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Mandarin Chinese (Simplified) phrasebook: 14 phrases and numbers
Mandarin is the standard form of Chinese and the most widely spoken first language in the world. Simplified characters are used on the mainland and in Singapore.
- In its own name: 中文
- Writing system: Chinese characters (Simplified)
- Family: Sino-Tibetan, Sinitic
- Official language in: China
Essential Mandarin Chinese phrases
| English | Mandarin Chinese | Romanisation |
|---|---|---|
| Hello | 你好 | nǐ hǎo |
| Goodbye | 再见 | zài jiàn |
| Good morning | 早上好 | zǎo shàng hǎo |
| Good night | 晚安 | wǎn ān |
| Thank you | 谢谢 | xiè xiè |
| You're welcome | 不客气 | bú kè qì |
| Please | 请 | qǐng |
| Sorry | 对不起 | duì bù qǐ |
| Yes | 是的 | shì de |
| No | 不是 | bú shì |
| My name is ___ | 我叫___ | wǒ jiào ___ |
| What is your name? | 你叫什么名字？ | nǐ jiào shén me míng zì? |
| How are you? | 你好吗？ | nǐ hǎo ma? |
| I love you | 我爱你 | wǒ ài nǐ |
Phrases are cross-checked against independent sources but still await a native-speaker review.
Numbers 1 to 10 in Mandarin Chinese
| # | Word | Romanisation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一 | yī |
| 2 | 二 | èr |
| 3 | 三 | sān |
| 4 | 四 | sì |
| 5 | 五 | wǔ |
| 6 | 六 | liù |
| 7 | 七 | qī |
| 8 | 八 | bā |
| 9 | 九 | jiǔ |
| 10 | 十 | shí |
Pronunciation
Mandarin has four tones plus a neutral tone, and the tone changes the word: mā means mother and mǎ means horse. Pinyin gives the sounds in Latin letters.
Good to know
Chinese is written in characters rather than letters, and each character is one syllable. There are no verb endings, so the same word works for every person.
Introducing yourself? See My name is ... in Mandarin Chinese for formal and casual versions.
Mini quiz
A quick check of what you just read.
Play with Mandarin Chinese
Meet Mandarin Chinese in Mystery Phrase, Listen and Guess and Memory Match.
Questions
How do you say hello in Mandarin Chinese?
你好 (nǐ hǎo).
What writing system does Mandarin Chinese use?
Mandarin Chinese is written in Chinese characters (Simplified).