Chinese vocabulary by topic
338 linked topic lists of Mandarin words, from greetings and family to work, travel and the news. Each list has about 15 words with pinyin, English, example sentences and audio.
People
- Greetings 问候
- Polite phrases 礼貌用语
- Introductions 自我介绍
- Survival phrases 常用语
- Question words 疑问词
- Pronouns 代词
- Numbers 数字
- Amounts 数量
- Measure words 量词
- Friends 朋友
- People around town 身边的人
- Family 家人
- Family life 家庭生活
- Extended family 亲戚
- Babies & children 孩子
- Childhood & play 童年
- Ages & life stages 年龄
- Birthdays 生日
- Visiting & guests 做客
Core words
- Yes & no 是和不
- This, that & which 这和那
- Everyday verbs 1 常用动词一
- Everyday verbs 2 常用动词二
- Hands-on verbs 动手
- Moving verbs 动作
- Coming & going 来和去
- Describing words 1 形容词一
- Describing words 2 形容词二
- Very, more & most 程度
- How often 频率
- Where is it? 方位词
- Linking words 连词
- Little words 小词
- Thinking & believing 想法
- Can, must & want 能愿动词
- When it happens 时间词
- Start, stop & finish 开始和结束
Home
Food
- Food & drink basics 饮食
- Breakfast 早餐
- Drinks 饮料
- At the coffee shop 咖啡店
- Tea 茶
- Eating out 餐厅
- At the table 餐桌上
- Chinese dishes 中国菜
- Hotpot & barbecue 火锅和烧烤
- Regional cuisines 菜系
- World cuisines 外国菜
- Fast food 快餐
- Snacks & street food 小吃
- Desserts & sweets 甜品
- Fruit 水果
- Vegetables 蔬菜
- Meat & seafood 肉和海鲜
- The kitchen 厨房
- In the fridge 冰箱里
- Cooking 做饭
- Cooking 2: prep & methods 做菜
- Seasonings & tastes 调料
- Eating habits 饮食习惯
Shopping
Getting around
- Commuting 上下班
- In the street 街上
- Around town 城里的地方
- Time & schedules 时间
- Days, weeks & months 日期
- Directions 方向
- Asking the way 问路
- North, south, east, west 方向
- Public transport 公共交通
- Trains & the metro 火车
- Cars & driving 开车
- In a taxi 打车
- Bikes & scooters 自行车
- Planes & airports 飞机
- Travel & holidays 旅行
- Packing 收拾行李
- Lost & found 丢东西
- Hotels 酒店
- Countries 国家
- Cities & places 城市
- Languages 语言
Free time
- Free time 业余时间
- The weekend 周末
- Making plans 约时间
- At the park 公园里
- At the beach 海边
- Camping & hiking 露营和徒步
- Hobbies 爱好
- Photography 拍照
- Art & drawing 画画
- Theme parks 游乐园
- Museums & galleries 博物馆
- Sports 运动
- At the gym 健身房
- Ball games 球类运动
- Music 音乐
- Concerts & shows 演出
- Parties 聚会
- Karaoke 唱K
- Films & TV 电影
- On TV 电视上
- At the cinema 看电影
- Reading & books 阅读
- Games 游戏
- Phones & the internet 手机
- Phone calls 打电话
- On my phone 手机里
- Social media 社交媒体
Body & mind
Education
Work
World around us
Society & culture
- Festivals 节日
- Chinese New Year 春节
- The Chinese zodiac 生肖
- Mid-Autumn Festival 中秋节
- Dragon Boat Festival 端午节
- Traditions & culture 传统
- Religion & beliefs 宗教和信仰
- History 历史
- Idioms 成语
- News & media 新闻
- Government & law 政府
- Emergencies 紧急情况
- Police & crime 警察和犯罪
- Economy & business 经济
- At the bank 银行
- Post & deliveries 邮寄和快递
- Volunteering & charity 志愿和慈善
- Science & technology 科技
Talk & social life
- Small talk 闲聊
- Gossip & rumours 八卦
- Giving compliments 夸人
- Giving your opinion 表达看法
- Agreeing & disagreeing 同意和反对
