Family, colors, numbers, food, body parts and daily objects. Building your core vocabulary and character recognition — 150 essential characters.
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家人 jiārén — Family
Family vocabulary is essential in Chinese culture, where family relationships have very specific terms.
爸爸 bàba
· bah-bah
father/dad
我爸爸是医生。
妈妈 māma
· mah-mah
mother/mom
我妈妈做饭很好吃。
哥哥 gēge
· guh-guh
older brother
我哥哥很高。
姐姐 jiějie
· jyeh-jyeh
older sister
姐姐在上海。
弟弟 dìdi
· dee-dee
younger brother
弟弟十岁。
妹妹 mèimei
· may-may
younger sister
妹妹很可爱。
儿子 érzi
· ar-dzih
son
我的儿子三岁。
女儿 nǚ'ér
· nyew-ar
daughter
女儿上学了。
丈夫 zhàngfu
· jahng-foo
husband
我丈夫是老师。
妻子 qīzi
· chee-dzih
wife
他妻子很漂亮。
Chinese distinguishes older vs younger siblings: 哥哥 (older brother) ≠ 弟弟 (younger brother), 姐姐 (older sister) ≠ 妹妹 (younger sister). There are also different words for paternal vs maternal relatives!
Wǒ jiā yǒu wǔ ge rén. 我家有五个人。
There are five people in my family.
Wǒ yǒu yī ge gēge hé yī ge mèimei.
I have one older brother and one younger sister.
数字 shùzì — Numbers 1-100 & Money
Numbers are everywhere: prices, phone numbers, addresses, dates.
二十 èrshí
· ar-shih
twenty
二十块钱
三十 sānshí
· sahn-shih
thirty
三十岁
五十 wǔshí
· woo-shih
fifty
五十个人
一百 yī bǎi
· ee bai
one hundred
一百块
两 liǎng
· lyahng
two (before measure word)
两个人 — two people
钱 qián
· chyen
money
多少钱？
块 kuài
· kwai
yuan (spoken)
十块钱
元 yuán
· ywahn
yuan (formal)
一百元
贵 guì
· gway
expensive
太贵了！
便宜 piányi
· pyen-yee
cheap
很便宜！
Use 两 liǎng (not 二 èr) before measure words: 两个人 (two people), 两本书 (two books). 二 is for counting, math and phone numbers. For money: 块 is casual, 元 is formal.
Zhè ge duōshao qián? — Sānshí kuài. 多少钱？三十块。
How much? — Thirty yuan.
Tài guì le! Piányi yīdiǎn ba. 太贵了！便宜一点吧。
Too expensive! Make it cheaper.
食物 shíwù — Food & Drink
Chinese cuisine is one of the world's great food cultures. These words will help you order and enjoy it.
米饭 mǐfàn
· mee-fahn
rice (cooked)
来一碗米饭。
面条 miàntiáo
· myen-tyow
noodles
我要一碗面条。
饺子 jiǎozi
· jyow-dzih
dumplings
北京饺子很好吃。
茶 chá
· chah
tea
来一杯茶。
水 shuǐ
· shway
water
一杯水
咖啡 kāfēi
· kah-fay
coffee
一杯咖啡
啤酒 píjiǔ
· pee-jyow
beer
来两瓶啤酒。
好吃 hǎochī
· how-chih
delicious
这个很好吃！
菜单 càidān
· tsai-dahn
menu
请给我菜单。
买单 mǎidān
· mai-dahn
check/bill
买单！
When ordering food, say 我要… wǒ yào (I want) or 来一个… lái yī ge (bring one...). To ask for the bill: 买单！mǎidān! or 结账 jiézhàng.