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Last updated:
August 4, 2022
Did you know that many words commonly used in English are of Chinese origin?
That’s great news if you’re planning on learning Chinese… it means that you probably already know some Chinese words!
This list will show you what Chinese words you’ve probably already heard before in regards to food, animals and popular sayings.
Contents
- 27 Chinese Words Used in English
-
- 1. pekoe
- 2. bok choy
- 3. chop suey
- 4. dim sum
- 5. ginseng
- 6. loquat
- 7. won ton
- 8. wok
- 9. hoisin sauce
- 10. ketchup
- 11. chow
- 12. kung pao
- 13. tofu
- 14. lychee
- 15. kung fu
- 16. coolie
- 17. gung-ho
- 18. tai chi
- 19. yin and yang
- 20. mahjong
- 21. cheongsam
- 22. qipao
- 23. feng shui
- 24. typhoon
- 25. Shar Pei
- 26. Shih Tzu
- 27. chop chop
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27 Chinese Words Used in English
1. pekoe
Chinese: 白后 (bái hòu)
Pekoe is a popular type of tea, typically produced in Sri Lanka and India. The name comes from a Chinese dialect called Amoy, spoken in Xiamen, China, in which the tea is called pek-ho. In Mandarin, it’s 白后 (bái hòu), which means “white empress.” The name refers to the downy tips of young buds from the tea plant.
2. bok choy
Chinese: 白菜 (bái cài)
Bok choy, a leafy green vegetable with white stems, can be found at Chinese stores or general grocery stores. It’s a common ingredient in Asian cuisine. The word comes from 白菜 (bái cài), meaning “white vegetable.”
3. chop suey
Chinese: 杂碎 (zá suì)
Chop suey is a mixed-vegetable dish you can order at Chinese restaurants. It comes from 杂碎 (zá suì), meaning “mixed pieces.” For example, you might see “pork chop suey” or “vegetable chop suey” listed on a menu.
4. dim sum
Chinese: 点心 (diǎn xīn)
Dim sum are small, appetizer-like dishes of food, served for brunch at Chinese restaurants. There are a large variety of dim sum, including meat dishes, vegetarian dishes, cakes and pastries. Dim sum comes from 点心 (diǎn xīn). It translates literally as “touch the heart,” perhaps because of the dishes’ small, attractive quality.
5. ginseng
Chinese: 人参 (rén shēn)
Ginseng is a herbal root used for tea and naturopathic medicine. It comes from 人参 (rén shēn). Ginseng is known to have many health benefits, including boosting circulation, lowering cholesterol and reducing stress.
6. loquat
Chinese: 芦橘 (lú jú)
Loquat is a yellow, plum-like fruit native to China and Japan, sometimes called Japanese plum. The name comes from a word in Cantonese, luh kwat, literally meaning “rush orange.” In Mandarin, it’s 芦橘 (lú jú).
7. won ton
Chinese: 馄饨 (hún tún)
Won ton are Chinese meat-filled dumplings, usually served in soup, sometimes accompanied by noodles. The name is from 馄饨 (hún tún), meaning “irregular pasta.”
8. wok
Chinese: 锅 (guō)
A wok is a stir-fry pan used for cooking. The word comes from Cantonese wohk, meaning “pan.” Its equivalent in Mandarin is 锅 (guō).
9. hoisin sauce
Chinese: 海鲜酱 (hǎi xiān jiàng)
Hoisin sauce is a dark-colored, savory condiment with consistency like ketchup. It’s also called oyster sauce. It comes from 海鲜酱 (hǎi xiān jiàng), literally, “seafood sauce,” because it traditionally includes oyster essence or flavor.
10. ketchup
Mandarin Chinese: 番茄酱 (fān qié jiàng)
Hokkien Chinese: kê-tsiap
Would you have guessed that America’s favorite condiment comes from a Chinese word? It’s from the Hokkien Chinese term kê-tsiap, and it was originally a sauce made from fermented fish. Europeans tried to replicate it and later added tomato as a key ingredient. In Mandarin, ketchup is 番茄酱 (fān qié jiàng) or “tomato sauce.”
11. chow
Chinese: 炒 (chǎo)
Chow refers to food, and “chow down” means to eat. The term is Chinese-English pidgin, and dates back to the 1800s, when Chinese laborers developed railroads in California. There are different stories on this word’s origin. One explanation is that it comes from the Chinese word for “stir fry,” 炒 (chǎo).
12. kung pao
Chinese: 宫保鸡丁 (gōng bǎo jī dīng)
Have you ever had kung pao chicken? Kung pao chicken is a type of Chinese dish. This spicy dish originates from Sichuan Province (southwestern China) and traditionally uses Sichuan peppercorns.
In Mandarin, it’s called 宫保鸡丁 (gōng bǎo jī dīng). 宫保 (gōng bǎo) means “palace guard.” Legend has it that this dish was the favorite of a famous palace guard in ancient China.
13. tofu
Chinese: 豆腐 (dòu fǔ)
Tofu is soy bean curd. It comes directly from its Chinese name, 豆腐 (dòu fǔ).
14. lychee
Chinese: 荔枝 (lì zhī)
Lychee is a tropical fruit with characteristically red shells and sweet, white flesh. Lychee is also used to flavor other foods like tea. In Chinese, it’s 荔枝 (lì zhī).
15. kung fu
Chinese: 夫 (gōng fū)
Kung fu, or Chinese martial arts, has been made famous by Hollywood movies and movie stars like Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. The word comes from 功夫 (gōng fū).
16. coolie
Chinese: 苦力 (kǔ lì)
A coolie is a laborer. The term comes from European colonialism and the practice of importing cheap labor from China and India. In Chinese it’s 苦力 (kǔ lì), or literally, “bitter work.”
17. gung-ho
Chinese: 工合 (gōng hé)
Gung-ho means to show enthusiasm. It comes from the name for Chinese industrial cooperatives, 工合 (gōng hé), which means “work together.”
In 1942, US Marine Corps Lieutenant Evans Carlson saw and admired the work ethic of these organizations and decided to take the phrase back to America as an unofficial slogan for the Marines.
18. tai chi
Chinese: 太极拳 (tài jí quán)
Tai chi is a slow, meditative martial arts exercise. It comes from the Chinese name for this practice, 太极拳 (tài jí quán), or “shadow boxing.”
19. yin and yang
Chinese: 阴阳 (yīn yáng)
In Taoist philosophy, yin and yang represent two balancing forces in the universe. Yin is the dark force, and represents feminine quality. Yang is the light force, and represents masculine quality. The harmony of ying and yang is thought to balance the universe and influence everything in it. It comes from the Chinese term 阴阳 (yīn yáng).
20. mahjong
Chinese: 麻将 (má jiāng)
Mahjong is a Chinese gambling game. It comes from both Cantonese màhjéuk and the Mandarin 麻雀 (má què), which literally mean “sparrow.” A sparrow is often pictured on the first tile of a playing set. Mahjong is also phonetically identical to the game’s name in Chinese, which is 麻将 (má jiāng).
21. cheongsam
Chinese: 长衫 (cháng shān)
Cheongsam is a traditional robe for men. It is still worn at weddings or during Chinese New Year. The word comes from Cantonese chèuhngsāam, equivalent to Mandarin’s 长衫 (cháng shān) or “long dress.”
22. qipao
Chinese: 旗袍 (qí páo)
Qipao is a form-fitting traditional dress for women.
23. feng shui
Chinese: 风水 (fēng shuǐ)
The practice of feng shui is thought to balance the energies in the environment and bring about good fortune. It comes from Chinese 风水 (fēng shuǐ), meaning “natural surroundings” or literally “wind and water.”
24. typhoon
Chinese: 台风 (tái fēng)
A typhoon is a hurricane. The term comes from the Chinese equivalent, 台风 (tái fēng).
25. Shar Pei
Chinese: 沙皮 (shāpí)
Shar Pei is a breed of dog with characteristically brown, wrinkly skin and a blue-black tongue. Its name comes from 沙皮 (shāpí), meaning “sandy skin.”
26. Shih Tzu
Chinese: 西施犬 (xī shī quǎn)
Shih Tzu is a Tibetan dog breed with a long silky coat.
27. chop chop
Mandarin Chinese: 急 (jí)
Cantonese: gāp
Last but not least, the famous phrase for “hurry up!” Chop chop comes from the Cantonese word, gāp, which in Mandarin is 急 (jí). Both mean “in a rush.”
There you have it! Twenty-seven English words from Chinese that you already knew. Isn’t it nice to know that you’ve got 27 freebies in your Chinese learning vocabulary list?
But don’t stop there. Learning Chinese can be just as easy as going through this short list.
Download:
This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you
can take anywhere.
Click here to get a copy. (Download)
Learning Chinese can be tricky, but fortunately there are many loan words shared between English and Chinese! Unlike foreign companies that choose a Chinese name in order to break into the Chinese market, these are words that have long been accepted into Chinese dictionaries and the vocabulary of native speakers.
Whether they originated from Chinese to begin with, or were adapted from English words, check out our list of 8 English words that sound quite similar to their Mandarin Chinese counterparts!
WORDS OF ENGLISH ORIGIN
1. COFFEE (咖啡, KĀ FĒI)
Coffee was not introduced to Asia until the late 19th century, and has only been popular in China during recent decades. The Chinese were first exposed to coffee when a French missionary brought coffee seedlings to Yunnan. While plantations existed for almost a century, the drink did not become popular until the 1990s. When the coffee trend first spread to Shanghai, many Chinese people disliked the bitter taste, with some saying that it reminded them of cough syrup. However, as Western cuisine became more prevalent in China, people began to accept and like the taste of coffee more. Today, many cafes, restaurants, and bakeries that serve coffee can be found all over China, and coffee-related loan words have expanded to include: latte (拿铁, ná tiě ) and cappuccino (卡布其诺, kǎ bù qí nuò).
2. GOLF (高尔夫球, GĀO’ ĚR FŪ QIÚ)
China has a complicated relationship with golf, with a history of the sport being banned due to it being too expensive and extravagant. Golf actually has many similarities to Chuiwan (捶丸, Chuí wán), a stick and ball game played in ancient China that peaked in the Song Dynasty and declined in popularity after the Qing Dynasty. Golf was banned in China up until the mid-1980s, but construction of new golf courses are still difficult today due to legality issues. Despite the bans and closure of illegal golf courses, China’s Hainan province harbors a growing golf industry. China is also home of the largest golf facility in the world, the Mission Hills Golf Club.
3. HACKER (黑客, HĒI KÈ; 骇客, HÀI KÈ)
The word “hacker” has an interesting transliteration in Chinese; it can correspond to two phrases: 黑客 and 骇客, which were originally two distinct definitions of “hacker” in Chinese. 黑客 originally referred to senior programmers, while 骇客 referred to malicious security crackers. However, as cybersecurity attacks became increasingly prevalent in the internet age, the two terms have often been used incorrectly by the press due to the similarity of the phrases and the association of “黑”, which means «black,» with «malicious.» To this day, the two terms are still used interchangeably in Chinese media despite the blurred meanings.
4. HAMBURGER (汉堡, HÀN BǍO)
As American fast food restaurants began expanding to Asia in the 1980’s, China’s definition of 汉堡 grew to encompass all types of sandwiches made with round buns. Burgers in America are dominated by beef, while burgers in China include pork, chicken, or fish patties just as often. Some burger chains in China also serve variations or cultural fusions of the traditional hamburger, such as rice buns or packaged sandwiches containing only a thin slice of meat inside.
