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China has many languages and dialects. Mandarin is the most widely used and is considered the national spoken language.
Mandarin Chinese uses 4 tones to differentiate words (see key below). Using them is essential for avoiding misunderstandings. For example, the world "ma" has four distinct meanings, depending on the tone you use.
Ma = Mother
Ma = Linen/hemp
Ma = Horse
Ma = To curse
You wouldn't want to call someone's mother as a horse.

I inserted symbols (such as
)
after each syllable in the phonetics below. You will not see those symbols
in transliterations written on signs, menus and other media. I use them as
visual aids to help you pronounce
a syllable with the correct tone (also called pitch or inflection).
Hello
ni hao knee
how
Goodbye
zaijian zye
jee
ahn
Thank you
xie xie ni sheh
sheh
knee
You're welcome
bu ke qi boo
keh
chee
Please
qing cheeng
Excuse me
dui bu qi dway
boo
chee
My name is...
wo jiao wah
jao
("a" as in "father")
How much?
duo shao dah
shao
(rhymes with "cow")
I don't understand
wo bu dong wah
boo
dohng
Yes
shi she
No
bu shi boo
she
One
yi yee
Two
er ehr
Three
san sahn
Mandarin
is the spoken language of Beijing and surrounding areas.
It
is difficult for foreigners to speak because it is a tonal language.
The
words in black non-bold type in the glossary above are the Pinyin spelling ("ni hao" for
instance). It converts Chinese characters into Roman letters. The system was
created for the benefit of non-Chinese speaking foreigners.
Some
of the street and other signs in big cities use Pinyin in small type under the
Chinese characters.
Print
this page to take with you on your next trip to China.

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