Basic Chinese Cultural Notes

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The most common greetings in Chinese are 你好 (nǐ hǎo, hello) and 您好 (nín hǎo, how do you do?).

您好 is the polite form used when talking to older people, superiors, customers and so on.

早上好 (zǎoshàng hǎo, good morning) and 晚上好 (wǎnshàng hǎo, good evening) are used in the morning or in the evening respectively.

欢迎 (huānyíng, welcome) is commonly used to welcome somebody.

In shops and restaurant the expression 欢迎光临 (huānyíng guānglín, welcome) can often be heard.

When meeting somebody after a long time 好久不见 (hǎo jiǔ bù jiàn, long time no see) can be added to the greetings 你好 or 您好.

On the telephone 喂 (wèi, hello) is the most common greeting.

Greetings 1 of 1

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The most common goodbyes are the following:

再见 zàijiàn goodbye

明天见 míngtiān jiàn see you tomorrow

慢走 mànzǒu goodbye take care

晚安 wǎn'ān good night

1 of 1 Goodbyes

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Names1 of 1

In Chinese the surname proceeds the given name. The surname normally consists of a single syllable (character).Common surnames are:

Given names normally consist of one or two characters. Unlike surnames, given names come in a much greater variety. Here are some well known names:

Chinese people sometimes adapt their names to the Western fashion of first names preceeding the surname. It can then be difficult to decide which is which, but looking for common surnames can help.

Li 李 Wang 王 Zhang 张 Zhao 赵 Chen 陈 Yang 杨 Wu 吴 Liu 刘 Huang 黄 Zhou 周Xu 徐 Zhu 朱 Lin 林 Sun 孙 Ma 马 Hu 胡 Zheng 郑 Guo 郭 Xiao 肖 Xie 谢He 何 Xu 许 Song 宋 Shen 沈 Luo 罗 Han 韩 Deng 邓 Liang 梁 Ye 叶 Gao 高

毛泽东 Mao Zedong Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party, Founder of the People’s Republic of China

周恩来 Zhou Enlai First Prime Minister of the People’s Republic of China

邓小平 Deng Xiaoping Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party, responsible for the opening up of China after 1978

鲁迅 Lu Xun famous Chinese writer (Lu Xun is his pen name, his real name was 周树人 (Zhou Shuren))

姚明 Yao Ming famous Chinese basketball player

孙中山 Sun Zhongshan better known as Sun Yatsen, the ‘father’ of the Chinese Republic

汤唯 Tang Wei famous Chinese actress

成龙 Cheng Long better known as Jackie Chan - film star

李安 Li An known as Ang Lee, famous film director

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Asking for a name1 of 2

In a formal situation you enquire after someone’s name by saying:

More informally you can also say:

Or if the context is clear:

If you just want to give your surname, you can say:

If you want to give your full name you can say:

In reply you can say in a formal situation:

您贵姓? nín guìxìng What is your name? (literally: what is your honourable surname?)

你叫什么名字? nǐ jiào shénme míngzi What is your name ?

你是 ...? nǐ shì You are ...?

我姓王。 wǒ xìng wáng My surname is Wang.

我我叫王小龙。 wǒ jiào wáng xiǎolóng My name is Wang Xiaolong.

免贵姓王。 miǎnguì xìng wáng My surname is Wang. (literally: my worthless surname is Wang.)

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Asking for a name2 of 2

Or you can combine the two:

If you give your own name you can easily ask after the other person’s name by saying

NB: 姓 (xìng) is used to ask for and give a surname. 叫 ( jiào) is used to ask for and give first names or full names.

The simplest answer of course is:

我姓王，叫王小龙。 wǒ xìng wáng jiào wáng xiǎolóng

I am Wang, Wang Xiaolong.

我是王小龙, 你呢?。 wǒ shì wáng xiǎolóng, nǐ ne?

I am Wang Xiaolong and you are ...?

我是 王小龙。 wǒ shì wáng xiǎolóng I am Wang Xiaolong.

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先生 xiānsheng Mr 王先生 Mr Wang

女士 ǚshì Ms (formal) 王女士 Ms Wang (formal)

太太 tàitai Mrs 王太太 Mrs Wang

小姐 xiǎojiě Miss 王小姐 Miss Wang

老师 lǎoshī Teacher 王老师 Teacher Wang

师傅 shīfu Master 王师傅 Master Wang (used for craftsman, taxidrivers etc.)