WORDS OF CHINESE ORIGIN
5. TOFU (豆腐, DÒU FU)
Tofu, which translates to “bean curd”, is a key ingredient in many Chinese dishes. It is made from coagulating soy milk into curds, which are then pressed into blocks. Tofu originated from ancient China around 2,000 years ago, with various theories about how it was invented. It eventually spread to other parts of Asia, and then to the West. The English word is borrowed from the Japanese word tofu, which comes from the Chinese equivalent, dòu fu.
6. TYPHOON (台风, TÁI FĒNG)
A typhoon is a tropical cyclone that occurs in the the North Pacific Ocean. The word comes from 台风, which originated from the Cantonese pronunciation of 大风, meaning “big wind”. Typhoon season in China spans the summer months, and the windstorms occur on the coast and spread inland. Common characteristics of typhoons include a strong winds accompanied by heavy rainfall for a short period of time, from a few hours to a few days. On severe typhoon days, school and work are often cancelled.
7. SHIH TZU (西施犬, XĪ SHĪ QUǍN)
This adorable little dog breed is named after its lion-like appearance. “Shih tzu” is a romanization of 狮子 (shī zi), which literally means “lion” in Chinese! 狮子犬 may also refer to the chow chow, another dog breed that resembles a lion. In Chinese, the Shih Tzu is now formally known as the 西施犬, named after Xi Shi, a legendary beauty of ancient China. The Shih Tzu also has another nickname: 菊花狗, or “chrysanthemum dog”.
8. ZEN (禅, CHÁN)
Commonly known in English as a slang term for peacefulness and relaxation, Zen originated from a school of Chinese Buddhism that emphasizes the practice of meditation as a way to achieve insight and enlightenment. Zen originated in 6th century China, where it gradually spread to Vietnam, Korea, Japan, and then the West. Zen meditation is often practiced in the sitting position with a focus on clearing the mind by focusing on counting breaths or channeling inner energy.
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Here you learn top 1000 words in English with Chinese translation. If you are interested to learn 1000 most common Chinese words, this place will help you to learn common words in Chinese language with their pronunciation in English. You may also learn Vocabulary words to learn Chinese language quickly and also play some Chinese word games so you get not bored. In this, we are separated into sections to learn easily (Simple words, Easy words, medium words, Hard Words, Advanced Words). These top 1000 words are useful in daily life conversations, basic level words are very helpful for beginners. So, it is very important to learn all words in English and Chinese.
1000 words in English to Chinese
Here is the list of 1000 most important common words in Chinese language and their pronunciation in English.
Simple words / 2 letter words
| I | 一世 yi shi |
| Do | 做 zuo |
| Go | 走 zou |
| He | 他 ta |
| Me | 我 wo |
| My | 我的 wo de |
| No | 不 bu |
| On | 在 zai |
| Or | 要么 yao me |
| So | 所以 suo yi |
| Up | 向上 xiang shang |
| We | 我们 wo men |
Easy words
3 letter words
| Act | 行为 xing wei |
| Add | 添加 tian jia |
| Age | 年龄 nian ling |
| Aim | 目的 mu de |
| Air | 空气 kong qi |
| All | 全部 quan bu |
| And | 和 he |
| Ant | 蚂蚁 ma yi |
| Any | 任何 ren he |
| Ask | 问 wen |
| Bad | 坏的 huai de |
| Big | 大 da |
| Buy | 买 mai |
| Cry | 哭 ku |
| Dam | 坝 ba |
| Die | 死 si |
| Dry | 干燥 gan zao |
| End | 结尾 jie wei |
| Ear | 耳朵 er duo |
| Eat | 吃 chi |
| Egg | 蛋 dan |
| Eye | 眼睛 yan jing |
| Fat | 胖的 pang de |
| Fly | 飞 fei |
| Fun | 乐趣 le qu |
| Get | 得到 de dao |
| God | 上帝 shang di |
| Hen | 母鸡 mu ji |
| Hot | 热的 re de |
| Job | 工作 gong zuo |
| Leg | 腿 tui |
| Lie | 说谎 shuo huang |
| Low | 低的 di de |
| Mad | 疯狂的 feng kuang de |
| Man | 掌管 zhang guan |
| Not | 不是 bu shi |
| Now | 现在 xian zai |
| New | 新的 xin de |
| Old | 老的 lao de |
| Own | 自己的 zi ji de |
| Run | 跑步 pao bu |
| Sad | 伤心 shang xin |
| Sea | 海 hai |
| See | 看 kan |
| Shy | 害羞的 hai xiu de |
| Sit | 坐 zuo |
| Sum | 和 he |
| Sun | 太阳 tai yang |
| Tax | 税 shui |
| Try | 尝试 chang shi |
| Use | 采用 cai yong |
| War | 战争 zhan zheng |
| Wet | 湿 shi |
| Why | 为什么 wei shen me |
| Win | 赢 ying |
| Yes | 是的 shi de |
| You | 你 ni |
4 letter words
| Also | 还 hai |
| Baby | 婴儿 ying er |
| Back | 背部 bei bu |
| Bake | 烤 kao |
| Bald | 秃 tu |
| Ball | 球 qiu |
| Bark | 吠 fei |
| Bath | 浴 yu |
| Beet | 甜菜 tian cai |
| Bend | 弯曲 wan qu |
| Best | 最好 zui hao |
| Bird | 鸟 niao |
| Bold | 大胆的 da dan de |
| Bone | 骨 gu |
| Book | 书 shu |
| Born | 出生 chu sheng |
| Both | 两个都 liang ge dou |
| Busy | 忙碌的 mang lu de |
| Call | 称呼 cheng hu |
| Calm | 冷静的 leng jing de |
| Care | 关心 guan xin |
| Come | 来 lai |
| Cost | 成本 cheng ben |
| Cute | 可爱的 ke ai de |
| Crow | 乌鸦 wu ya |
| Dare | 敢 gan |
| Dark | 黑暗的 hei an de |
| Date | 日期 ri qi |
| Deal | 交易 jiao yi |
| Diet | 饮食 yin shi |
| Dish | 碟 die |
| Door | 门 men |
| Down | 吃下 chi xia |
| Dust | 灰尘 hui chen |
| Each | 每个 mei ge |
| Earn | 赚 zhuan |
| Easy | 简单 jian dan |
| Edge | 边缘 bian yuan |
| Evil | 邪恶的 xie e de |
| Exit | 出口 chu kou |
| Face | 脸 lian |
| Fact | 事实 shi shi |
| Fair | 公平的 gong ping de |
| Fake | 伪造的 wei zao de |
| Farm | 农场 nong chang |
| Fast | 快速地 kuai su de |
| Fear | 害怕 hai pa |
| Feel | 感觉 gan jue |
| Find | 寻找 xun zhao |
| Fine | 美好的 mei hao de |
| Fish | 鱼 yu |
| Food | 食物 shi wu |
| Fool | 傻子 sha zi |
| Free | 自由 zi you |
| Frog | 青蛙 qing wa |
| Full | 满的 man de |
| Gape | 目瞪口呆 mu deng kou dai |
| Gift | 礼物 li wu |
| Girl | 女孩 nu hai |
| Goat | 山羊 shan yang |
| Good | 好的 hao de |
| Grab | 抓 zhua |
| Grow | 生长 sheng zhang |
| Half | 一半 yi ban |
| Hate | 恨 hen |
| Head | 头 tou |
| Hear | 听到 ting dao |
| Heat | 热 re |
| Help | 帮助 bang zhu |
| Here | 这里 zhe li |
| Hide | 隐藏 yin cang |
| High | 高的 gao de |
| Hold | 抓住 zhua zhu |
| Hole | 洞 dong |
| Home | 家 jia |
| Huge | 巨大的 ju da de |
| Hurt | 伤害 shang hai |
| Idea | 主意 zhu yi |
| Jump | 跳 tiao |
| Just | 只是 zhi shi |
| Kill | 杀 sha |
| Land | 土地 tu de |
| Last | 最后的 zui hou de |
| Late | 晚了 wan le |
| Left | 剩下 sheng xia |
| Life | 生活 sheng huo |
| Line | 线 xian |
| Lion | 狮子 shi zi |
| Long | 长 zhang |
| Look | 看 kan |
| Lost | 丢失 diu shi |
| Love | 爱 ai |
| Luck | 运气 yun qi |
| Lung | 肺 fei |
| Many | 许多 xu duo |
| Meet | 遇到 yu dao |
| Melt | 熔化 rong hua |
| Milk | 牛奶 niu nai |
| Must | 必须 bi xu |
| Name | 姓名 xing ming |
| Near | 靠近 kao jin |
| Neat | 整洁的 zheng jie de |
| Neck | 脖子 bo zi |
| Need | 需要 xu yao |
| Next | 下一个 xia yi ge |
| Only | 只要 zhi yao |
| Pain | 痛 tong |
| Pair | 一对 yi dui |
| Park | 公园 gong yuan |
| Path | 小路 xiao lu |
| Play | 玩 wan |
| Poor | 较差的 jiao cha de |
| Pull | 拉 la |
| Pure | 纯的 chun de |
| Quit | 放弃 fang qi |
| Quiz | 测验 ce yan |
| Race | 种族 zhong zu |
| Rain | 雨 yu |
| Rare | 稀有的 xi you de |
| Real | 真实的 zhen shi de |
| Rent | 租 zu |
| Rest | 休息 xiu xi |
| Rich | 富有的 fu you de |
| Ride | 骑 qi |
| Rise | 上升 shang sheng |
| Risk | 风险 feng xian |
| Room | 房间 fang jian |
| Rope | 绳索 sheng suo |
| Rude | 粗鲁的 cu lu de |
| Sage | 智者 zhi zhe |
| Sail | 帆 fan |
| Salt | 盐 yan |
| Same | 相同的 xiang tong de |
| Sand | 沙 sha |
| Save | 救球 jiu qiu |
| Scam | 骗局 pian ju |
| Seed | 种子 zhong zi |
| Seek | 寻找 xun zhao |
| Self | 自己 zi ji |
| Sell | 卖 mai |
| Send | 发送 fa song |
| Shop | 店铺 dian pu |
| Show | 展示 zhan shi |
| Sick | 生病的 sheng bing de |
| Side | 边 bian |
| Site | 地点 de dian |
| Size | 尺寸 chi cun |
| Skin | 皮肤 pi fu |
| Slow | 减缓 jian huan |
| Soft | 柔软的 rou ruan de |
| Soil | 土壤 tu rang |
| Some | 一些 yi xie |
| Soon | 很快 hen kuai |
| Stay | 停留 ting liu |
| Stop | 停止 ting zhi |
| Such | 这样的 zhe yang de |
| Swap | 交换 jiao huan |
| Swim | 游泳 you yong |
| Take | 拿 na |
| Talk | 讲话 jiang hua |
| Tall | 高的 gao de |
| Team | 团队 tuan dui |
| Tell | 告诉 gao su |
| Tent | 帐篷 zhang peng |
| That | 那 na |
| Then | 然后 ran hou |
| Thin | 薄的 bao de |
| This | 这个 zhe ge |
