The word "dialect" means something different when applied to Chinese than it does for other languages. Chinese "dialects" are often mutually unintelligible, as different as, say, Spanish and French and even English, which we would call "related languages" rather than "dialects".
However, while there are different spoken dialects of Chinese, there is only one form of written Chinese, with one common set of characters - mostly. An exception arises where in some spoken dialects, for example Cantonese as used in Hong Kong, more informal phrasings are used in everyday speech than what would be written. Thus, there are some extra characters that are sometimes used in addition to the common characters to represent the spoken dialect and other colloquial words. One additional complication is that mainland China and Singapore use '''simplified characters''', a long-debated change completed by the mainland Chinese government in 1956 to facilitate the standardization of language across China's broad minority groups and sub-dialects. Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau and many overseas Chinese use the '''traditional characters'''. In addition, the Dungan language, which is spoken in some parts of Russia, is considered to be a variant of Mandarin but uses the Cyrillic alphabet instead of Chinese characters.
About one fifth of the people in the world speak some form of Chinese as their native language, making it the most widely spoken language in the world. It is a tonal language that is related to ''Burmese'' and ''Tibetan''. Although Japanese and Korean use Chinese written characters and a large number of Chinese loanwords, they are not in the same language family. Rather they are related in a manner that resembles English having a lot of Romance language-derived loanwords while being a Germanic language. Also, the unrelated Vietnamese language (which uses a distinctive version of the Latin alphabet) language has borrowed many words from Chinese.
Note that travellers headed for Hong Kong, Macau or Guangdong will almost certainly find Cantonese more useful than Mandarin.
Chinese, like most other Asian languages such as Arabic, is famous for being difficult to learn but it needn't be. While English speakers would initially have problems with the tones and recognizing many different characters (Chinese has no alphabet), the grammar is very simple and can be picked up very easily. Most notably, Chinese grammar does not have conjugation, tenses, gender, plurals or other nigglesome grammatical rules which plague other major languages such as English, French or Japanese.
Pinyin allows very accurate pronunciation of Chinese ''if'' you understand how it works, but the way it uses letters like ''q'', ''x'' and even ''i'' is not at all intuitive to the English speaker. Studying the pronunciation guide below carefully is thus essential.
;ai : as in p'''ie''' ;ao: as in p'''o'''uch ;ei : as in p'''ay''' ;ia: as in '''ya''' ;ia in ' '''ia'''n': as in ''''ye'''s ;iao: as in m'''eow''' ;ie: as in '''ye'''s ;iong: as in P'''yong'''yang ;ou: as in m'''o'''w ;ua: as in '''wha'''t ;uo: as in '''wa'''r
{| ! !! width=200 | Unaspirated !! !! width=200 | Aspirated
The other consonants in Chinese are:
;m :as in '''m'''ow ;f :as in '''f'''un ;n :as in '''n'''one or no'''n'''e ;l :as in '''l'''ease ;h :as in '''h'''er ;x :as in '''sh'''eep ;sh :as in '''sh'''oot ;r :as in fai'''r''' ;s :as in '''s'''ag ;ng :as in si'''ng''' ;w :as in '''w'''ing, but '''silent''' in ''wu'' ;y :as in '''y'''et, but '''silent''' in ''yi'', ''yu''
If you think that's a fairly intimidating repertoire, rest assured that you're not alone, and many Chinese, particularly those who are not native Mandarin speakers, will merge many of the sounds above (eg. ''q'' with ''ch'', ''j'' with ''zh'').
; wu- :as '''u-''', so ___S ''wubai'' is pronounced "'''u'''bai" ; yi- :as '''i-''', so ____ ''yige'' is pronounced "'''i'''ge" ; yu- :as '''u-''', so __? ''Yuyuan'' is pronounced "'''u'''-'''u'''an"
Always insert tone marks above the vowels. If there is more than 1 vowel letter, follow the steps below:
(1) Insert it above the 'a' if that letter is present. For example, it is ''r'''?'''o'' and not ''ra'''?'''''