经理 jīnglǐ Manager 王经理 Manager Wang

教授 jiàoshòu Professor 王教授 Professor Wang

秘书 mìshu Secretary 王秘书 Secretary Wang

Forms of addressThe general form of address is the person’s surname followed by his or her title.The generic titles are:

It is common to add the job title after a person’s name. The job title can also be used as a form of address by itself. Common titles are:

When addressing friends it is common to use their surname preceeded by 小 or 老 depending on their age relative to yours.

1 of 1

阿姨 āyí aunty 伯父 bófù uncle

阿姨 xiǎo young 小王 (young) Wang 老 lǎo old 老王 (old) Wang

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Introductions1 of 1

To introduce another person you can use the following expression:

for example:

让我来介绍一下, 这是 [Name] [Title] ràng wǒ lái jièshào yīxià, zhè shì ... Let me introduce ...

让我来介绍介绍, 这是 [Name] [Title] ràng wǒ lái jièshào jièshào, zhè shì ... Let me introduce ...

让我来介绍一下, 这是李老师。 ràng wǒ lái jièshào yīxià, zhè shì lǐ lǎoshī

Let me introduce teacher Li.

让我来介绍介绍, 这是王经理。 ràng wǒ lái jièshào jièshào, zhè shì wáng jīnglǐ

Let me introduce manager Wang.

NB: If you introduce yourself don’t use a title after your name.

Don’t say: 我是王经理 wǒ shì wáng jīnglǐ I am Manager Wang.

Say instead: 我姓王。我是大龙公司的经理。

wǒ xìng wáng. wǒ shì dàlóng gōngsī de jīnglǐ

My surname is Wang. I am the Manager of the Dalong company.

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Polite expressions1 of 1

In a formal situation you enquire after someone’s name by saying:

start an enquiry 请问 qǐngwèn Excuse me, may I ask

to catch somebody's attention

对不起 dùibuqǐ excuse, sorry

对不起，麻烦你 dùibuqǐ máfán nǐ sorry to bother you

对不起，打扰了你 dùibuqǐ dǎ rǎo le nǐ sorry to disturb you

say thank you 谢谢 xièxie thank you

after being thanked 不客气, 不用谢 bù kèqi, bù yòng xiè don’t mention it

to apologize

对不起 dùibuqǐ sorry

真抱歉(stronger) zhēn bàoqiàn apologies

to reply to an apology 没问题 méi wèntí no problem

没关系 méi guānxi it doesn’t matter

after a complement 哪里哪里 nǎlǐnǎlǐ not at all (lit. where?)

您过奖了 nín guòjiǎng le you are flattering me

那是你的吧 (nà shì nǐ de ba?) That is yours, isn't it?

不要乱走啊 (bù yào luàn zǒu a) Don't go too far!

In Chinese a number of sentence final particles are used to soften the tone of a request:

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Good wishes and congratulations1 of 1

ITo express good wishes you can say 祝贺你/您 (zhùhè nǐ/nín) followed by the occasion:

To wish somebody good look you can use 大吉 (dàjí):

To congratulate somebody you can say 恭喜恭喜 gōngxǐgōngxǐ. To congratulate somebody on occasion of a specific event you can say 庆祝 (qìngzhù) followed by the event:

祝你新年快乐 zhùnǐ xīnnián kuàilè Happy New Year

祝你圣诞快乐 zhùnǐ shèngdàn kuàilè Merry Christmas

祝你生日快乐 zhùnǐ shēngrì kuàilè Happy Birthday

开业大吉 kàiyè dàjí Good luck with your new business

庆祝毕业 qìngzhù bìyè Congratulations on your graduation

庆祝结婚 qìngzhù jiéhūn Congratulations on your marriage

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爷爷 yéye paternal grandfather 奶奶 nǎinai paternal grandmother

姥爷 lǎoye maternal grandfather 姥姥 lǎolao maternal grandmother

叔叔 shūshu father's younger brother 叔母 shūmǔ wife of father's younger brother

伯父 bófù father's older brother 伯母 bómǔ wife of father's older brother

姑母 gūmǔ paternal aunt 姑夫 gūfu husband of paternal aunt

阿姨 āyí maternal aunt 姨夫 yífu husband of maternal aunt

舅舅 jiùjiu maternal uncle 舅母 jiùmu wife of maternal uncle

爸爸 bàba father 妈妈 māma mother

我 wǒ I

弟弟 dìdi younger brother 妹妹 mèimei younger sister

哥哥 gēge older brother 姐姐 jiějie older sister

孩子 háizi child, children

女儿 nǚ'ér daughter 儿子 érzi son

Relationship terms in Chinese are quite complex.