| Tide | 浪潮 lang chao |
| Time | 时间 shi jian |
| Tour | 旅游 lu you |
| Town | 镇 zhen |
| Tree | 树 shu |
| Trip | 旅行 lu xing |
| Turn | 转动 zhuan dong |
| Ugly | 丑陋的 chou lou de |
| Vase | 花瓶 hua ping |
| Vein | 静脉 jing mai |
| Very | 非常 fei chang |
| View | 看法 kan fa |
| Wage | 工资 gong zi |
| Wait | 等待 deng dai |
| Wake | 唤醒 huan xing |
| Walk | 走 zou |
| Wall | 墙 qiang |
| Want | 想 xiang |
| Warm | 温暖的 wen nuan de |
| Warn | 警告 jing gao |
| Weak | 虚弱的 xu ruo de |
| Wear | 穿 chuan |
| Week | 星期 xing qi |
| Well | 出色地 chu se de |
| Went | 去 qu |
| What | 什么 shen me |
| When | 什么时候 shen me shi hou |
| Wide | 宽的 kuan de |
| Wife | 妻子 qi zi |
| Wild | 荒野 huang ye |
| Will | 将要 jiang yao |
| Wind | 风 feng |
| Wine | 葡萄酒 pu tao jiu |
| Wish | 希望 xi wang |
| Wood | 木头 mu tou |
| Wool | 羊毛 yang mao |
| Word | 单词 dan ci |
| Work | 工作 gong zuo |
| Worm | 虫 chong |
| Yarn | 纱 sha |
| Your | 您的 nin de |
| Zoom | 飞涨 fei zhang |
5 letter words
| About | 关于 guan yu |
| Above | 多于 duo yu |
| Adapt | 适应 shi ying |
| Admit | 承认 cheng ren |
| Adult | 成人 cheng ren |
| After | 后 hou |
| Again | 再次 zai ci |
| Agree | 同意 tong yi |
| Alert | 警报 jing bao |
| Allow | 允许 yun xu |
| Alone | 独自的 du zi de |
| Along | 沿着 yan zhe |
| Anger | 愤怒 fen nu |
| Angle | 角度 jiao du |
| Angry | 生气的 sheng qi de |
| Asset | 资产 zi chan |
| Avoid | 避免 bi mian |
| Awake | 苏醒 su xing |
| Aware | 知道的 zhi dao de |
| Begin | 开始 kai shi |
| Birth | 诞生 dan sheng |
| Blood | 血 xue |
| Brain | 脑 nao |
| Built | 建成 jian cheng |
| Bring | 带来 dai lai |
| Build | 建造 jian zao |
| Camel | 骆驼 luo tuo |
| Canal | 运河 yun he |
| Carry | 携带 xie dai |
| Cheap | 便宜的 bian yi de |
| Cheat | 欺骗 qi pian |
| Check | 查看 cha kan |
| Chest | 胸部 xiong bu |
| Claim | 宣称 xuan cheng |
| Clean | 干净的 gan jing de |
| Clear | 清除 qing chu |
| Climb | 爬 pa |
| Close | 关 guan |
| Cloth | 布 bu |
| Cloud | 云 yun |
| Color | 颜色 yan se |
| Crime | 犯罪 fan zui |
| Crowd | 人群 ren qun |
| Crown | 王冠 wang guan |
| Daily | 日常的 ri chang de |
| Dance | 舞蹈 wu dao |
| Death | 死亡 si wang |
| Decay | 衰变 shuai bian |
| Delay | 延迟 yan chi |
| Devil | 魔鬼 mo gui |
| Dirty | 肮脏的 ang zang de |
| Dress | 裙子 qun zi |
| Drink | 喝 he |
| Drive | 驾驶 jia shi |
| Dwell | 住 zhu |
| Eager | 渴望的 ke wang de |
| Eagle | 鹰 ying |
| Early | 早期的 zao qi de |
| Earth | 地球 de qiu |
| Elder | 长老 zhang lao |
| Empty | 空的 kong de |
| Enemy | 敌人 di ren |
| Enjoy | 请享用 qing xiang yong |
| Entry | 入口 ru kou |
| Equal | 平等的 ping deng de |
| Essay | 散文 san wen |
| Event | 事件 shi jian |
| Every | 每一个 mei yi ge |
| Exact | 精确的 jing que de |
| Exist | 存在 cun zai |
| Extra | 额外的 e wai de |
| Faith | 信仰 xin yang |
| Fault | 过错 guo cuo |
| Fever | 发热 fa re |
| Field | 场地 chang de |
| Final | 最后 zui hou |
| Fleet | 舰队 jian dui |
| Float | 漂浮 piao fu |
| Flood | 洪水 hong shui |
| Floor | 地面 de mian |
| Flour | 面粉 mian fen |
| Fluid | 体液 ti ye |
| Focus | 重点 zhong dian |
| Force | 力量 li liang |
| Fraud | 欺诈罪 qi zha zui |
| Fresh | 新鲜的 xin xian de |
| Front | 正面 zheng mian |
| Fruit | 水果 shui guo |
| Ghost | 鬼 gui |
| Globe | 地球 de qiu |
| Going | 去 qu |
| Grain | 粮食 liang shi |
| Grant | 授予 shou yu |
| Grass | 草 cao |
| Great | 伟大的 wei da de |
| Group | 团体 tuan ti |
| Guard | 警卫 jing wei |
| Guest | 客人 ke ren |
| Habit | 习惯 xi guan |
| Heart | 心 xin |
| Honey | 蜜糖 mi tang |
| Horse | 马 ma |
| House | 屋 wu |
| Human | 人类 ren lei |
| Ideal | 理想的 li xiang de |
| Issue | 问题 wen ti |
| Judge | 法官 fa guan |
| Knife | 刀 dao |
| Labor | 劳工 lao gong |
| Ladle | 钢包 gang bao |
| Large | 大 da |
| Laugh | 笑 xiao |
| Learn | 学 xue |
| Leave | 离开 li kai |
| Legal | 合法的 he fa de |
| Limit | 限制 xian zhi |
| Lunch | 午餐 wu can |
| Metal | 金属 jin shu |
| Mixed | 混合的 hun he de |
| Money | 钱 qian |
| Month | 月 yue |
| Mount | 山 shan |
| Mouth | 嘴 zui |
| Music | 音乐 yin le |
| Maize | 玉米 yu mi |
| Naked | 裸 luo |
| Never | 绝不 jue bu |
| Night | 夜晚 ye wan |
| Niece | 侄女 zhi nu |
| Noise | 噪音 zao yin |
| Occur | 发生 fa sheng |
| Ocean | 海洋 hai yang |
| Onion | 洋葱 yang cong |
| Offer | 提供 ti gong |
| Order | 命令 ming ling |
| Organ | 器官 qi guan |
| Other | 其他 qi ta |
| Owner | 所有者 suo you zhe |
| Paddy | 稻田 dao tian |
| Panic | 恐慌 kong huang |
| Peace | 和平 he ping |
| Place | 地方 de fang |
| Plant | 植物 zhi wu |
| Price | 价格 jia ge |
| Pride | 自豪 zi hao |
| Proud | 自豪的 zi hao de |
| Prove | 证明 zheng ming |
| Quilt | 被子 bei zi |
| Quick | 快的 kuai de |
| Quite | 相当 xiang dang |
| Raise | 增加 zeng jia |
| Reach | 抵达 di da |
| React | 反应 fan ying |
| Ready | 准备好 zhun bei hao |
| Reply | 回复 hui fu |
| Right | 正确的 zheng que de |
| Round | 圆形的 yuan xing de |
| Rural | 乡村的 xiang cun de |
| Saint | 圣 sheng |
| Scope | 范围 fan wei |
| Score | 分数 fen shu |
| Sense | 感觉 gan jue |
| Shake | 摇 yao |
| Shape | 形状 xing zhuang |
| Share | 分享 fen xiang |
| Sharp | 锋利的 feng li de |
| Shrub | 灌木 guan mu |
| Skill | 技能 ji neng |
| Sleep | 睡觉 shui jue |
| Slope | 坡 po |
| Small | 小的 xiao de |
| Smell | 闻 wen |
| Smile | 微笑 wei xiao |
| Snake | 蛇 she |
| Snore | 鼾 han |
| Solid | 坚硬的 jian ying de |
| Sound | 声音 sheng yin |
| Space | 空间 kong jian |
| Speak | 说话 shuo hua |
| Speed | 速度 su du |
| Spend | 花费 hua fei |
| Spent | 花费 hua fei |
| Sperm | 精子 jing zi |
| Sport | 运动 yun dong |
| Stand | 站立 zhan li |
| Steam | 蒸汽 zheng qi |
| Stone | 石头 shi tou |
| Story | 故事 gu shi |
| Taste | 品尝 pin chang |
| Teach | 教导 jiao dao |
| Teeth | 牙齿 ya chi |
| Thank | 谢谢 xie xie |
| There | 那里 na li |
| These | 这些 zhe xie |
| Thick | 厚的 hou de |
| Thing | 事物 shi wu |
| Tiger | 老虎 lao hu |
| Today | 今天 jin tian |
| Total | 全部的 quan bu de |
| Treat | 对待 dui dai |
| Trend | 趋势 qu shi |
| Tried | 尝试过 chang shi guo |
| Trust | 相信 xiang xin |
| Truth | 真相 zhen xiang |
| Twice | 两次 liang ci |
| Under | 在下面 zai xia mian |
| Upper | 上 shang |
| Urban | 城市的 cheng shi de |
| Visit | 访问 fang wen |
| Voice | 语音 yu yin |
| Vomit | 呕吐 ou tu |
| Waste | 浪费 lang fei |
| Water | 水 shui |
| Wheat | 小麦 xiao mai |
| Where | 在哪里 zai na li |
| White | 白色的 bai se de |
| Whole | 所有的 suo you de |
| Woman | 女士 nu shi |
| World | 世界 shi jie |
| Worst | 最差 zui cha |
| Write | 写 xie |
| Wrong | 错误的 cuo wu de |
| Yield | 屈服 qu fu |
| Young | 年轻 nian qing |
Medium words
6 letter words
| Absent | 缺席的 que xi de |
| Accept | 接受 jie shou |
| Admire | 钦佩 qin pei |
| Advice | 建议 jian yi |
| Almost | 几乎 ji hu |
| Always | 总是 zong shi |
| Animal | 动物 dong wu |
| Answer | 回答 hui da |
| Appeal | 上诉 shang su |
| Appear | 出现 chu xian |
| Arrive | 到达 dao da |
| Artist | 艺术家 yi shu jia |
| Assist | 助攻 zhu gong |
| Attack | 攻击 gong ji |
| Attach | 附 fu |
| Attend | 参加 can jia |
| Bangle | 手镯 shou zhuo |
| Before | 前 qian |
| Behind | 在后面 zai hou mian |
| Bellow | 吼叫 hou jiao |
| Better | 更好的 geng hao de |
| Borrow | 借 jie |
| Bottom | 底部 di bu |
| Broken | 破碎的 po sui de |
| Budget | 预算 yu suan |
| Cancel | 取消 qu xiao |
| Cancer | 癌症 ai zheng |
| Carrot | 胡萝卜 hu luo bo |
| Cattle | 牛 niu |
| Common | 常见的 chang jian de |
| Compel | 迫使 po shi |
| Corner | 角落 jiao luo |
| Couple | 夫妻 fu qi |
| Course | 课程 ke cheng |
| Create | 创造 chuang zao |
| Custom | 风俗 feng su |
| Damage | 损害 sun hai |
| Dancer | 舞蹈家 wu dao jia |
| Danger | 危险 wei xian |
| Decade | 十年 shi nian |
| Defeat | 打败 da bai |
| Delete | 删除 shan chu |
| Demand | 要求 yao qiu |
| Desire | 欲望 yu wang |
| Detail | 细节 xi jie |
| Dinner | 晚餐 wan can |
| Divine | 神圣的 shen sheng de |
| Donkey | 驴 lu |
| Double | 双倍的 shuang bei de |
| Edible | 食用 shi yong |
| Effect | 影响 ying xiang |
| Either | 任何一个 ren he yi ge |
| Empire | 帝国 di guo |
| Energy | 活力 huo li |
| Enough | 足够 zu gou |
| Ensure | 确保 que bao |
| Entire | 全部的 quan bu de |
| Except | 除了 chu le |
| Expand | 扩张 kuo zhang |
| Expect | 预计 yu ji |
| Export | 出口 chu kou |
| Extend | 延长 yan zhang |
| Facade | 正面 zheng mian |
| Family | 家庭 jia ting |
| Famous | 著名的 zhe ming de |
| Faulty | 有缺陷的 you que xian de |
| Favour | 赞成 zan cheng |
| Famous | 著名的 zhe ming de |