(2) If not, insert it above 'o'. eg. ''gu'''o''''' and not ''g'''u'''o''
(3) Insert it above the letter 'e' if the letters 'a' and 'o' are not present. eg. ''ju'''e''''' and not ''j'''u'''e''
(4) If only 'i', 'u' and 'u' are the only present letters, insert it in the letter than occurs '''last'''. eg. ''ji'''u''''' and not ''j'''i'''u'', ''chu'''i''''' and not ''ch'''u'''i''. Note, if the vowel present is u, the tone mark is put '''in addition''' to the umlaut. eg. l'''?'''
There are four tones in Mandarin that must be followed for proper pronunciation. If you are not used to tonal languages then never underestimate the importance of these tones. Consider a vowel with a different tone as simply a different vowel altogether, and you will realize why Chinese will ''not'' understand you if mess this up — ''m?'' is to ''m?'' as "I want a cake" is to "I want a coke". Be especially wary of questions that have a falling tone, or conversely exclamations that have an "asking" tone (eg ''j?ngcha'', police!). In other words, ''pronounced like'' does not imply ''meaning''. While Mandarin speakers also vary their tone just like English speakers do to differentiate a statement from a question and convey emotion, this is much more subtle than in English so it is best not to try it until you have mastered the basic tones.
;1. first tone ( ? ) : flat, high pitch — more sung instead of spoken ;2. second tone ( a ) : low to middle, rising — pronounced like the end of a question phrase (''What?'') ;3. third tone ( ? ) : middle to low to high, dipping — '''Note''': For two consecutive words in the 3rd tone, the first word is pronounced as if it is in the 2nd tone. For example, __? ''d?r?o'' is pronounced as ''dar?o''. ;4. fourth tone ( a ) : high to low, rapidly falling — pronounced like a command (''Stop!'') ;5. a fifth tone : this is a neutral tone, which is rarely used by itself (mostly for phrase particles), but frequently occurs as the second part of a phrase.
; Hello. : ?_D_B N? h?o. ; How are you? : ?_D?_H N? h?o ma? _g___D?? Sh?nt? h?o ma? ; Fine, thank you. : _k_D, ??_B H?n h?o, xiexie. ; May I please ask, what is your name? : ???___Y?__? Q?ngwen n?jiao sh?nme ming? ; Who are you? : ?___Y?_____H N? jiao shenme mingzi? ; My name is ______ . : ____ _____ _B W? jiao ______ . ; Nice to meet you. : _k__????_B H?n g?oxing renshi n?. ; Please. : ?_B Q?ng. ; Thank you. : ??_B Xiexie. ; You're welcome. : _s_q___B Bu keqi. ; Excuse me. (''getting attention'') : ?? q?ng wen ; Excuse me. (''begging pardon'') : __?_____B D?r?o yixia ; __??__, Mafan nin le. ; I'm sorry. : ?_s_N_B Duibuq?. ; It's okay. (polite response to "I'm sorry"): _v?_n (meigu?nxi). ; Goodbye : __?_B Zaijian ; Goodbye (''informal'') : _`_`_B Bai-bai (Byebye) ; I can't speak Chinese. : ___s__?_____B W? bu hui shu? zh?ngwen. ; Do you speak English? : ?__?_p??_H N? hui shu? Y?ngy? ma? ; Is there someone here who speaks English? : ?___L_l__?_p??_H Zhel? y?u ren hui shu? Y?ngy? ma? ; Help! (in emergencies): _~___I Jiuming! ; Good morning. : _____B Z?o'?n. ; Good evening. : ?___D_B W?nshang h?o. ; Good night. : ?___B W?n'?n. ; I don't understand. : _____s?_B W? t?ng bu d?ng. ; Where is the toilet? : ?____?___H Cesu? zai n?li?