Family1 of 1

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Education1 of 2

数学 shùxué Mathematics 经济 jīngjì Economics

科学 kēxué The sciences 金融 jīnróng Finance

化学 huàxué Chemistry 管理 guǎnlǐ Management

物理 wùlǐ Physics 历史 lìshǐ History

生物 shēngwù Biology 地理 dìlǐ Geography

计算机 jìsuànjī Computing 文学 wénxué Literature

医学 yīxué Medicine 英文 yīngwén English

Chinese education begins with primary school 小学 (xiǎoxué) and then continues to middle and high school 中学 (zhōngxué) and finally university 大学 (dàxué)。

Students are generally called 学生 (xuésheng). Teachers are called 老师 (lǎoshī) or 教师 ( jiàoshī). A professor is called 教授 ( jiàoshòu).

Commen subjects are:

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Education2 of 2

学生 xuésheng Students

教师, 老师 jiàoshī, lǎoshī Lecturer

教授 jiàoshòu Professor

学士学位 xuéshì xuéwèi B.A.

硕士学位 shuòshì xuéwèi Masters

博士学位 bóshì xuéwèi PhD

There are many universities (大学 dàxué) in China. Amongst the most famous ones are:

北京大学 běijīng dàxué Beijing University

清华大学 qīnghuá dàxué Tsinghua University (in Beijing)

人民大学 rénmín dàxué People's University (in Beijing)

交通大学 jiātōng dàxué Jiaotong University (in Shanghai)

Research is called 研究 (yánjiū)

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Professions1 of 1

老师 lǎoshī teacher

教授 jiàoshòu professor

秘书 mìshū secretary

工人 gōngrén worker

医生 yīshēng doctor

护士 hùshi nurse

商人 shāngrén businessman

会计 kuàiji accountant

司机 sījī driver

技师 jìshī mechanic

工程师 gōngchéngshī engineer

Some of the more common professions are:

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Chinese Festivals1 of 1

Festival Simplified Chinese

Pinyin Date Description

Spring Festival 新年,春节 xīnnián, Day 1 of lunar month 1 Chinese New Year

Lantern Festival

元宵节 yuánxiāojié Day 15 of lunar month 1 Lantern parades, lion dancing

Qingming Festival

清明节 qīngmíngjié 104 days after winter solstice

visiting and cleaning ancestral graves

Dragon Boat Festival

端午节 duānwǔjié Day 5 of lunar month 5 dragon boat racing, eating rice wraps, commemorating Qu Yuan

Double Seven Festival

七夕 qīxī 1Day 7 of lunar month 7 related to the story of 织女 and 牛郎 (Zhi Nǚ,Niú Láng)

Mid-autumn Festival

中秋节 zhōngqiūjié Day 15 of lunar month 8 Mooncakes, Legend of 嫦娥 (cháng’é, the Lady on the Moon)

There are a number of traditional Chinese festivals. Below are the most common ones.

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Chinese Zodiac1 of 1

..., 1996,2008, 2020, ... 鼠 shǔ rat

..., 1997,2009, 2021, ... 牛 niú ox

..., 1998,2010, 2022, ... 虎 hǔ tiger

..., 1999,2011, 2023, ... 兔 tù rabbit

..., 2000,2012, 2024, ... 龙 lóng dragon

..., 2001,2013, 2025, ... 蛇 shé snake

..., 2002,2014, 2026, ... 马 mǎ horse

..., 2003,2015, 2027, ... 羊 yáng sheep

..., 2004,2016, 2028, ... 猴 hóu monkey

..., 2005,2017, 2029, ... 鸡 jī rooster

..., 2006,2018, 2030, ... 狗 gǒu dog

..., 2007,2019, 2031, ... 猪 zhū pig

There are a number of traditional Chinese festivals. Below are the most common ones.

