dùzi
Stomach
The belly, the front part of the body below the chest.
jiànkāng
Healthy
Being in good physical condition, or health itself.
shēngbìng
To get sick
To become ill.
yīshēng
Doctor
A person trained to treat sick people.
yào
Medicine
Something you take to treat an illness.
téng
Painful
Hurting, causing pain.
lèi
Tired
Needing rest after work or activity.
gōngzuò
Work / Job
A job, or the activity of working.
gōngsī
Company
A business organization that sells goods or services.
bàngōngshì
Office
A room or building where people work at desks.
lǎobǎn
Boss
The person in charge of a business or employees.
tóngshì
Colleague
A person you work with.
huìyì
Meeting
A gathering of people to discuss work matters.
qián
Money
What you use to buy things.
gōngzī
Salary
The money you earn from your job.
diànnǎo
Computer
An electronic machine used for work and the internet.
diànhuà
Telephone
A device used to talk to people far away.
diànzǐ yóujiàn
A message sent electronically over the internet.
shēngyi
Business
Commercial trade or a commercial enterprise.
kèhù
Client
A person or company that buys goods or services.
jīnglǐ
Manager
A person who manages a team or department.
hétong
Contract
A formal written agreement between parties.
xiàngmù
Project
A planned piece of work with a specific goal.
wénhuà
Culture
The customs, arts, and way of life of a people.
yīnyuè
Music
Sounds arranged in a pleasing or expressive way.
yìshù
Art
Creative work such as painting, music, and sculpture.
lìshǐ
History
The study of past events.
yǔyán
Language
A system of words used by a people to communicate.
shū
Book
Printed pages bound together for reading.
diànyǐng
Movie
A story shown in moving pictures.
Chūnjié
Spring Festival
Chinese New Year, the most important Chinese holiday.
jiérì
Festival
A special day of celebration.
chuántǒng
Tradition
A custom or belief passed down through generations.
xīnwén
News
Reports about recent events.
shèhuì
Society
People living together as an organized community.
guójiā
Country
A nation with its own government and territory.
zhèngfǔ
Government
The group of people who govern a country or region.
shì
To be
The verb used to link a subject with what it is.
yǒu
To have
To possess something, or to indicate existence.
qù
To go
To move from here to another place.
lái
To come
To move toward the speaker or a place.
chī
To eat
To put food in your mouth and swallow it.
hē
To drink
To take liquid into your mouth and swallow it.
shuō
To speak
To say words, to talk.
kàn
To look / watch
To use your eyes to see, watch, or read.
tīng
To listen
To pay attention to sounds with your ears.
zuò
To do / make
To perform an action or create something.
mǎi
To buy
To get something by paying money.
mài
To sell
To give something in exchange for money.
xuéxí
To study
To learn knowledge or a skill.
shuìjiào
To sleep
To rest with your eyes closed at night.
zǒu
To walk
To move on foot, or to leave.
pǎo
To run
To move quickly on foot.
xiě
To write
To form letters or characters on paper or a screen.
dú
To read
To look at words and understand them.
ài
To love
To feel deep affection for someone or something.
xǐhuan
To like
To enjoy or find pleasant.
xiǎng
To think / want
To think about something, or to want to do something.
zhīdào
To know
To have information or be aware of something.
gěi
To give
To hand something to someone.
bāngzhù
To help
To do something that makes things easier for someone.
kāishǐ
To begin
To start doing something.
jiéshù
To end
To finish or come to a close.
zhǎo
To look for
To try to find something or someone.
děng
To wait
To stay where you are until something happens.
dà
Big
Large in size or amount.
xiǎo
Small
Little in size or amount.
hǎo
Good
Of high quality, pleasant, or correct.
huài
Bad
Not good, or broken.
xīn
New
Recently made or bought, not old.
jiù
Old (things)
Used for a long time, not new.
rè
Hot
Having a high temperature.
lěng
Cold
Having a low temperature.
kuài
Fast
Moving or happening quickly.
màn
Slow
Moving or happening without speed.
gāo
Tall / High
Of great height.
ǎi
Short (height)
Of little height.
piàoliang
Beautiful
Pleasing to look at, pretty.
guì
Expensive
Costing a lot of money.
piányi
Cheap
Costing little money.
róngyì
Easy
Not difficult to do or understand.
nán
Difficult
Hard to do or understand.
zhòngyào
Important
Having great value or significance.
máng
Busy
Having a lot to do.
è
Hungry
Wanting or needing food.
kě
Thirsty
Wanting or needing to drink.
gānjìng
Clean
Free from dirt.
shénme
What
Used to ask about a thing.
shéi
Who
Used to ask about a person.
nǎlǐ
Where
Used to ask about a place.
shénme shíhou
When
Used to ask about a time.
wèishénme
Why
Used to ask about a reason.
zěnme
How
Used to ask about a way or method.
duōshao
How much / many
Used to ask about amount or price.
nǎge
Which
Used to ask about a choice between things.
zěnmeyàng
How about / How is it
Used to ask for an opinion or suggestion.
ma
Question particle
Added to the end of a sentence to make it a yes-no question.
jiā
Home
The place where you live with your family.
fángjiān
Room
A part of a building with its own walls and door.
chuáng
Bed
The furniture you sleep on.
zhuōzi
Table
Furniture with a flat top used for eating or working.
yǐzi
Chair
Furniture for one person to sit on.
mén
Door
The entrance to a room or building.
chuānghu
Window
An opening in a wall with glass to let in light.
yàoshi
Key
A small metal object used to open locks.
yīfu
Clothes
Things you wear, such as shirts and trousers.
xié
Shoes
Coverings worn on the feet.
shǒujī
Mobile phone
A small phone you carry with you.
qiánbāo
Wallet
A small case for carrying money and cards.
xǐzǎo
To take a shower
To wash your body.
qǐchuáng
To get up
To get out of bed in the morning.
zuòfàn
To cook
To prepare food for a meal.
dǎsǎo
To clean
To make a place tidy and free of dirt.
mǎi dōngxi
To go shopping
To buy things, literally to buy things.
zhōumò
Weekend
Saturday and Sunday, the days off work.
shēngrì
Birthday
The anniversary of the day you were born.
lǐwù
Gift
Something given to someone on a special occasion.
gāoxìng
Happy
Feeling pleased and glad.
kuàilè
Joyful
Full of happiness, often used in wishes.
nánguò
Sad
Feeling unhappy.
shēngqì
Angry
Feeling or showing anger.
hàipà
To be afraid
To feel fear.
dānxīn
To worry
To feel anxious about something.
àiqíng
Love (romantic)
Romantic love between people.
xīwàng
To hope
To want something to happen.
jīngyà
Surprised
Feeling sudden wonder at something unexpected.
wúliáo
Bored
Feeling uninterested because nothing fun is happening.
xīngfèn
Excited
Feeling very happy and full of energy.
gūdú
Lonely
Feeling alone and without company.
jiāo'ào
Proud
Feeling pleased about an achievement.
gǎndòng
Moved / Touched
Feeling strong emotion because of something kind or beautiful.