Pinyin and meaning
See Chinese words with pronunciation support and clear translations.
中文
Learn Chinese with pinyin, words and examples
Start Chinese from useful words and phrases, then connect characters, pinyin, meaning, examples and repeatable lists.
Your learning focus
Pinyin and meaningTopic vocabularyCharacter practice
Topic vocabulary
Learn food, travel, family, work and everyday words in connected lists.
Character practice
Use repeated exposure through cards instead of isolated memorization.
Start here
Your first Mandarin phrases
Pinyin shows how a word is pronounced; marks above vowels indicate tones. A syllable without a tone mark here has a neutral tone. Keep the characters, pinyin and meaning together. Tone changes in connected speech mean pinyin is a starting guide, not a replacement for listening.
你好
nǐ hǎo
hello
你好！
Hello!
谢谢
xièxie
thank you
谢谢你！
Thank you!
我
wǒ
I; me
我是学生。
I am a student.
你
nǐ
you
你好吗？
How are you?
水
shuǐ
water
我喝水。
I drink water.
茶
chá
tea
我喝茶。
I drink tea.
Choose the right word
二 or 两?
Both can mean two. Use 二 when counting: 一、二、三. Before a measure word, 两 is the usual choice for two things. Here 杯 means cup.
一、二、三 — yī, èr, sān
One, two, three.
两杯茶 — liǎng bēi chá
Two cups of tea.
的, 地 and 得: three different jobs
All three are pronounced de in these uses. 的 links a description or owner to a thing; 地 connects a description to an action; 得 follows an action to say how it is performed. Start by recognising the patterns, not by memorising a rule in isolation.
我的书 — wǒ de shū
My book: 的 connects the owner to the thing.
慢慢地说 — mànmàn de shuō
Speak slowly: 地 connects slowly to speak.
说得很好 — shuō de hěn hǎo
Speak very well: 得 follows speak and introduces how well.
A small practice plan
- Say 你好 and 谢谢 while looking at their pinyin, then try without the reading aid.
- Compare 我喝水 and 我喝茶. Swap only the drink and keep the rest of the sentence.
- Review the six words tomorrow, then choose one topic in the Chinese word catalogue.
Check yourself
Try an answer, then open the explanation.
Two cups of tea: 二杯茶 or 两杯茶?
两杯茶 — liǎng bēi chá. Use 两 before the measure word 杯.
How do you change 我喝水 to ‘I drink tea’?
我喝茶 — wǒ hē chá. Replace 水 (water) with 茶 (tea).
Which de connects ‘my’ to ‘book’: 我的书, 我地书 or 我得书?
我的书 — wǒ de shū. 的 connects an owner to a thing.
Questions
Common questions about learning Chinese
Do I need to learn Chinese characters or is pinyin enough?
Pinyin gets you speaking sooner, but characters are what you actually read. Word pages show the character together with pinyin and meaning, so both are learned as one unit rather than as separate courses.
How many Chinese characters do I need to read simple texts?
There is no single character count that guarantees reading comprehension. Familiar topics, vocabulary combinations and grammar matter too. Begin with short beginner texts and learn characters inside the words and phrases you actually meet.
How do I remember Chinese tones?
Learn the tone as part of the word, not as a separate rule. Repeating a word in a short example phrase fixes the tone far better than reciting the tone number.
Which Chinese words should I learn first?
Start with everyday topics: greetings, numbers, food, family, travel and work. These lists give you words you can use in the same week you learn them.
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