Learning Chinese in Chinese 学中文
xué Zhōngwén
Learn Chinese in Chinese is 学中文 (xué zhōng wén).
Also searched for as: learn chinese, study mandarin, I'm learning chinese.
What about learning this language? 15 essential Learning Chinese words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
The phrase for learning Chinese is 学中文 (xué Zhōng wén), and these words help you talk about the language itself. You'll be able to discuss 汉字 (hàn zì), Chinese characters, 拼音 (pīn yīn), the romanised spelling in brackets on this page, and the 声调 (shēng diào), tones, that give Mandarin its music. Words like 意思 (yì si), meaning, and 发音 (fā yīn), pronunciation, also let you ask questions about Chinese in Chinese, which keeps lessons and language exchanges flowing.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 汉字 | hàn zì | Chinese character |
| 拼音 | pīn yīn | pinyin |
| 声调 | shēng diào | tone |
| 生词 | shēng cí | new word |
| 笔画 | bǐ huà | stroke (of a character) |
| 部首 | bù shǒu | radical |
| 发音 | fā yīn | pronunciation |
| 语法 | yǔ fǎ | grammar |
| 句子 | jù zi | sentence |
| 意思 | yì si | meaning |
| 词典 | cí diǎn | dictionary |
| 繁体字 | fán tǐ zì | traditional characters |
| 简体字 | jiǎn tǐ zì | simplified characters |
| 口语 | kǒu yǔ | spoken language |
| 水平 | shuǐ píng | level |
Usage tips
- 中文 (Zhōng wén) and 汉语 (Hàn yǔ) both mean Chinese: 中文 is the everyday choice, 汉语 is common in textbooks and in the name of the HSK, and 华语 (Huá yǔ) is preferred in Singapore and Malaysia.
- Learn 这个字怎么读？ (zhè ge zì zěn me dú), how do you read this character?, alongside 这个词是什么意思？ for meanings; together they solve most problems in class.
- 字 (zì) is a single character, while 词 (cí) is a word of one or more characters; a textbook's vocabulary list is usually headed 生词 (shēng cí), new words.
Common mistakes
- Learners ask 怎么说中文 for 'how do you say it in Chinese'; the natural question is 用中文怎么说？ (yòng Zhōng wén zěn me shuō) or 这个中文怎么说？
- 我学习中文很难 mixes two structures; say 中文很难学 (Zhōng wén hěn nán xué) or 学中文很难 (xué Zhōng wén hěn nán).
Mini dialogue
- A你学中文多久了？Nǐ xué Zhōng wén duō jiǔ le?How long have you been learning Chinese?
- B一年了。我觉得声调最难。Yī nián le. Wǒ jué de shēng diào zuì nán.A year. I think the tones are the hardest part.
- A你的发音很标准啊！汉字呢？Nǐ de fā yīn hěn biāo zhǔn a! Hàn zì ne?Your pronunciation is really good! What about characters?
- B汉字还不太会写。这个字是什么意思？Hàn zì hái bù tài huì xiě. Zhè ge zì shì shén me yì si?I still can't write many characters. What does this one mean?
- A是“休息”的“休”，一个人靠着一棵树。Shì “xiū xi” de “xiū”, yī ge rén kào zhe yī kē shù.It's 休 as in 'rest': a person leaning against a tree.
Example sentences
- 汉字很漂亮。Chinese characters are beautiful.
- 先学拼音，再学汉字。Learn pinyin first, then characters.
- 中文有四个声调。Chinese has four tones.
- 今天学了十五个生词。We learned fifteen new words today.
- 这个字有几画？How many strokes does this character have?
- "河"的部首是"氵"。The radical of 河 is 氵.
- 你的发音很标准。Your pronunciation is very good.
- 中文语法不太难。Chinese grammar isn't too hard.
- 用这个词造个句子。Make a sentence with this word.
- 这个词是什么意思？What does this word mean?
- 查一下词典。Look it up in the dictionary.
- 台湾用繁体字。Taiwan uses traditional characters.
- 大陆用简体字。Mainland China uses simplified characters.
- 我想提高口语。I want to improve my speaking.
- 你的中文水平很高。Your Chinese is really good.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Learning Chinese speaking island has 8 everyday questions about Learning Chinese to prepare your own answers to.