; 0 _Z, __ : ling ; 1 __ (__) : y? ; 2 __ (?) : er (? li?ng is used when specifying quantities) ; 3 _O (?) : s?n ; 4 _l (__) : si ; 5 __ (__) : w? ; 6 _Z (?) : liu ; 7 __ (?) : q? ; 8 __ (_J) : b? ; 9 __ (__) : ji? ; 10 _\ (_E) : shi ; 11 _\__ : shi-y? ; 12 _\__ : shi-er ; 13 _\_O : shi-s?n ; 14 _\_l : shi-si ; 15 _\__ : shi-w? ; 16 _\_Z : shi-liu ; 17 _\__ : shi-q? ; 18 _\__ : shi-b? ; 19 _\__ : shi-ji? ; 20 ___\ : er-shi ; 21 ___\__ : er-shi-y? ; 22 ___\__ : er-shi-er ; 23 ___\_O : er-shi-s?n ; 30 _O_\ : s?n-shi ; 40 _l_\ : si-shi ; 50 ___\ : w?-shi ; 60 _Z_\ : liu-shi ; 70 ___\ : q?-shi ; 80 ___\ : b?-shi ; 90 ___\ : ji?-shi
For numbers above 100, any "gaps" must be filled in with _Z ''ling'', as eg. ___S__ ''y?b?iy?'' would otherwise be taken as shorthand for "110". A single unit of tens may be written and pronounced either ___\ ''y?shi'' or just _\ ''shi''.
; 100 ___S (____): y?-b?i ; 101 ___S_Z__ : y?-b?i-ling-y? ; 110 ___S___\ : y?-b?i-y?-shi ; 111 ___S___\__ : y?-b?i-y?-shi-y? ; 200 ___S : er-b?i or ?_S_Fli?ng-b?i ; 300 _O_S : s?n-b?i ; 500 ___S : w?-b?i ; 1000 ____ (____): y?-qi?n ; 2000 ____ : er-qi?n or ?___Fli?ng-qi?n
Numbers above 10,000 are grouped by in units of four digits, starting with __ ''wan'' (ten thousand). "One million" in Chinese is thus "hundred tenthousands" (___S__).
; 10,000 ____ (____): y?-wan ; 10,001 _____Z__ : y?-wan-ling-y? ; 10,002 _____Z__ : y?-wan-ling-er ; 20,000 ____ : er-wan ; 50,000 ____ : w?-wan ; 100,000 _\__ : shi-wan ; 200,000 ___\__ : er-shi-wan ; 1,000,000 ___S__ : y?-b?i-wan ; 10,000,000 ______ : y?-qi?n-wan ; 100,000,000 __? (____) : y?-yi ; 1,000,000,000,000 ____ : y?-zhao ; number _____ (''train, bus, etc.'') : number '''''measure word''''' (_H lu, __ hao, ...) _____ (hu? ch?, g?ng gong qi ch?, etc.) Measure words are used in combination with a number to indicate an amount of mass nouns, similar to how English requires "two ''pieces of'' paper" rather than just "two paper". Read [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/measure_word this] for full details. When in doubt, use __ (ge); even though it may not be correct you will probably be understood because it is the most common measure word. (One person: _____l yi2ge4ren2; two apples: ?______ li?ngge pinggu?; note that two of something always uses ? li?ng rather than __ er). ; half : __ ban ; less than : ____ sh?oyu ; more than : ____ du?yu ; more : _X geng
; now : ?__ xianzai ; later : ___@_C y?hou ''or'' sh?ohou ; before : ___O, y?qian ; morning : ____, z?oshang ; noon: ____, zh?ngw? ; afternoon : ____, xiaw? ; evening/night : ?__, w?nshang ; midnight: ____ banye or ____ (w?ye)
; What time is it? : ?___{___H Xianzai j? di?n? ; It is nine in the morning. : ____9__?_B Z?oshang j?u di?n zh?ng. ; Three-thirty PM. : ____3____. Xiaw? s?n di?n ban. ; 4:38 PM. ____3__38__ (xiaw? s?ndi?n s?nshib? f?n).
; _____ minute(s) : _____ __? f?nzh?ng ; _____ hour(s) : _____ __? xi?oshi ; _____ day(s) : _____ _V ti?n ; _____ week(s) : _____ ____ x?ngq? ; _____ month(s) : _____ __ yue ; _____ year(s) : _____ _N nian
; today : ___V j?nti?n ; yesterday : ___V zuoti?n ; the day before yesterday: _O_Vqi?nti?n ; tomorrow : ___V mingti?n ; the day after tomorrow: _@_V houti?n
; this week : ?______ zhege x?ngq? ; last week : ________ shangge x?ngq? ; next week : ________ xiage x?ngq?