| Favour | 赞成 zan cheng |
| Female | 女性 nu xing |
| Fiance | 未婚夫 wei hun fu |
| Finish | 结束 jie shu |
| Flower | 花 hua |
| Forest | 森林 sen lin |
| Forgot | 忘记 wang ji |
| Freeze | 冻结 dong jie |
| Friend | 朋友 peng you |
| Future | 未来 wei lai |
| Garage | 车库 che ku |
| Garden | 花园 hua yuan |
| Garlic | 大蒜 da suan |
| Ginger | 生姜 sheng jiang |
| Global | 全球的 quan qiu de |
| Ground | 地面 de mian |
| Growth | 生长 sheng zhang |
| Health | 健康 jian kang |
| Hidden | 隐 yin |
| Honest | 诚实的 cheng shi de |
| Honour | 荣誉 rong yu |
| Hostel | 旅馆 lu guan |
| Humble | 谦逊的 qian xun de |
| Hungry | 饥饿的 ji e de |
| Ignore | 忽视 hu shi |
| Impact | 影响 ying xiang |
| Impure | 不纯的 bu chun de |
| Income | 收入 shou ru |
| Inform | 通知 tong zhi |
| Insect | 昆虫 kun chong |
| Inside | 里面 li mian |
| Jungle | 丛林 cong lin |
| Kidnap | 绑架 bang jia |
| Kindle | 点燃 dian ran |
| Labour | 劳工 lao gong |
| Leader | 领导者 ling dao zhe |
| Length | 长度 zhang du |
| Letter | 信件 xin jian |
| Liquid | 液体 ye ti |
| Little | 小的 xiao de |
| Living | 活的 huo de |
| Lizard | 蜥蜴 xi yi |
| Locate | 定位 ding wei |
| Luxury | 奢华 she hua |
| Making | 制作 zhi zuo |
| Mammal | 哺乳动物 bu ru dong wu |
| Manage | 管理 guan li |
| Manual | 手动的 shou dong de |
| Market | 市场 shi chang |
| Mental | 精神的 jing shen de |
| Method | 方法 fang fa |
| Middle | 中间 zhong jian |
| Monkey | 猴 hou |
| Mother | 母亲 mu qin |
| Muscle | 肌肉 ji rou |
| Narrow | 狭窄 xia zhai |
| Native | 本国的 ben guo de |
| Nature | 自然 zi ran |
| Normal | 普通的 pu tong de |
| Number | 数字 shu zi |
| Object | 目的 mu de |
| Office | 办公室 ban gong shi |
| Option | 选项 xuan xiang |
| Parent | 父母 fu mu |
| Parrot | 鹦鹉 ying wu |
| People | 人们 ren men |
| Person | 人 ren |
| Pickle | 泡菜 pao cai |
| Picnic | 野餐 ye can |
| Pigeon | 鸽子 ge zi |
| Planet | 行星 xing xing |
| Please | 请 qing |
| Plenty | 很多 hen duo |
| Police | 警察 jing cha |
| Potato | 土豆 tu dou |
| Praise | 称赞 cheng zan |
| Prayer | 祷告 dao gao |
| Pretty | 漂亮的 piao liang de |
| Prince | 王子 wang zi |
| Profit | 利润 li run |
| Proper | 恰当的 qia dang de |
| Public | 民众 min zhong |
| Rabbit | 兔子 tu zi |
| Recent | 最近的 zui jin de |
| Recipe | 食谱 shi pu |
| Record | 记录 ji lu |
| Reduce | 减少 jian shao |
| Regret | 后悔 hou hui |
| Reject | 拒绝 ju jue |
| Remind | 提醒 ti xing |
| Remove | 去掉 qu diao |
| Repair | 修理 xiu li |
| Repeat | 重复 zhong fu |
| Return | 返回 fan hui |
| Rotate | 旋转 xuan zhuan |
| Safety | 安全 an quan |
| Salary | 薪水 xin shui |
| Sample | 样本 yang ben |
| School | 学校 xue xiao |
| Screen | 屏幕 ping mu |
| Script | 脚本 jiao ben |
| Scroll | 滚动 gun dong |
| Search | 搜索 sou suo |
| Season | 季节 ji jie |
| Secret | 秘密 mi mi |
| Secure | 安全的 an quan de |
| Select | 选择 xuan ze |
| Senior | 高级的 gao ji de |
| Shield | 盾 dun |
| Should | 应该 ying gai |
| Shower | 淋浴 lin yu |
| Silent | 沉默的 chen mo de |
| Single | 单身的 dan shen de |
| Sister | 姐姐 jie jie |
| Smooth | 光滑的 guang hua de |
| Social | 社会的 she hui de |
| Speech | 演讲 yan jiang |
| Street | 街道 jie dao |
| Strong | 强的 qiang de |
| Sudden | 突然的 tu ran de |
| Summer | 夏天 xia tian |
| Supply | 供应 gong ying |
| Talent | 天赋 tian fu |
| Temple | 寺庙 si miao |
| Thread | 线 xian |
| Thrill | 快感 kuai gan |
| Throat | 喉 hou |
| Tittle | 头衔 tou xian |
| Toilet | 洗手间 xi shou jian |
| Tomato | 番茄 fan jia |
| Tongue | 舌头 she tou |
| Travel | 旅行 lu xing |
| Tunnel | 隧道 sui dao |
| Turtle | 龟 gui |
| Unseen | 看不见 kan bu jian |
| Update | 更新 geng xin |
| Urgent | 紧急 jin ji |
| Useful | 有用 you yong |
| Vacate | 腾出 teng chu |
| Vacuum | 真空 zhen kong |
| Vapour | 汽 qi |
| Verify | 核实 he shi |
| Virgin | 处女 chu nu |
| Wealth | 财富 cai fu |
| Weekly | 每周 mei zhou |
| Weight | 重量 zhong liang |
| Winter | 冬天 dong tian |
| Winner | 优胜者 you sheng zhe |
| Wonder | 想知道 xiang zhi dao |
| Worker | 工人 gong ren |
| Writer | 作家 zuo jia |
| Yearly | 每年 mei nian |
7 letter words
| Achieve | 达到 da dao |
| Advance | 进步 jin bu |
| Against | 反对 fan dui |
| Already | 已经 yi jing |
| Ancient | 古老的 gu lao de |
| Anybody | 任何人 ren he ren |
| Approve | 批准 pi zhun |
| Apology | 道歉 dao qian |
| Archive | 档案 dang an |
| Arrange | 安排 an pai |
| Arrival | 到达 dao da |
| Article | 文章 wen zhang |
| Attempt | 试图 shi tu |
| Attract | 吸引 xi yin |
| Average | 平均的 ping jun de |
| Bandage | 绷带 beng dai |
| Barrage | 弹幕 dan mu |
| Barrier | 障碍 zhang ai |
| Because | 因为 yin wei |
| Benefit | 益处 yi chu |
| Between | 之间 zhi jian |
| Cabbage | 卷心菜 juan xin cai |
| Capture | 捕获 bu huo |
| Careful | 小心 xiao xin |
| Carrier | 载体 zai ti |
| Century | 世纪 shi ji |
| Certain | 肯定 ken ding |
| Chamber | 室 shi |
| Chapter | 章节 zhang jie |
| Charity | 慈善机构 ci shan ji gou |
| Climate | 气候 qi hou |
| Coconut | 椰子 ye zi |
| Collect | 搜集 sou ji |
| College | 大学 da xue |
| Comfort | 舒适 shu shi |
| Command | 命令 ming ling |
| Comment | 评论 ping lun |
| Company | 公司 gong si |
| Compare | 比较 bi jiao |
| Concept | 概念 gai nian |
| Concern | 忧虑 you lu |
| Conduct | 执行 zhi xing |
| Confirm | 确认 que ren |
| Connect | 连接 lian jie |
| Contact | 接触 jie chu |
| Control | 控制 kong zhi |
| Convert | 转变 zhuan bian |
| Correct | 正确的 zheng que de |
| Costume | 戏服 xi fu |
| Cottage | 小屋 xiao wu |
| Country | 国家 guo jia |
| Courage | 勇气 yong qi |
| Cucumber | 黄瓜 huang gua |
| Curious | 好奇的 hao qi de |
| Declare | 宣布 xuan bu |
| Defense | 防御 fang yu |
| Dentist | 牙医 ya yi |
| Deposit | 订金 ding jin |
| Despite | 尽管 jin guan |
| Destiny | 命运 ming yun |
| Destroy | 破坏 po huai |
| Develop | 开发 kai fa |
| Disease | 疾病 ji bing |
| Display | 展示 zhan shi |
| Disturb | 打扰 da rao |
| Dynasty | 王朝 wang chao |
| Eagerly | 热切地 re qie de |
| Earning | 收入 shou ru |
| Eatable | 可食用的 ke shi yong de |
| Ecology | 生态 sheng tai |
| Economy | 经济 jing ji |
| Edition | 版 ban |
| Elegant | 优雅的 you ya de |
| Enhance | 提高 ti gao |
| Episode | 插曲 cha qu |
| Example | 例子 li zi |
| Evening | 晚上 wan shang |
| Exclude | 排除 pai chu |
| Explain | 解释 jie shi |
| Explore | 探索 tan suo |
| Educate | 教育 jiao yu |
| Factory | 工厂 gong chang |
| Failure | 失败 shi bai |
| Feature | 特征 te zheng |
| Finance | 金融 jin rong |
| Flavour | 味道 wei dao |
| Fluency | 流畅 liu chang |
| Forever | 永远 yong yuan |
| Further | 进一步 jin yi bu |
| Garment | 服装 fu zhuang |
| General | 一般的 yi ban de |
| Genuine | 真的 zhen de |
| Glamour | 魅力 mei li |
| Grammar | 语法 yu fa |
| Grocery | 杂货店 za huo dian |
| Habitat | 栖息地 qi xi de |
| Harmful | 有害 you hai |
| Harvest | 收成 shou cheng |
| Heading | 标题 biao ti |
| Hearing | 听力 ting li |
| Helpful | 有帮助 you bang zhu |
| History | 历史 li shi |
| Holding | 保持 bao chi |
| Holiday | 假期 jia qi |
| Hundred | 百 bai |
| Husband | 丈夫 zhang fu |
| Hygiene | 卫生 wei sheng |
| Impress | 留下深刻印象 liu xia shen ke yin xiang |
| Improve | 提升 ti sheng |
| Include | 包括 bao kuo |
| Initial | 最初的 zui chu de |
| Inspect | 检查 jian cha |
| Inspire | 启发 qi fa |
| Journey | 旅行 lu xing |
| Justice | 正义 zheng yi |
| Leading | 领导 ling dao |
| Leather | 皮革 pi ge |
| Leaving | 离开 li kai |
| Lecture | 演讲 yan jiang |
| Liberal | 自由主义的 zi you zhu yi de |
| Lovable | 可爱的 ke ai de |
| Luggage | 行李 xing li |
| Manager | 经理 jing li |
| Maximum | 最大限度 zui da xian du |
| Meaning | 意义 yi yi |
| Measure | 措施 cuo shi |
| Medical | 医疗的 yi liao de |
| Message | 信息 xin xi |
| Migrant | 移民 yi min |
| Mineral | 矿物 kuang wu |
| Minimum | 最低限度 zui di xian du |
| Miracle | 奇迹 qi ji |
| Missile | 导弹 dao dan |
| Missing | 丢失的 diu shi de |
| Mistake | 错误 cuo wu |
| Morning | 早晨 zao chen |
| Mustard | 芥末 jie mo |
| Mystery | 神秘 shen mi |
| Narrate | 叙事 xu shi |
| Natural | 自然 zi ran |
| Naughty | 淘气 tao qi |
| Neglect | 忽视 hu shi |
| Neither | 两者都不 liang zhe dou bu |
| Nervous | 紧张的 jin zhang de |
| Network | 网络 wang luo |
| Nothing | 没有什么 mei you shen me |
| Observe | 观察 guan cha |
| Opening | 开口 kai kou |
| Operate | 操作 cao zuo |
| Opinion | 观点 guan dian |
| Organic | 有机的 you ji de |
| Ostrich | 鸵鸟 tuo niao |
| Package | 包裹 bao guo |
| Painful | 痛苦 tong ku |
| Partial | 部分的 bu fen de |
