How to say it in Chinese
How to say it in Chinese: 20 phrases and 12 everyday words, each with the characters, pinyin, the natural reply and example sentences. Most phrases have more than one way to say them, depending on whom you are speaking to, so each page lists them from casual to formal.
Phrases
- Hello in Chinese: 你好 (nǐ hǎo)
- Thank you in Chinese: 谢谢 (xiè xie)
- Good morning in Chinese: 早上好 (zǎo shang hǎo)
- Yes in Chinese: 是 (shì)
- Happy birthday in Chinese: 生日快乐 (shēng rì kuài lè)
- I love you in Chinese: 我爱你 (wǒ ài nǐ)
- Goodbye in Chinese: 再见 (zài jiàn)
- No in Chinese: 不 (bù)
- How are you in Chinese: 你好吗 (nǐ hǎo ma)
- Sorry in Chinese: 对不起 (duì bu qǐ)
- Please in Chinese: 请 (qǐng)
- Welcome in Chinese: 欢迎 (huān yíng)
- Good night in Chinese: 晚安 (wǎn ān)
- Good afternoon in Chinese: 下午好 (xià wǔ hǎo)
- My name is in Chinese: 我叫李明 (wǒ jiào lǐ míng)
- Good evening in Chinese: 晚上好 (wǎn shang hǎo)
- Good luck in Chinese: 祝你好运 (zhù nǐ hǎo yùn)
- What is your name in Chinese: 你叫什么名字？ (nǐ jiào shén me míng zi?)
- I miss you in Chinese: 我想你 (wǒ xiǎng nǐ)
- Polite phrases in Chinese: 不客气 (bù kè qi)
Words
- Love in Chinese: 爱 (ài)
- Water in Chinese: 水 (shuǐ)
- China in Chinese: 中国 (Zhōng guó)
- Dragon in Chinese: 龙 (lóng)
- Cat in Chinese: 猫 (māo)
- Friend in Chinese: 朋友 (péng you)
- Dog in Chinese: 狗 (gǒu)
- Brother in Chinese: 哥哥 (gē ge)
- Beautiful in Chinese: 漂亮 (piào liang)
- Rice in Chinese: 米饭 (mǐ fàn)
- Tea in Chinese: 茶 (chá)
- Red in Chinese: 红色 (hóng sè)
For whole topics of vocabulary, see Chinese vocabulary by topic.
Frequently asked questions
What is the first phrase to learn in Chinese?
你好 (nǐ hǎo, hello) and 谢谢 (xiè xie, thank you). Add 对不起 and 再见 and you can be polite in any shop.
Do these pages teach pronunciation?
Each gives pinyin with tone marks, and every word links to its dictionary entry, where you can hear it. For the tones themselves, see the four tones, explained.
GraphChinese teaches these in an order where each word builds on the last, with audio, and only moves on when each one is proven. The whole course, HSK 0 through HSK 6, is $49 once for lifetime access.
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