Weekdays in Chinese are easy: starting with 1 for Monday, just add the number after ____ x?ngq?. In Taiwan, ____ is pronounced x?ngqi (second tone on the second syllable).
; Sunday : _____V x?ngq?ti?n ''or'' x?ngq?ri (______) ; Monday : ______ x?ngq?y? ; Tuesday : ______ x?ngq?er ; Wednesday : _____O x?ngq?s?n ; Thursday : _____l x?ngq?si ; Friday : ______ x?ngq?w? ; Saturday : _____Z x?ngq?liu
____ can also be replaced with ___` l?bai and occasionally __ zh?u.
; January : ____, y? yue ; February : ____, er yue ; March : _O__, s?n yue ; April : _l__, si yue ; May : ____, w? yue ; June : _Z__, liu yue ; July : ____, q? yue ; August : ____, b? yue ; September : ____, ji? yue ; October : _\__, shi yue ; November : _\____, shi y? yue ; December : _\____, shi er yue ; 13th month_F_\_O__, shi-s?n yue (occasionally added as a leap month in the Lunar Calendar)
''Tips: From January to December, you just need to use this pattern: number (1-12) + yue''
If you are attempting to name a date in the Chinese Lunar Calendar, add the words _e??_f before the name of the month to distinguish it from the months of the solar calendar, although it is not strictly necessary. There are some differences: The words __(ri)/ __(hao) are generally not required when stating dates in the lunar calendar; it is assumed. Besides that, the 1st Month is called ____ (zhengyue). If the number of the day is less than 11, the word __ is used before the value of the day. Besides that, if the value of the day is more than 20, the word __ (nian) is used, so the 23rd day is ___O for example.
;15th day of the 8th lunar month (the mid-autumn festival): (??)_____\__ ( (nongli) b?yue shi-w?). ;1st day of the 1st lunar month: (??)________ ( (nongli) zhengyue ch?y?). ; 23rd day of the 9th lunar month: ( ??) _______O ( (nongli) ji? yue nians?n). }}
When writing the date, you name the month ''(number (1-12) + yue)'', before inserting the day ''(number (1-31) + __(ri)/ __(hao) )''. Note that the usage of __(hao), which is more often used in spoken language, is more colloquial than that of __(ri), which is more often used in written documents.
;6th January: _____Z__ (y? yue liu hao) or _____Z__ (y? yue liu ri) ;25th December: _\_______\____ (shi-er yue er-shi-w? hao)
''Tips: se means 'colour', therefore, 'hong se' is 'red colour'(literally).'' More common for brown and easier to remmember is 'coffee colour': ??_F k? f?i se
; How do I get to _____ ? : __?_______ z?nme qu _____? ; ...the train station? : ...__?__? ...hu?ch? zhan? ; ...the bus station? : ..._D??__? ...qich? z?ngzhan? ; ...the airport? : ...__?? ...j? ch?ng?
; street : _X ji?; _H lu
; Turn left. : __??_^ zu?bi?n zhu?nw?n/____zu?gu?i ; Turn right. : _E??_^ youbi?n zhu?nw?n/_E__yougu?i ; Go straight: ______ yizhiz?u ; I've reached my destination: ____daole ; U-turn: _{ ? diaotou ; Taxi driver: ?__ sh?fu ; Please use the meter machine: ?___\ q?ng d?bi?o ; Please turn up the aircon/heater: ?__??_____X_B q?ng k?ngtiao k?i dadi?n(r)
; left : __? zu?bi?n ; right : _E? youbi?n ; straight ahead : ___O__ w?ngqian z?u ; north : _k b?i ; south : __ nan ; east : ? d?ng ; west : __ x?
