Chinese in Plain English

It is common to speak of “Chinese” as if there were only one Chinese language. In a practical sense, however, there are at least seven Chinese languages, including Mandarin, Cantonese, Shanghainese, Hokkien, and Hunanese along with dozens of Chinese dialects and minority-group languages.

While the Chinese languages and dialects belong to the same family – much like Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and French are related – the seven primary languages are related but are different enough that one could notice distinct differences when spoken.

But all Chinese languages have traditionally been written with most of the same ideograms or “characters,” so that speakers of Cantonese, Shanghainese, Hokkien, and so on are able to read each other’s language fairly well, although their respective pronunciations are totally different.

Common Expressions

Hello = Ni hao (Nee how.)

How are you? = Nin hao ma? (Neen how mah?)

Thank you = Xie xie (she-eh she-eh)

You’re welcome = Bu xie (Buu shee-eh)

For any comments or questions regarding the pronunciation of these words, feel free to contact Linsey A. Daman at 314-704-0295 for a free mini review.

Source: De Mente, Boye Lafayette. Chinese in Plain English. Chicago : Passport Books.