Chinese phrases
How to say Chinese in Chinese
Chinese in Chinese is 中文 (zhōng wén) for the language and 中国人 (zhōng guó rén) for a Chinese person. For the spoken standard language, people also say 普通话 (pǔ tōng huà), Mandarin.
中文
Chinese (the language)
中国 is the country. Add 人, person, and you get 中国人, a Chinese person.
Ways to say Chinese
中文
EverydayChinese (the language)
The everyday word for the language, spoken or written: 你会说中文吗?
汉语
FormalChinese (the language)
The word of textbooks, courses and exams. HSK stands for 汉语水平考试. In conversation, 中文 is more common.
普通话
EverydayMandarin; standard Chinese
The standard spoken language, as opposed to regional speech such as Cantonese, 粤语. Schools, TV and the news use it.
华语
EverydayChinese; Mandarin
The usual word in Singapore and Malaysia. In mainland China you see it in 华语电影, Chinese-language films.
中国人
EverydayChinese person; Chinese people
A person from China: 我是中国人.
华人
Everydayethnic Chinese
People of Chinese descent anywhere in the world, for example in Malaysia, Canada or the US.
Other things called “Chinese”
汉字
Chinese characters
The characters you read and write.
中餐
Chinese food
Chinese food, as opposed to 西餐, Western food. Restaurants and hotels in China use it too.
中文名字
Chinese name
The name a learner or a foreign company takes in Chinese.
Common mistakes
Saying 我会说中国
中国 is the country, so this says “I can speak China.” Say 我会说中文. The casual 中国话 is fine too.
Mixing up 中文 and 普通话
中文 is Chinese in general, spoken and written. 普通话 is the standard spoken form. In Guangzhou, a question about 普通话 asks whether you speak Mandarin, not Cantonese.
Calling every ethnic Chinese person 中国人
中国人 usually means a person from China. For people of Chinese descent in other countries, people say 华人.
Meeting a new friend
你中文说得真好！
Qiqi: Your Chinese is really good!
哪里哪里，我还在学。
Leon: Not really, I’m still learning.
你学了多久了？
Qiqi: How long have you been learning?
两年了。
Leon: Two years.