- Complaining & moaning 抱怨和吐槽
- Apologising & making excuses 道歉
- Asking for favours 求人帮忙
- Saying no politely 委婉拒绝
- Giving advice 给建议
- Encouragement & cheering someone on 加油打气
- Jokes & banter 开玩笑
- Teasing & roasting 互损
- Filler words & sounding natural 口头禅
- Exclamations & reactions 感叹词
- Chinese internet slang 网络用语
- Texting & WeChat chat 微信聊天
- Memes & viral phrases 网络热梗
- Telling a story 讲故事
- Arguing & making up 吵架与和好
- Annoyed & frustrated 烦死了
- Congratulations & good wishes 祝贺
- Happy birthday & birthday wishes 生日祝福
- Sympathy & condolences 慰问
- Saying goodbye & keeping in touch 告别
Love & dating
- Flirting & rizz 撩妹撩汉
- Pick-up lines & cheesy lines 土味情话
- Texting your crush 跟暗恋对象聊天
- Dating apps 交友软件
- First dates 第一次约会
- Cute, pretty & handsome 夸人好看
- Pet names & terms of endearment 情侣昵称
- Saying I love you 我爱你
- Being in a relationship 谈恋爱
- Jealousy & couple fights 吃醋吵架
- Red flags & dating drama 渣男渣女
- Breaking up & heartbreak 分手失恋
- Meeting the parents 见家长
- Long-distance relationships 异地恋
- Proposals & engagement 求婚订婚
- Married life 婚后生活
Film & TV
- Film genres 电影类型
- TV show genres 电视剧类型
- C-drama tropes 国产剧套路
- Romance tropes 言情套路
- Movie clichés & stock lines 老套台词
- Horror films 恐怖片
- Superheroes & villains 超级英雄
- Action films & thrillers 动作惊悚片
- Comedies & sitcoms 喜剧
- Anime & manga 动漫
- Variety & reality shows 综艺节目
- Binge-watching & streaming 追剧
- Reviews, ratings & spoilers 影评和剧透
- Characters & plot 角色和剧情
- Behind the camera 幕后
- Awards shows & the red carpet 颁奖典礼
Gaming
- Video games 电子游戏
- Game genres 游戏类型
- Gaming slang & trash talk 游戏黑话
- Playing online with friends 开黑
- MOBA games (Honor of Kings, LoL) MOBA游戏
- Shooter games 射击游戏
- RPGs & open-world games 开放世界
- Mobile games & gacha 手游和抽卡
- Consoles & PC gaming 主机和电脑
- Esports 电竞
- Livestreaming & streamers 直播
- Mahjong 麻将
- Board games & card games 桌游和棋牌
Sport & fitness
Living in China
- Alipay & WeChat Pay 移动支付
- Food delivery 外卖
- Ride-hailing (Didi) 网约车
- High-speed rail 高铁
- Bargaining & haggling 砍价
- SIM cards & Wi-Fi 手机卡和流量
- Visas & residence permits 签证和居留
- Sightseeing & tourist spots 旅游景点
- Drinking culture & toasts 酒桌文化
- Nightlife & bars 夜生活
- Park life: square dancing & tai chi 广场舞和太极
- Going to hospital in China 去医院
- Parcels & pick-up lockers 取快递
Business Chinese
- Negotiating a deal 商务谈判
- Contracts & agreements 合同
- Sourcing & suppliers 采购
- Manufacturing & quality control 生产质检
- Shipping & logistics 物流
- Import, export & customs 进出口
- Invoices & payments 发票和付款
- Accounting & finance 财务
- Marketing 市场营销
- Sales & clients 销售
- Selling online (e-commerce) 电商
- Startups & investors 创业融资
- Giving a presentation 做汇报
- Business dinners & toasts 商务宴请
- Business etiquette 商务礼仪
- Networking & guanxi 人脉关系
- HR & hiring 招聘入职
- Performance reviews & promotions 绩效与升职
- Managing a team 带团队
- Office politics 办公室政治
- Quitting & resigning 辞职
- Legal matters & intellectual property 知识产权
- Business email phrases 商务邮件用语
- Business phone calls 商务电话