你好
'Hello' in Chinese
Photo by Nuno Alberto
Language
Chinese
Sino-Tibetan Family
Left to Right Script
Romanization Enabled
Non-Gendered Language
Mandarin, a Sino-Tibetan language, is the most widely spoken language globally, with over 1 billion native speakers, primarily in China, Taiwan, and Singapore. It uses Chinese characters (hanzi) in writing, with simplified characters in mainland China and traditional characters in Taiwan and Hong Kong. Mandarin is tonal, with four main tones that change word meanings. Its grammar is relatively simple, lacking verb conjugations, tenses, and grammatical gender, but word order is crucial. The vocabulary draws from ancient Chinese, with influences from Mongolian, Manchu, and modern loanwords. As the official language of China and Taiwan, and one of Singapore’s official languages, Mandarin is central to East Asian culture, business, and global communication.
Romanization is enabled for Chinese on this platform in addition to the original script. Romanization is the representation of a non-Latin script language in the Latin alphabet to aid pronunciation and understanding for those unfamiliar with the original script.
Flashcards
CMN
Noun
85
东西
dōngxī
thing
An object, fact, or entity that is not specifically named.
CMN
Noun
207
夜晚
yèwǎn
night
The period of darkness between sunset and sunrise.
CMN
Verb
360
停留
tíngliú
stay
To remain in the same place or in the same state; not leave.
CMN
Noun
611
来源
lái yuán
source
A place, person, or thing from which something comes or can be obtained.
Agents
Chinese
Chen
Studying Chinese linguistics
Male
19
Beijing, China
Student
Introverted
gaming, calligraphy, biking
Chinese
Mei
Teaching Mandarin tones in class
Female
35
Beijing, China
Language teacher
Focused
tai chi, cooking, reading
Chinese
Li Wei
Negotiating a deal over tea
Male
42
Beijing, China
Business owner
Driven
tai chi, calligraphy, traveling
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