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There are seven major dialects and many sub-dialects
in China. Dialect spoken in Beijing, known as "Mandarin"
or Putonghua, is the predominant dialect, widely used
by over 70 percent of the population. Putonghua is various
referred to as the "Han language" (hanyu),
or simply Chinese. Only about two-thirds of the Han
people are native speakers of Putonghua and the others
who living in southwest and southeast China speak their
own dialects.
Except these dialects, some minorities such as Mongolian,
Tibetan and Uygur also have their own language. However,
by the means of the cultural and economic exchange,
more and more minorities begin to learn Putonghua.
In recent years, the upsurge of learning English sweeps
over the country. Most of the service staff in hotels
could speak fluent or simple English and we will also
arrange experienced guides for our guests. So, don't
worry about the language barrier when you are in China.
Of course, it will be better if you learn some simple
Putonghua before your start.
Do you want to learn some simple phrases, now, Follow
Me!
23 letters in Pinyin
| Letter |
Pronunciation |
Letter |
Pronunciation |
Letter |
Pronunciation |
| B |
As
in bay |
G |
As
in go |
Sh |
As
in shirt |
| P |
As
in pay |
K |
As
in kit |
R |
As
in leisure |
| M |
As
in may |
H |
As
in hit |
Z |
As
in reads |
| F |
As
in fat |
J |
As
in jeep |
C |
As
in hats |
| D |
As
in dad |
Q |
As
in cheer |
S |
As
in say |
| T |
As
in time |
X |
As
in she |
Y |
As
in yes |
| N |
As
in nay |
Zh |
As
in junk |
W |
As
in way |
| L |
As
in lay |
Ch |
As
in church |
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Useful words and phrases:
Orientation and Geography
|
Pinyin |
English |
Pinyin |
English |
| dong |
east |
nan |
south |
| xi |
west |
bei |
north |
| |
| hu |
lake |
he |
river |
| shan |
mountain |
hai |
sea |
| wan |
gulf |
qu |
canal |
| |
| jie |
street |
lu |
road |
| xiang |
lane |
|
|
Number
|
Number |
Pinyin |
Number |
Pinyin |
| 1 |
yi |
6 |
liu |
| 2 |
er |
7 |
qi |
| 3 |
san |
8 |
ba |
| 4 |
si |
9 |
jiu |
| 5 |
wu |
10 |
shi |
| |
| 11 |
shi yi |
12 |
shi er |
| 20 |
er shi |
30 |
san shi |
| 21 |
er shi yi |
31 |
san shi yi |
| 100 |
yi bai |
200 |
er bai |
| 1000 |
yi qian |
10000 |
yi wan |
Useful phrases
Pronouns
|
English |
Pinyin |
| I |
wo |
| we/us |
women |
| you |
ni / nimen |
| he
/ she / it |
ta |
| they
/ them |
tamen |
| |
|
| hello |
nihao |
| goodbye |
zaijian |
| thank
you |
xiexie |
| please |
qing |
| you're
welcome |
bukeqi |
| I'm
sorry |
duibuqi |
| |
|
| How
much is it? |
duoshao qian? |
| That's
too expensive. |
tai guile |
| My
name is... |
wojiao... |
| I'm
from... |
wo shi cong...laide. |
| Where
is the...? |
...zai nali |
| I'm
lost. |
wo milule. |
| What's
the time? |
ji dian
le? |
| I
fell ill. |
wo bu
shu fu. |
| Could
you help me? |
ni keyi
bang wo ma? |
| I
would like... |
wo xiang
yao... |
| |
|
| train
station |
huo che zhan |
| airport
|
fei ji chang |
| bus
station |
qi che zhan |
| hotel |
jiu dian /
fan dian |
| hospital |
yi yuan |
| restaurant
|
can ting / fan dian |
| shop |
shang dian |
| police |
jingcha |
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