| Passage | 通道 tong dao |
| Patient | 病人 bing ren |
| Payment | 支付 zhi fu |
| Penalty | 惩罚 cheng fa |
| Pending | 待办的 dai ban de |
| Penguin | 企鹅 qi e |
| Pension | 养老金 yang lao jin |
| Perfect | 完美的 wan mei de |
| Perfume | 香水 xiang shui |
| Popular | 受欢迎的 shou huan ying de |
| Pottery | 陶器 tao qi |
| Poverty | 贫困 pin kun |
| Prevent | 防止 fang zhi |
| Privacy | 隐私 yin si |
| Private | 私人的 si ren de |
| Problem | 问题 wen ti |
| Produce | 生产 sheng chan |
| Propose | 提出 ti chu |
| Purpose | 目的 mu de |
| Quality | 质量 zhi liang |
| Quickly | 迅速地 xun su de |
| Receive | 收到 shou dao |
| Regular | 常规的 chang gui de |
| Related | 有关的 you guan de |
| Release | 发布 fa bu |
| Replace | 代替 dai ti |
| Reptile | 爬虫 pa chong |
| Request | 要求 yao qiu |
| Respect | 尊重 zun zhong |
| Respond | 回应 hui ying |
| Revenge | 复仇 fu chou |
| Revenue | 收入 shou ru |
| Reverse | 撤销 che xiao |
| Robbery | 抢劫 qiang jie |
| Romance | 浪漫 lang man |
| Science | 科学 ke xue |
| Serious | 严肃的 yan su de |
| Servant | 仆人 pu ren |
| Service | 服务 fu wu |
| Similar | 相似的 xiang shi de |
| Society | 社会 she hui |
| Sparrow | 麻雀 ma que |
| Special | 特别的 te bie de |
| Stomach | 胃 wei |
| Student | 学生 xue sheng |
| Success | 成功 cheng gong |
| Suggest | 建议 jian yi |
| Suicide | 自杀 zi sha |
| Support | 支持 zhi chi |
| Suspend | 暂停 zan ting |
| Teacher | 老师 lao shi |
| Teenage | 青少年 qing shao nian |
| Tension | 紧张 jin zhang |
| Tourism | 旅游 lu you |
| Trouble | 麻烦 ma fan |
| Uniform | 制服 zhi fu |
| Utility | 公用事业 gong yong shi ye |
| Vacancy | 空缺 kong que |
| Variety | 种类 zhong lei |
| Vehicle | 车辆 che liang |
| Village | 村庄 cun zhuang |
| Vintage | 优质的 you zhi de |
| Victory | 胜利 sheng li |
| Violent | 暴力 bao li |
| Visible | 可见的 ke jian de |
| Visitor | 游客 you ke |
| Vitamin | 维他命 wei ta ming |
| Walking | 步行 bu xing |
| Wanting | 想要 xiang yao |
| Warning | 警告 jing gao |
| Wealthy | 富裕 fu yu |
| Weather | 天气 tian qi |
| Wedding | 婚礼 hun li |
| Welcome | 欢迎 huan ying |
| Welfare | 福利 fu li |
| Winning | 获胜 huo sheng |
| Working | 在职的 zai zhi de |
| Worried | 担心 dan xin |
| Worship | 崇拜 chong bai |
| Writing | 写作 xie zuo |
8 letter words
| Abnormal | 不正常 bu zheng chang |
| Absolute | 绝对 jue dui |
| Accepted | 公认 gong ren |
| Accident | 事故 shi gu |
| Accuracy | 准确性 zhun que xing |
| Activate | 启用 qi yong |
| Addition | 添加 tian jia |
| Adequate | 足够的 zu gou de |
| Affected | 做作的 zuo zuo de |
| Alphabet | 字母 zi mu |
| Anything | 任何事物 ren he shi wu |
| Anywhere | 任何地方 ren he de fang |
| Appraise | 评价 ping jia |
| Approach | 方法 fang fa |
| Approval | 赞同 zan tong |
| Argument | 争论 zheng lun |
| Assemble | 集合 ji he |
| Attitude | 态度 tai du |
| Audience | 观众 guan zhong |
| Attorney | 律师 lu shi |
| Aviation | 航空 hang kong |
| Backward | 落后 luo hou |
| Beginner | 初学者 chu xue zhe |
| Birthday | 生日 sheng ri |
| Bleeding | 流血的 liu xue de |
| Building | 建造 jian zao |
| Campaign | 活动 huo dong |
| Carriage | 运输 yun shu |
| Children | 孩子们 hai zi men |
| Cleavage | 分裂 fen lie |
| Complete | 完全的 wan quan de |
| Conserve | 养护 yang hu |
| Consider | 考虑 kao lu |
| Consumer | 消费者 xiao fei zhe |
| Continue | 继续 ji xu |
| Criminal | 刑事 xing shi |
| Critical | 批判的 pi pan de |
| Daughter | 女儿 nu er |
| Decision | 决定 jue ding |
| Decrease | 减少 jian shao |
| Delicate | 精美的 jing mei de |
| Delivery | 送货 song huo |
| Delusion | 妄想 wang xiang |
| Describe | 描述 miao shu |
| Disagree | 不同意 bu tong yi |
| Disallow | 不允许 bu yun xu |
| Duration | 期间 qi jian |
| Economic | 经济的 jing ji de |
| Elephant | 大象 da xiang |
| Eligible | 有资格的 you zi ge de |
| Employee | 员工 yuan gong |
| Enormous | 巨大的 ju da de |
| Entrance | 入口 ru kou |
| Envelope | 信封 xin feng |
| Estimate | 估计 gu ji |
| Everyday | 每天 mei tian |
| Exercise | 锻炼 duan lian |
| Explicit | 明确的 ming que de |
| Exposure | 接触 jie chu |
| External | 外部的 wai bu de |
| Facility | 设施 she shi |
| Faithful | 可信 ke xin |
| Favorite | 最喜欢的 zui xi huan de |
| Favorite | 最喜欢的 zui xi huan de |
| Festival | 节日 jie ri |
| Flexible | 灵活的 ling huo de |
| Friction | 摩擦 mo ca |
| Generate | 产生 chan sheng |
| Greeting | 问候语 wen hou yu |
| Guardian | 监护人 jian hu ren |
| Heritage | 遗产 yi chan |
| Horrible | 可怕 ke pa |
| Hospital | 医院 yi yuan |
| Humorous | 幽默 you mo |
| Identity | 身份 shen fen |
| Incident | 事件 shi jian |
| Increase | 增加 zeng jia |
| Indicate | 表明 biao ming |
| Industry | 行业 xing ye |
| Jealousy | 妒忌 du ji |
| Learning | 学习 xue xi |
| Location | 地点 de dian |
| Majority | 多数 duo shu |
| Marriage | 婚姻 hun yin |
| Material | 材料 cai liao |
| Medicine | 药物 yao wu |
| Moderate | 缓和 huan he |
| Mosquito | 蚊子 wen zi |
| Mountain | 山 shan |
| Narrator | 叙述者 xu shu zhe |
| Nutrient | 养分 yang fen |
| Opposite | 对面的 dui mian de |
| Original | 原来的 yuan lai de |
| Ornament | 装饰品 zhuang shi pin |
| Painting | 绘画 hui hua |
| Particle | 粒子 li zi |
| Patience | 耐心 nai xin |
| Pleasure | 乐趣 le qu |
| Position | 位置 wei zhi |
| Positive | 积极的 ji ji de |
| Possible | 可能的 ke neng de |
| Postpone | 推迟 tui chi |
| Powerful | 强大的 qiang da de |
| Precious | 宝贵的 bao gui de |
| Pregnant | 孕 yun |
| Pressure | 压力 ya li |
| Previous | 以前的 yi qian de |
| Progress | 进步 jin bu |
| Prohibit | 禁止 jin zhi |
| Property | 财产 cai chan |
| Purchase | 购买 gou mai |
| Quantity | 数量 shu liang |
| Recovery | 恢复 hui fu |
| Regional | 地区性的 de qu xing de |
| Relevant | 相关的 xiang guan de |
| Religion | 宗教 zong jiao |
| Remember | 记住 ji zhu |
| Research | 研究 yan jiu |
| Resource | 资源 zi yuan |
| Response | 回复 hui fu |
| Restrict | 严格 yan ge |
| Revision | 修订 xiu ding |
| Sensible | 明智的 ming zhi de |
| Sentence | 句子 ju zi |
| Separate | 分离 fen li |
| Stranger | 陌生人 mo sheng ren |
| Strategy | 战略 zhan lue |
| Strength | 力量 li liang |
| Struggle | 斗争 dou zheng |
| Suitable | 合适的 he shi de |
| Superior | 优越的 you yue de |
| Surprise | 惊喜 jing xi |
| Swelling | 肿胀 zhong zhang |
| Terrible | 糟糕的 zao gao de |
| Together | 一起 yi qi |
| Tomorrow | 明天 ming tian |
| Training | 训练 xun lian |
| Transfer | 转移 zhuan yi |
| Transmit | 发送 fa song |
| Treasure | 宝藏 bao cang |
| Umbrella | 伞 san |
| Universe | 宇宙 yu zhou |
| Vacation | 假期 jia qi |
| Validate | 证实 zheng shi |
| Vertical | 垂直的 chui zhi de |
| Vigorous | 蓬勃 peng bo |
| Violence | 暴力 bao li |
| Vocation | 职业 zhi ye |
| Vomiting | 呕吐 ou tu |
| Wildlife | 野生动物 ye sheng dong wu |
| Yielding | 屈服 qu fu |
| Yourself | 你自己 ni zi ji |
| Youthful | 年轻的 nian qing de |
Hard Words
9 letter words
| Accession | 加入 jia ru |
| Accessory | 配饰 pei shi |
| Accompany | 陪伴 pei ban |
| Actualize | 实现 shi xian |
| Admirable | 令人钦佩的 ling ren qin pei de |
| Advantage | 优势 you shi |
| Advisable | 可取的 ke qu de |
| Affection | 感情 gan qing |
| Affiliate | 会员 hui yuan |
| Afternoon | 下午 xia wu |
| Aggregate | 总计的 zong ji de |
| Agreement | 协议 xie yi |
| Allowance | 津贴 jin tie |
| Alternate | 备用 bei yong |
| Ambiguous | 模糊的 mo hu de |
| Animation | 动画 dong hua |
| Apologist | 辩护者 bian hu zhe |
| Applicant | 申请人 shen qing ren |
| Architect | 建筑师 jian zhu shi |
| Associate | 联系 lian xi |
| Astronomy | 天文学 tian wen xue |
| Attention | 注意力 zhu yi li |
| Attribute | 属性 shu xing |
| Authority | 权威 quan wei |
| Automatic | 自动的 zi dong de |
| Available | 可用的 ke yong de |
| Awareness | 意识 yi shi |
| Beautiful | 美丽的 mei li de |
| Behaviour | 行为 xing wei |
| Butterfly | 蝴蝶 hu die |
| Calibrate | 校准 xiao zhun |
| Candidate | 候选人 hou xuan ren |
| Celebrate | 庆祝 qing zhu |
| Challenge | 挑战 tiao zhan |
| Confident | 自信的 zi xin de |
| Confusion | 困惑 kun huo |
| Conscious | 有意识的 you yi shi de |
| Crocodile | 鳄鱼 e yu |
| Curiosity | 好奇心 hao qi xin |
| Dangerous | 危险的 wei xian de |
| Delicious | 可口的 ke kou de |
| Democracy | 民主 min zhu |
| Dependent | 依赖的 yi lai de |
| Different | 不同的 bu tong de |
| Difficult | 难的 nan de |
| Discovery | 发现 fa xian |
| Dishonest | 不诚实 bu cheng shi |
| Diversity | 多样性 duo yang xing |
| Duplicate | 复制 fu zhi |
| Education | 教育 jiao yu |