; Do you have any rooms available? : ??_L_[??_H N?men y?u fangji?n ma? ; Does the room come with... : _L_v_L... Y?u meiy?u... ; ...bedsheets? : ...__?_H ...chuangd?n? ; ...a bathroom? : ..._____H ...yushi? ; ...a telephone? : ...??_H ...dianhua? ; ...a TV? : ...??_H ...dianshi ? ; I will stay for _____ night(s). : _____Z_Z________B W? d?suan zhu _____ ye. ; Do you have a safe? : ??_L_v_L__?___H N?men y?u meiy?u b?oxi?n xi?ng? ; Can you wake me at _____? : ?___V________________B Q?ng mingti?n z?oshang _____ jiaox?ng w?. ; I want to check out. : __?___v___B W? xianzai yao z?u.
; Do you serve alcohol? : ?_s?___H ('' maibu maiji??'') ; Is there table service? : _L_v_L_`?__?_H (''y?u meiy?u c?nzhu? fuwu?'') ; A beer/two beers, please. : ??_____t/?_t?___B (''q?ng g?iw? yib?i/li?ngb?i piji?'') ; A glass of red/white wine, please. : ??_____t?/_________B (''q?ng g?i w? yib?i hong/bai putaoji?'') ; A pint, please. : ??_____i_E_B (''q?ng g?i w? yip?ntu?'') ; A bottle, please. : ??_____r_B (''q?ng g?i w? yiping'') ; _____ (''hard liquor'') and _____ (''mixer''), please. : ??________a______B (''q?ng g?i w? _____ he _____'') ; whiskey : ___m__ (''w?ishiji'') ; vodka : ______ (''futeji?'') ; rum : ?_G__ (''lanm?ji?'') ; water : __ (''shu?'') ; mineral spring (i.e. bottled) water : ?____ (kuangquanshu?) ; boiled water: ?__ (k?ishu?) ; club soda : ?____ (s?d?shu?) ; tonic water : __?__ (t?ngningshu?) ; orange juice : _____` _ili?chengzh?) ; Coke (''soda'') : __? (''k?le'') ; Do you have any bar snacks? : _L_v_L?_i___S_H (''y?u meiy?u b?tai di?nx?n?'') ; One more, please. : ?__?_______B (q?ng zai g?i w? yige') ; Another round, please. : ?______?_B (q?ng zailai yilun) ; When is closing time? : _{____?_A??_H (j?di?n d?yang/gu?nmen?) ; Where is the toilet? : ?____?__ (''cesu? zai n?li?'') ; Where is the washingroom? : ____?__?_X_H_i''x?sh?uji?nzain?r?''_j
In most Chinese cities telephone booths don't exist. Instead, small street shops have telephones which can usually be used for national calls and cost around 0.6RMB for a city-call. Look for signs like : ___p?? Public Telephone Don't go online in hotels since most common cafes are cheaper. Usually you pay 10RMB in advance for a card. Prices per hour from 1RMB to 4RMB. Those cafes are quite hidden sometimes and you should look for the following Chinese characters: : __? Internet Cafe}}
; Can I make international calls here? : ________????? (''k?y? d? guoji dianhua ma?'') ; How much is it to America/Australia/Britain/Canada? : __? ____/_S_F/_p__/___\__ ______?? (''d?g?i m?iguo/aozh?u/y?ngguo/ji?nada shi du?sh?o qian?) ; Where can I find an Internet cafe? : ?___L__?? (''n?l? y?u w?ng ba?'') ; How much is it per hour? : ____?______?? (''y? xi?oshi shi du?sh?o qian?'')
Chinese is the most spoken language of the world, in the sense that it has the most ''native'' speakers of any language, more than the next two, Hindi and Spanish, combined. Due to China's economic growth and globalisation, more and more students in the western world are quickly taking up language to open opportunities to working in China. Be part of the new 'cultural wave' sweeping across the world!
Advice: The first step is to learn to properly read the romanization or 'hany? p?ny?n' with tones! There are still many sites with small Chinese phrase chapters which do not indicate the Mandarin tones needed. For simple sentences, one ''may'' be able to get away without tones, but this can cause confusion in more complex situations, so tones are '''very''' important. A classic example is the difference between the Chinese characters for "four" (_l, si) and "death" (__, s?), different only by tones. A good idea for practicing is to make Chinese friends online since millions of young people in China also look for somebody to practice English with.