Essential Mandarin Chinese Vocabulary

• The text is a compilation of essential Mandarin Chinese vocabulary, phrases, and grammatical concepts

Days of the Week

• 星期 (xīngqī) means "week"
• 星期一 (xīngqīyī) translates to Monday
• 星期二 (xīngqīèr) means Tuesday
• 星期三 (xīngqīsān) signifies Wednesday
• 星期四 (xīngqīsì) is Thursday
• 星期五 (xīngqīwŭ) means Friday
• 星期六 (xīngqīliù) translates to Saturday
• 星期日 (xīngqīrì) means Sunday

Family Terms

• 父母 (fù mù) refers to "parents"
• 父亲 (fù qīn) translates to "father"
• 母亲 (mù qin) is "mother"
• 爸爸 (bà ba) means "dad"
• 妈妈 (mā ma) is "mom"
• 女儿 (nǚ'ér) means "daughter"
• 儿子 (Ér zi) means "son"
• 孩子 (hái) is "children"
• 妻子 (qī zi) and 太太 (tài tai) signify "wife"
• 丈夫 (zhàng fū) means "husband"
• 配偶 (pèi ǒu) and 爱人 (Ài rén) refer to "spouse"
• 兄弟姐妹 (xiōng dì jiě mèi) means "siblings"
• 哥哥 (gē ge) is "older brother"
• 弟弟 (dì di) means "younger brother"
• 姐姐 (jiě jie) translates to "older sister"
• 妹妹 (mèi mei) means "younger sister"

Example Questions About Family

• 你有哥哥吗? (nǐ yǒu gē ge ma?) means "Do you have an elder brother?"
• 你有姐姐吗? (nǐ yǒu jiě jie ma?) translates to "Do you have an elder sister?"
• 你有妹妹吗? (nǐ yǒu mèi mei ma?) means "Do you have a younger sister?"

Hobbies

• 喜欢 (xǐ huan) means "like/love"
• 不喜欢 (bù xi huan) translates to "don't like"
• 看电视 (kàn diàn shì) means "to watch TV"
• 看电影 (kàn diàn yǐng) is "to watch a movie"
• 玩儿滑板 (wánr huá băn) means "to skateboard"
• 玩儿电脑游戏 (wánr diàn năo yóuxì) is "to play computer games"

Telling Time

• 现在几点? (xiàn zài jǐ diǎn?) means "What time is it?"
• 点 (diǎn) means "o'clock"
• 一点 (yī diǎn) is 1 o'clock
• 两点 (liǎng diǎn) is 2 o'clock
• 三点 (sān diǎn) is 3 o'clock
• 四点 (sì diǎn) is 4 o'clock
• 五点 (wŭ diǎn) is 5 o'clock
• 六点 (liù diǎn) is 6 o'clock
• 七点 (qī diǎn) is 7 o'clock
• 八点 (bā diǎn) is 8 o'clock
• 九点 (jiŭ diǎn) is 9 o'clock
• 十点 (shí diǎn) is 10 o'clock
• 十一点 (shí yī diǎ) is 11 o'clock
• 十二点 (shí èr diǎn) is 12 o'clock
• 分 (fēn) means "minutes"

Examples of Telling Time with Minutes

• 十点三十分 (shí diǎn sān shí fēn) or 十点半 (shí diăn bàn) means 10:30
• 五点十五分 (wŭ diǎn shí wŭ fēn) is 5:15

AM/PM

• 上午 (shàng wŭ) is "morning (AM)"
• 中午 (zhōng wù) is "noon (PM)"
• 下午 (xià wŭ) is "afternoon (PM)"
• 凌晨 (Língchén) is "before dawn"
• 晚上 (wǎn shang) is "evening (PM)"
• 早上八点 (zǎo shang bā diǎn) is 8:00 AM
• 晚上七点 (wǎn shang qī diǎn) is 7:00 PM

KOU (Measure Word for People)

• 人 (rén) means "person/people"
• 口 (kǒu) is a measure word for people in a family
• 和 (hé) means "and"

Example Sentences Using KOU

• 我家有五口人 (wǒ jiā yǒu wŭ kǒu rén) means "My family has five people"
• 爸爸妈妈 (bà ba hé mā ma) means "Dad and Mom"
• 爸爸叫 Simon 和妈妈叫 Sarah, meaning "Dad is called Simon and Mum is called Sarah"

Tones in Mandarin Chinese

• Mandarin Chinese uses tones to differentiate word meanings

• There are five tones: first, second, third, fourth, and neutral

• First Tone (High and Steady Tone)

  • It has a flat and steady sound with the voice staying at a high pitch
  • Example: mā (妈) – "mother"

• Second Tone (Rising Tone)

  • Rises from mid to high pitch, similar to asking a question
  • Example: má (麻) – "hemp"

• Third Tone (Low Tone)

  • Starts mid, dips down, and then rises back up
  • Often simplified to a low tone in casual speech
  • Example: mă (马) – "horse"

• Fourth Tone (Falling Tone)

  • Sharp and falling, starts high and drops quickly
  • Example: mà (骂) – "scold"

• Neutral Tone (Light Tone)

  • Quick and flat without emphasis, often used for question particles
  • Example: ma (吗) – A question particle

Tone Comparison Example (ma)

• 妈 (mā) – Mother (first tone)
• 麻 (má) – Hemp (second tone)
• 马 (mă) - Horse (third tone)
• 骂 (mà) – Scold (fourth tone)
• 吗 (ma) - Question particle (neutral tone)