| Effective | 有效的 you xiao de |
| Emergency | 紧急情况 jin ji qing kuang |
| Equipment | 设备 she bei |
| Essential | 基本的 ji ben de |
| Establish | 建立 jian li |
| Evolution | 进化 jin hua |
| Excellent | 出色的 chu se de |
| Expensive | 昂贵的 ang gui de |
| Fantastic | 极好的 ji hao de |
| Fertility | 生育能力 sheng yu neng li |
| Financial | 金融的 jin rong de |
| Generally | 一般来说 yi ban lai shuo |
| Glamorous | 迷人的 mi ren de |
| Happening | 发生 fa sheng |
| Household | 家庭 jia ting |
| Identical | 完全相同的 wan quan xiang tong de |
| Important | 重要的 zhong yao de |
| Incorrect | 不正确的 bu zheng que de |
| Incorrupt | 廉 lian |
| Influence | 影响 ying xiang |
| Insurance | 保险 bao xian |
| Interview | 面试 mian shi |
| Intestine | 肠 chang |
| Introduce | 介绍 jie shao |
| Invention | 发明 fa ming |
| Invisible | 无形的 wu xing de |
| Irregular | 不规律的 bu gui lu de |
| Jewellery | 首饰 shou shi |
| Knowledge | 知识 zhi shi |
| Liability | 责任 ze ren |
| Misbehave | 行为不端 xing wei bu duan |
| Narration | 旁白 pang bai |
| Necessity | 必要性 bi yao xing |
| Negotiate | 谈判 tan pan |
| Nutrition | 营养 ying yang |
| Offensive | 进攻 jin gong |
| Partition | 划分 hua fen |
| Political | 政治的 zheng zhi de |
| Pollution | 污染 wu ran |
| Potential | 潜在的 qian zai de |
| Practical | 实际的 shi ji de |
| Precision | 精确 jing que |
| Privilege | 特权 te quan |
| Procedure | 程序 cheng xu |
| Prominent | 著名的 zhe ming de |
| Professor | 教授 jiao shou |
| Promotion | 晋升 jin sheng |
| Provoking | 挑衅的 tiao xin de |
| Qualified | 合格的 he ge de |
| Reference | 参考 can kao |
| Repulsion | 斥力 chi li |
| Residence | 住宅 zhu zhai |
| Sacrifice | 牺牲 xi sheng |
| Sensitive | 敏感的 min gan de |
| Something | 某物 mou wu |
| Statement | 陈述 chen shu |
| Subscribe | 订阅 ding yue |
| Substance | 物质 wu zhi |
| Sugarcane | 甘蔗 gan zhe |
| Sunflower | 向日葵 xiang ri kui |
| Surrender | 投降 tou jiang |
| Technical | 技术的 ji shu de |
| Temporary | 暂时的 zan shi de |
| Terrorist | 恐怖分子 kong bu fen zi |
| Treatment | 治疗 zhi liao |
| Variation | 变化 bian hua |
| Vegetable | 蔬菜 shu cai |
| Virginity | 童贞 tong zhen |
| Yesterday | 昨天 zuo tian |
10 letter words
| Abbreviate | 缩写 suo xie |
| Absolutely | 绝对地 jue dui de |
| Absorption | 吸收 xi shou |
| Acceptable | 可接受的 ke jie shou de |
| Achievable | 可达到的 ke da dao de |
| Additional | 额外的 e wai de |
| Admiration | 钦佩 qin pei |
| Adolescent | 青少年 qing shao nian |
| Adulterant | 掺假的 can jia de |
| Adventurer | 冒险家 mao xian jia |
| Afterwards | 然后 ran hou |
| Aggression | 侵略 qin lue |
| Alteration | 改造 gai zao |
| Ambassador | 大使 da shi |
| Analytical | 分析性的 fen xi xing de |
| Antibiotic | 抗生素 kang sheng su |
| Anticipate | 预料 yu liao |
| Appreciate | 欣赏 xin shang |
| Artificial | 人造的 ren zao de |
| Aspiration | 抱负 bao fu |
| Assignment | 任务 ren wu |
| Atmosphere | 气氛 qi fen |
| Attachment | 附件 fu jian |
| Attraction | 吸引力 xi yin li |
| Chloroform | 氯仿 lu fang |
| Combustion | 燃烧 ran shao |
| Commission | 委员会 wei yuan hui |
| Compassion | 同情 tong qing |
| Compulsory | 强制性的 qiang zhi xing de |
| Conclusion | 结论 jie lun |
| Confection | 甜点 tian dian |
| Corruption | 腐败 fu bai |
| Decoration | 装饰 zhuang shi |
| Dedication | 奉献精神 feng xian jing shen |
| Deficiency | 不足 bu zu |
| Definition | 定义 ding yi |
| Department | 部 bu |
| Depression | 沮丧 ju sang |
| Dictionary | 字典 zi dian |
| Discipline | 纪律 ji lu |
| Disclaimer | 免责声明 mian ze sheng ming |
| Disclosure | 披露 pi lu |
| Discussion | 讨论 tao lun |
| Efficiency | 效率 xiao lu |
| Employment | 就业 jiu ye |
| Engagement | 订婚 ding hun |
| Everything | 一切 yi qie |
| Everywhere | 到处 dao chu |
| Exhibition | 展览 zhan lan |
| Experience | 经验 jing yan |
| Experiment | 实验 shi yan |
| Expiration | 过期 guo qi |
| Expression | 表达 biao da |
| Fertilizer | 肥料 fei liao |
| Foundation | 基础 ji chu |
| Generation | 一代 yi dai |
| Government | 政府 zheng fu |
| Importance | 重要性 zhong yao xing |
| Impossible | 不可能的 bu ke neng de |
| Inadequate | 不足 bu zu |
| Incomplete | 不完整的 bu wan zheng de |
| Incredible | 极好的 ji hao de |
| Individual | 个人 ge ren |
| Inspection | 检查 jian cha |
| Instrument | 乐器 le qi |
| Irrigation | 灌溉 guan gai |
| Journalism | 新闻业 xin wen ye |
| Management | 管理 guan li |
| Moderation | 适度 shi du |
| Motivation | 动机 dong ji |
| Negligible | 微不足道 wei bu zu dao |
| Occupation | 职业 zhi ye |
| Particular | 特别的 te bie de |
| Passionate | 热情的 re qing de |
| Permission | 允许 yun xu |
| Population | 人口 ren kou |
| Production | 生产 sheng chan |
| Prostitute | 妓女 ji nu |
| Protection | 保护 bao hu |
| Psychology | 心理学 xin li xue |
| Punishment | 惩罚 cheng fa |
| Quarantine | 隔离 ge li |
| Retirement | 退休 tui xiu |
| Sufficient | 充足的 chong zu de |
| Supervisor | 导师 dao shi |
| Supplement | 补充 bu chong |
| University | 大学 da xue |
| Vegetarian | 素食主义者 su shi zhu yi zhe |
| Visibility | 能见度 neng jian du |
| Vulnerable | 易受伤害的 yi shou shang hai de |
Advanced Words
11 letter words
| Accommodate | 容纳 rong na |
| Achievement | 成就 cheng jiu |
| Acknowledge | 承认 cheng ren |
| Affirmation | 肯定 ken ding |
| Aggregation | 聚合 ju he |
| Agriculture | 农业 nong ye |
| Alternation | 交替 jiao ti |
| Anniversary | 周年纪念日 zhou nian ji nian ri |
| Application | 应用 ying yong |
| Appointment | 预约 yu yue |
| Appreciable | 可观的 ke guan de |
| Approximate | 近似 jin shi |
| Association | 协会 xie hui |
| Certificate | 证书 zheng shu |
| Competition | 竞赛 jing sai |
| Cultivation | 栽培 zai pei |
| Corporation | 公司 gong si |
| Cooperation | 合作 he zuo |
| Dehydration | 脱水 tuo shui |
| Discontinue | 中止 zhong zhi |
| Elimination | 消除 xiao chu |
| Environment | 环境 huan jing |
| Evaporation | 蒸发 zheng fa |
| Examination | 考试 kao shi |
| Expenditure | 支出 zhi chu |
| Fabrication | 制造 zhi zao |
| Improvement | 改进 gai jin |
| Independent | 独立的 du li de |
| Information | 信息 xin xi |
| Inspiration | 灵感 ling gan |
| Institution | 机构 ji gou |
| Instruction | 操作说明 cao zuo shuo ming |
| Intelligent | 聪明的 cong ming de |
| Manufacture | 生产 sheng chan |
| Measurement | 测量 ce liang |
| Mensuration | 测量 ce liang |
| Observation | 观察 guan cha |
| Opportunity | 机会 ji hui |
| Participant | 参与者 can yu zhe |
| Performance | 表现 biao xian |
| Preparation | 准备 zhun bei |
| Significant | 重要的 zhong yao de |
| Temperature | 温度 wen du |
| Translation | 翻译 fan yi |
| Transparent | 透明的 tou ming de |
| Vaccination | 疫苗接种 yi miao jie zhong |
12, 13 letter words
| Abbreviation | 缩写 suo xie |
| Administrate | 管理 guan li |
| Appreciation | 欣赏 xin shang |
| Accommodation | 住所 zhu suo |
| Accompaniment | 伴奏 ban zou |
| Administrator | 行政人员 xing zheng ren yuan |
| Advertisement | 广告 guang gao |
| Administration | 行政 xing zheng |
| Acknowledgement | 致谢 zhi xie |
| Conformation | 构象 gou xiang |
| Conservation | 保护 bao hu |
| Constitution | 宪法 xian fa |
| Construction | 建造 jian zao |
| Contribution | 贡献 gong xian |
| Communication | 沟通 gou tong |
| Classification | 分类 fen lei |
| Congratulation | 祝贺 zhu he |
| Disadvantage | 坏处 huai chu |
| Entrepreneur | 企业家 qi ye jia |
| Entertainment | 娱乐 yu le |
| Extraordinary | 非凡的 fei fan de |
| Horticulture | 园艺 yuan yi |
| Intermediate | 中间的 zhong jian de |
| Introduction | 介绍 jie shao |
| Investigation | 调查 diao cha |
| International | 国际的 guo ji de |
| Identification | 鉴别 jian bie |
| Justification | 理由 li you |
| Knowledgeable | 知识渊博的 zhi shi yuan bo de |
| Maintainable | 可维护的 ke wei hu de |
| Organization | 组织 zu zhi |
| Presentation | 推介会 tui jie hui |
| Preservation | 保存 bao cun |
| Purification | 纯化 chun hua |
| Participation | 参与 can yu |
| Registration | 登记 deng ji |
| Reproduction | 再生产 zai sheng chan |
| Satisfaction | 满足 man zu |
| Self-confidence | 自信心 zi xin xin |
| Transformation | 转型 zhuan xing |
| Transportation | 运输 yun shu |
Daily use Chinese Sentences
English to Chinese – here you learn top sentences, these sentences are very important in daily life conversations, and basic-level sentences are very helpful for beginners. All sentences have Chinese meanings with transliteration.
