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Chinese phrases
with pronunciations
Mandarin Chinese
phrase sheet
China has many languages and dialects. Mandarin is the most widely used and is considered the national spoken language.
Tone pronunciation
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 kneehow
Goodbye
zaijian zye
jee
ahn
Thank you
xie xie ni shehshehknee
You're welcome
bu ke qi boo
kehchee
Please
qing cheeng
Excuse me
dui bu qi dwayboochee
My name is...
wo jiao wahjao("a" as in "father")
How much?
duo shao dahshao
(rhymes with "cow")
I don't understand
wo bu dong wahboodohng
Yes
shi she
No
bu shi booshe
One
yi yee
Two
er ehr
Three
san sahn
Mandarin Chinese
insights
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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©2012 HQP - Hillman Quality Publications / hillmanwonders.com