| Good morning | 早上好 Zaoshang hao |
| What is your name | 你叫什么名字 Ni jiao shenme mingzi |
| What is your problem? | 你有什么问题？ Ni you she me wenti? |
| I hate you | 我恨你 Wo hen ni |
| I love you | 我爱你 Wo ai ni |
| Can I help you? | 我可以帮你吗？ Wo keyi bang ni ma? |
| I am sorry | 对不起 duibuqi |
| I want to sleep | 我要睡觉 wo yao shuijiao |
| This is very important | 这个非常重要 Zhege feichang zhòngyao |
| Are you hungry? | 你饿了吗？ Ni ele ma? |
| How is your life? | 你过得怎么样？ Niguo de zenme yang? |
| I am going to study | 我要去学习 wo yao qu xuexi |
- Day
- Job
- Law
- Gems
- Time
- Food
- Bird
- Color
- Month
- Fruit
- Ocean
- Cloth
- Shape
- Crime
- Planet
- Season
- Zodiac
- Flower
- Plants
- Number
- Animal
- School
- Places
- Grains
- Travel
- Cinema
- Disease
- Climate
- Weather
- Cereals
- Ecology
- Meeting
- Computer
- Minerals
- Politics
- Religion
- Hospital
- Greeting
- Building
- Picture
- Relation
- Direction
- Vegetable
- Insurance
- Stationery
- Landscape
- Ornaments
- Body parts
- Occupation
- Restaurant
- Healthcare
- Newspaper
- Real Estate
- Ology words
- Management
- Measurement
- House items
- Kitchen items
- Grocery items
In the process of the formation of a language, it is rarely all formed by an individual language, and there are often cross-lingual word exchanges, that is, one language borrowed words from another language. The purpose of borrowing foreign words is to enrich the language, especially the lexical system of the language. When two or more cultures come into contact with each other, their native languages inevitably influence each other. Language contact is a very common social phenomenon, and one of the inevitable results of language contact is the emergence of loanwords. A loanword is a word adopted from a foreign language with little or no modification. It is a common phenomenon that one language borrows and absorbs the vocabulary of another language. There are loanwords in all languages.
Chinese loanwords have a long history, the earliest can be traced back to the Qin and Han dynasties. Chinese has borrowed words from a wide range of sources, including Japanese, Russian, French, English, Greek, German, Korean, and Indian Sanskrit. With English becoming the most widely spoken language in the world and the emergence of electronic and information technology loanwords, English has now become the main source of loanwords in Chinese. Today let’s take a look at some common Chinese loanwords from English.
Different types of loanwords
According to word formation methods, Chinese loanwords can be divided into several categories, the most often seen types are words directly transliterated from the English; words transliterated from English and modified with Chinese meanings; words modified entirely modified with Chinese meanings and letter loanwords.
1. Words directly transliterated from English pronunciations, which the characters only imitate the foreign word in sound but make no sense.
Because the phonetic system of Chinese is different from that of other languages, it is impossible to convert into Chinese with exact the same pronunciations, it only can only take its approximation.
Cool: 酷 kù / Café/Coffee: 咖啡 kā fēi / Toast: 吐司 tǔ sī / Bus: 巴士 bā shì
Clone: 克隆 kè lóng / Omega: 欧米茄 ōu mǐ jiā / Golf: 高尔夫 gāo ěr fū
Marathon: 马拉松 mǎ lā sōng / Salad: 沙拉 shā lā / Chocolate: 巧克力 qiǎo kè lì
Brandy: 白兰地 bái lán dì / Salon: 沙龙 shā lóng / Pudding: 布丁bù dīng
Whisky: 威士忌 wēi shì jì / Pizza: 披萨 pī sà / Tank：坦克 tǎn kè
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Radar：雷达 léi dá / Poker：扑克 pū kè / Copy：拷贝 kǎo bèi
Hormone：荷尔蒙 hé ěr méng / Guitar：吉他 jí tā / Gene：基因 jī yīn
Cartoon：卡通 kǎ tōng / Calories：卡路里 kǎ lù lǐ / Mosaic：马赛克 mǎ sài kè
Bikini：比基尼 bǐ jī ní / Olympic：奥林匹克 ào lín pǐ kè / Logic: 逻辑 luó jí
DINK: 丁克 dīng kè / Punkers：朋客 péng kè / Fans：粉丝 fěn sī / Boeing: 波音 bō yīn
2. Words transliterated from English and add on the category types or adjectives
Bowling: 保龄球 bǎo líng qiú / Sauna: 桑拿浴 sāng ná yù
Pub/bar: 酒吧 jiǔ bā / Hamburger: 汉堡包 hàn bǎo bāo
Rally: 拉力赛 lā lì sài / Nike: 耐克鞋 nài kè xié
Bus: 大巴 dà bā / Mini-bus: 小巴 xiǎo bā
Salmon: 三文鱼 sān wén yú / Soda water: 苏打水 sū dá shuǐ
Bowling: 保龄球 bǎo líng qiú / Ballet: 芭蕾舞 bā lěi wǔ / motor bike: 摩托车 mó tuō chē
3. Words transliterated from English and modified with Chinese meanings
Chinese as an ideographic character is easy to lead people’s imaginations. Therefore, transliteration often selects homophonic words or phrases that associate with artistic conceptions. It both sounds like and conveys the meaning of the original word.
Benz: 奔驰 bēn chí / Blog: 博客 bó kè
Coca-Cola: 可口可乐 kě kǒu kě lè / Talk show: 脱口秀 tuō kǒu xiù
Broad way: 百老汇 bǎi lǎo huì / Club: 俱乐部 jù lè bù
Biscuit: 饼干 bǐng gān / Ice cream: 冰淇淋 bīng qí lín
Starbucks: 星巴克 xīng bā kè / Internet: 因特网 yīn tè wǎng
Beer: 啤酒 pí jiǔ / Cheese: 芝士 zhī shì
Sandwich: 三明治 sān míng zhì / Apple pie: 苹果派 píng guǒ pài
Shampoo: 香波 xiāng bō / Sprite: 雪碧 xuě bì
Pepsi: 百事可乐 bǎi shì kě lè / Google: 谷歌 gǔ gē / Carnival: 嘉年华 jiā nián huá
4. Words converted into Chinese meanings by individual characters
Hot dog: 热狗 rè gǒu / Generation gap: 代沟 dài gōu
Dark horse: 黑马 hēi mǎ / Green card: 绿卡 lǜ kǎ
Blue collar: 蓝领 lán lǐng / White collar:白领 bái lǐng
Hot spot: 热点 rè diǎn / Software: 软件 ruǎn jiàn
Fast food: 快餐 kuài cān / Self-service: 自助餐 zì zhù cān
Green food: 绿色食物 lǜ sè shí wù / Chain store: 超市连锁店 chāo shì lián suǒ diàn
Multimedia: 多媒体 duō méi tǐ / E-mail：电子邮件 diàn zǐ yóu jiàn
5. Pure alphabetic words: word consisting only of letters
CT / TV / NBA
UFO / GPS / DJ / CEO
6. Alphabetic words formed by the combination of Chinese and letters
X-ray: X光 X guāng / T-shirt: T恤衫 T xù shān / The IP address: IP地址 IP dì zhǐ
SIM card: SIM卡 SIM kǎ / SOS Village: SOS村 SOS cūn / Vitamin A: 维生素A wéi shēng sù A
Vitamin C : 维生素C wéi shēng sù C / Karaoke: 卡拉OK kǎ lā OK
ATM: ATM机 ATM jī / The POS: POS机 POS jī
After reading through some loanwords, people may find it more confusing since the words sound quite awkward in Chinese. However, for most of the English native speakers or speak fluent English, it would be easy to learn Chinese vocabularies when coming across words that sound like or similar to English. The words that we listed above only consisted small proportion of the Chinese loanwords, we are sure that as your Chinese continues to improve, you will find more interesting loanwords along the way.
Check Out These 35 English Words That Are Borrowed From Chinese
Did you know that there are actually many English words that are borrowed from Chinese?
There are some which are quite obvious like fengshui or kung fu, but did you know that the words ketchup and brainwash actually come from Chinese!?
Yes you may actually know some Chinese words without even realising it!
However, not all of these words come from Mandarin Chinese but also from Cantonese Chinese and other Chinese dialects such as Hokkien.
We’ve compiled a list of some of the most interesting examples, some of them may really surprise you.
English Words Borrowed from Chinese || Food and Drink
English Words Borrowed from Chinese || Phrases
English Words Borrowed from Chinese || Objects and Animals
English Words Borrowed from Chinese || Culture
English Words Borrowed from Chinese || Miscellaneous
Play
English Words Borrowed From Chinese | Food and Drink
Of course it makes sense that Chinese food new to the west would borrow their English name from the original Chinese.
If you’re already familiar with some popular Chinese dishes and Chinese ingredients then many of these words should already be familiar to you.
Pak Choi
Pak choi or bok choy for those Americans out there is a common Chinese vegetable that you’ll commonly see included in various stir-fry dishes.
This word comes from the Cantonese: 白菜 baak6 coi3, which in Mandarin is 白菜 báicài and literally means “white vegetable”.
In northern mainland China they actually normally call pak choi 小白菜 xiǎo báicài (little white vegetable) to distinguish it from the nappa cabbage which is 大白菜 dà báicài (big white vegetable).
Tofu
A staple in Chinese cooking we have tofu.
This word has a Sino-Japanese origin.
It comes from the Japanese 豆腐 tōfu, which actually comes from the Mandarin 豆腐 dòufu.
Ginseng
The herbal root ginseng is used in tea and as a natural medicine.
The name comes from the Hokkien 人參 jîn sim (Mandarin 人参 rénshēn).
This literally means “human root” and is named after the shape of ginseng which kind of resembles a person.
Ketchup
Yes as we mentioned earlier, it is believed that this word is actually borrowed from Chinese!
There are two theories about where the term originated, one is that it came from the Hokkien word kê-tsiap which actually refers to a fish sauce.
It is thought that this fish sauce over time then developed into what we know as ketchup today, with tomatoes being introduced to the recipe in the 19th century.
The other theory is that it came from the Cantonese 茄汁 ke2 jap1 (Mandarin 茄汁 qié zhī) which means “tomato juice”, however many historians dispute this theory.
Hoisin (sauce)
This popular Chinese sauce takes its name from the Cantonese 海鮮 hoi2 sin1 (Mandarin 海鲜 hǎixiān) which literally means “seafood”.
The origins for the Chinese name of this sauce remain a bit of a mystery as it isn’t eaten with seafood, nor is it made from seafood.
FUN FACT | Hoisin sauce isn’t actually the condiment traditionally served with Beijing roast duck, check out our sauces blog to find out more about this.
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When you travel to Beijing there are somethings you just have to do – the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the hutongs and feast out on Beijing Duck!
Tea
Although a vital part of British culture, both tea and of course the word for tea come from China.
The term tea actually comes from the Hokkien 茶 tê and was introduced into the English language in the 17th century.
However, prior to this the word “cha” was actually used instead of tea, coming from the Cantonese 茶 cha4 (Mandarin 茶 chá) via Portuguese traders travelling from Macao.
At some point tea became the preferred name and nowadays “char” is just used as a colloquial term for tea in Britain.
Dishes
Next up we have a few popular Chinese dishes whose names have become part of the English language.
Chow Mein
Now who doesn’t love a good chow mein?
Well the origin of this word is pretty straight forward, it comes from the Taishanese 炒麵 chau2 mein6 (Mandarin 炒面 chǎomiàn) meaning fried noodles.
Lo Mein
Following on from chow mein we have another popular noodle dish: lo mein.
This word comes from the Cantonese 撈麵 lou1 min6 (Mandarin 捞面 lāo miàn) which means “stirred noodles”.
However it’s important to note that although the name is the same, an American Chinese lo mein is a very different dish from the original Cantonese one. In China lo mein can be seen as a dry noodle soup, with the soup and other ingredients served one the side.
So if you’re ever ordering lo mein in China, don’t be expecting the dish you get from your local Chinese takeout!
Chop Suey
Another American Chinese dish, chop suey takes its name from the Cantonese 雜碎 jaap6 seui3 (Mandarin 杂碎 zá suì) meaning “mixed pieces”.
Although this is where the name comes from, this dish is actually thought to be invented by Chinese Americans.
But some people do believe it originated from a similar dish popular in Taishan that was then brought over by Chinese immigrants.
Dim Sum
Last on our list of English words borrowed from the names of Chinese dishes we have the the all important dim sum!
This word comes from the Cantonese 點心 dim2 sam1 (Mandarin 点心 diǎnxīn) which means “touching heart”.
It’s actually unknown where the Chinese name for dim sum originated from, with there being a few different theories.
Within the category of dim sum, there a couple of popular dim sum dishes that have also made their way into the English language:
| English | Origin of Word | Mandarin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Char siu | Cantonese 叉燒 cha1 siu1 | 叉燒 chāshāo |
Cantonese style of barbecued pork |
| Har gow | Cantonese 蝦餃 ha1 gaau2 | 虾饺 xiājiǎo | Shrimp dumplings |
| Siu mai | Cantonese 燒賣 siu1 maai2 | 烧卖 shāomài |
Pork dumplings |
| Wonton | Cantonese 雲吞 wan4 tan1 | 馄饨 húntun | Type of Chinese dumpling |
English Words Borrowed From Chinese | Phrases
It may surprise you that some of these common English phrases actually come from Chinese, so let’s have a look at what they are.
Chop Chop
Have you ever been in a hurry and told someone to get a move on by saying chop chop?
Well next time you use this phrase you will know that it originates from the Cantonese 速速 chuk1 chuk1 (Mandarin 速速 sù sù).
It is thought that chop chop is a pidgin English version of 速速 chuk1 chuk1, which has a similar meaning to 快快 kuài kuài in Mandarin, and is used to tell someone to hurry up.
Chow
Perhaps more common in American English than British, we have the word chow.
We already saw how chow mein derived from the Chinese for fried noodles and here chow is the same coming from the Cantonese 炒 chaau2 (Mandarin 炒 chǎo) meaning stir fry.
Chow was originally pidgin English and was first used in the 1800s by Chinese labourers who were developing the railroad in California.
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Chin Chin
A word which you’re not going to hear very often anymore is chin chin, another way to say cheers or to wish someone well when drinking.
It comes from the Mandarin 请 qǐng, meaning “please” or “to invite”.
In China you’re more likely to hear cries of 干杯 gānbēi when drinking, however occasionally people will also invite you to do a cheers with them by saying 请 qǐng as well.
Interestingly in certain parts of the world “chin chin” is still commonly used when clinking beer bottles or tapping those wine glasses.
Italy is a prime example, “cin cin” remains the most popular word for “cheers”.
Gung-ho
Not a very commonly used word in everyday English, unless you’re a big fan of the Beijing pizza chain Gung-ho Pizza we have the term gung-ho.
In English it means “overly enthusiastic or energetic” and comes from the Mandarin 工合 gōnghé which literally means “work together”.
The phrase was picked up by United States Marine Corps Major Evans Carlson who wanted to encourage his soldiers to work together like Chinese soldiers did, saying that their motto was 工合 gōnghé.
English Words Borrowed From Chinese | Objects and Animals
Objects
Next on our list of English words borrowed from Chinese we have some different Chinese objects.
To start off we’re going to have a look at some traditional Chinese clothes.
Qipao/cheongsam
One of the most iconic traditional Chinese dresses is the qipao also called a cheongsam.
Qipao comes directly from the Mandarin 旗袍 qípáo, 旗 qí used to be a term for the Manchu people and 袍 means “gown”.
Cheongsam then comes from the Cantonese 長衫 cheung4 saam1 which means “long gown”.
In English cheongsam and qipao can be used interchangeably, however in Mandarin 长衫 chángshān refers exclusively to a male garment.
Hanfu
Another common traditional Chinese garment which was worn by the Han Chinese.
Like qipao, this word just comes directly from the Mandarin 汉服 hànfú.
Wok
It should come as no surprise that this essential Chinese cooking utensil borrows its name from Chinese .
It comes straight from the Cantonese 鑊 wok6 which in Mandarin is 镬 huò.
However, in Mandarin speaking regions the character 锅 (guō) is actually used to refer to woks and pans.
锅 means pot and is one part of one of China’s most famous cuisines – hotpot 火锅 (literally fire pot).
Chopsticks
As we saw earlier the phrase chop chop comes from the Chinese for quickly and it’s thought that the name for chopsticks has the same origin.
The Chinese for chopsticks is 筷子 kuàizi and the first character has the same pronunciation as 快 kuài meaning quick.
Animals
In this section we’re going to look at animal names that are borrowed from Chinese, which are actually all different types of dog breeds.
Shih Tzu
The name shih tzu comes directly from the Mandarin 狮子狗 shīzigǒu which means “lion dog” in Chinese.
Shi tzu is the Wade-Giles romanization of the characters.
These were termed lion dogs in China because they were bred to look like mythical Chinese lions.
However, in modern day China 狮子狗 shīzigǒu actually refers to Pekinese dogs and shih tzu are called 西施犬 xīshī quǎn instead.
Shar Pei
Just like shih tzu, Shar Pei is another direct translation and comes from the Cantonese 沙皮 sa1 pei4 (Mandarin 沙皮 shā pí).
This literally translates to “sand skin” and refers to the brown, wrinkly skin that Shar Pei dogs have.
Super cute, right?!
Chow Chow
Last on the list of dogs is the chow chow, the Chinese name for this breed of dog is 松狮 sōng shī meaning “loose lion”, however the name chow chow does not have any relation to this.
It is believed that the name chow chow comes from pidgin English for cargo coming from the orient which was also referred to as chow chow.
English Words Borrowed From Chinese | Culture
In our penultimate section we’re going to have a look at English words borrowed from Chinese that all relate to Chinese culture.
Kung Fu
Everybody was kung-fu fighting…!
Now, everyone should already be familiar with this word, especially anyone who is a fan of Jackie Chan films!
It comes from the Cantonese 功夫 gung1 fu1 (Mandarin 功夫 gōngfū).
Tai Chi
Following on from kung fu we have tai chi, another form of martial arts it comes from the Mandarin 太极拳 tàijíquán.
The name is simply the Wade-Giles romanization of the original Chinese, however the 拳 quán is omitted in the English name.
Ch’i
Next we have another ch’i, but this is different to the chi in tai chi.
This comes from the Mandarin 气 qì which in this context means “vital energy” and is an important part of traditional Chinese medicine.
Again this is the Wade-Giles romanization of the word, which you’ll see is quite common for many English words borrowed from Chinese.
Yin Yang
Introducing another very famous Chinese concept.
Yin yang is taken directly from the Mandarin 阴阳 yīnyáng.
In Taoist philosophy yin and yang represent two balancing forces in the universe. It can literally be translated to “dark and light”.
Feng Shui
You’re probably already familiar with the traditional Chinese practice of feng shui which is simply taken from the Mandarin 风水 fēngshuǐ.
This literally means “wind and water” which refers to the need to balance the energies within an environment.
Did you know that the practice of feng shui has led to many superstitions such as how it can be considered bad luck to build a house facing north.
Kowtow
Last on the list of English words borrowed from Chinese that relate to Chinese culture is the word kowtow.
This comes from the Cantonese 叩頭 kau3 tau4 (Mandarin 叩头 kòutóu) which literally means “knock head”.
The act of kotowing is to kneel and bow your head so that it touches the floor, historically this was the highest sign of reverence and would be used to show respect to superiors, especially the Emperor of China.
However, in modern day English the words has taken on the meaning to show too much respect or obedience to someone.
English Words Borrowed From Chinese | Miscellaneous
Lastly, let’s have a look at a few other English words that are borrowed from Chinese starting with two which are literal translations.
Brainwash
Now this one may surprise you!
Did you know that the term brainwash actually comes from Chinese?
It is a literal translation of the Mandarin for brainwash 洗脑 xǐnǎo which was first used by the People’s Volunteer Army during the Korean War.
This psychological concept first came into the mainstream English language after the Korean War where it was used to describe the attitudes of POWs returning.
Paper Tiger
This is an ancient phrase that was brought into the mainstream English language by Mao Zedong to describe his political enemies.
Paper tiger is another literal translation of the Chinese 纸老虎 zhǐlǎohǔ.
It describes someone or something that appears to be powerful or threatening but then actually isn’t.
Typhoon
Surprised?!
Another word that you might not realise has its origins in Chinese, typhoon comes from the Mandarin 台风 táifēng.
Originally in Chinese this word simply meant “typhoon wind” with 台 tái being the simplified character of 颱 tái which means typhoon.
Coolie
A coolie is a term for a labourer typically of South Asian of East Asian descent which was first used by European traders in the 16th century.
Some claim that this word has its origins in Hindi, however others believe that it comes from the Mandarin 苦力 kǔlì.
This literally means “bitter strength” but has the meaning of “hard labour”.
So which was your favourite? Why not tell us in the comments below.
BONUS | How about we switch it around and teach you some words used in daily life in China, taken from other languages.
Check out our guide to some of the most popular Chinese loanwords. There’s sure to be some surprises on the list you didn’t expect also!
There’s more too. Why not check out our guide to 20+ loanwords in Russian and our favourite Konglish words.
So much to learn! Enjoy and thanks for reading 😎
English Words Borrowed from Chinese | FAQs
What is a loanword?
A loanword is a word adopted from a foreign language with little or no modification.
How many English words originated from Chinese?
There are actually loads of English words that originated from Chinese, according to the Oxford English Dictionary there are over 1,300 English words that have Chinese as the source.
What words are the same in English and Chinese?
There are many words that sound the same or similar in English and Chinese, for example feng shui and yin yang are the same in both languages.
Is ketchup a loan word?
Yes!
Ketchup is a loan word and is originally thought to have potentially come from the Hokkien word kê-tsiap.
What are some Chinese loan words in English?
There are actually tonnes of Chinese loan words in English such as kung fu or wok, according to the Oxford English Dictionary there are over 1,300 English words that have Chinese as the source.
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