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Language and People1 of 1

中文 zhōngwén Chinese language

汉语 hànyǔ Chinese language (lit. language of the Han people)

国语 guóyǔ Chinese language (lit. national language)

华语 huáyǔ Chinese language

普通话 pǔtōnghuà Standard Mandarin (lit. common language)

广东话 guǎngdōnghuà Cantonese

英文, 英语 yīngwén, yīngyǔ English

法文, 法语 fǎwén, fǎyǔ French

德文, 德语 déwén, déyǔ German

意大利文， 意大利语 yìdàlìyǔwén, yìdàlìyǔ Italian

To say where somebody is from add 人 (rén) to the name of the country.Examples:

To ask what country somebody is from, say 你是哪国人? (nǐ shì nǎ guó rén) What country are you from?

The names of languages are normally formed by adding 文 (wén) or 语 (yǔ) to the name of the country.Examples:

中国人 zhōngguórén Chinese 美国人 měiguórén American

英国人 yīngguórén English 新西兰人 xīnxīlánrén New Zealander

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Ethnic groups1 of 1

Ethnic group Simplified Chinese

Size Location

Han 汉族 1300 Million all of China

Zhuang 壮族 18 Million Southern provinces

Manchu 满族 11 Million same as Han

Hui 回族 10 Million Northern and Western China, mainly Muslims

Miao 苗族 9 Million Southern China, especially Yunnan

Uyghurs 维吾尔族 9 Million Xinjiang

Yi 彝族 4 Million Southern China

Tujia 土家族 8 Million Hubei, Hunan

Mongols 蒙古族 6 Million Northern China

Tibetan 藏族 5-10 Million Western China

China recognizes 56 ethnic groups. The biggest by far are the Han, which make up about 92% of the Chinese population and just under 20% of the world population.

The table below lists the larger ethnic groups, their approximate size and geographical location.

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Chinese currency1 of 1

The standard Chinese currency is 人民币 (rénmínbì).

The official designation of the notes and coins are:

In spoken Chinese you will often hear 块 (kuài) for Yuan and 毛 (máo) for Jiao.

Before 1947 many Chinese banks 银行 (yínháng) and other organisations issued their own notes, so there are a large number of old Chinese banknotes in existence, although not in circulation.

元 yuán Yuan

角 jiǎo 1/10 of a Yuan

分 fēn 1/10 of a Jiao

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Tea and Drinks1 of 1

China is famous for its many different types of tea 茶 (chá).

Some of the common types of tea are:

Tea comes in a pot 壶 (hú) and is drank in cups 杯 (bēi).

Other drinks are:

绿茶 lǜ chá green tea

红茶 hóng chá black tea

茉莉花茶 mòlihuā chá jasmine tea

菊花茶 júhuā chá chrysanthemum tea

龙井茶 lóngjǐng chá dragon well tea

乌龙茶 wūlóng chá Oolong tea

咖啡 kāfēi coffee

热水 rèshuǐ hot water

矿泉水 kuàngquánshuǐ mineral water

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Where to get food and drink1 of 1

There are a number of locations where you can get food and drink from:

A waiter or waitress is usually called: 服务员 (fúwùyuán). A waitress may also be called 小姐 (xiǎojie), however in some parts of China using 小姐 is considered impolite. The cook is called 厨师 (chúshī).

Many Chinese restaurants have private rooms for smaller parties. These rooms are called: 包间 (bāojiān) separate room.

饭店 fàndiàn restaurant (incidentially 饭店 can also mean hotel)

酒巴 jiǔbā bar

茶馆 cháguǎn teahouse

餐厅 cāntīng dining hall

咖啡馆 kāfēiguǎn café

快餐店 kuàicāndiàn fast food restaurant

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Chinese dishes1 of 2

A Chinese meal normally consists of a number of dishes shared between everbody, not a series of courses. Parties in a restaurant often sit around a turntable 转盘 (zhuànpán) with everbody helping themselves to the food from the dishes placed on the turntable. Chinese food is eaten with chopsticks 筷子 (kuàizi) rather than knife and fork 刀, 叉 (dāo, chā).

There are a very large number of dishes, some of the best known are:

麻婆豆腐 mápó dòufu stir fried tofu in hot sauce

宫保鸡丁 gōngbǎo jīdīng spiced diced chicken

糖藕 táng ǒu lotus root with sugar

北京烤鸭 běijīng kǎoyā Beijing roast duck

水煮鱼 shuǐ zhǔ yú fish filets in hot chilli oil

回锅肉 huí guō ròu double-cooked pork slices

番茄炒蛋 fānqié chǎo dàn tomato with fried egg

春卷 chūnjuǎn spring roll

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Chinese dishes2 of 2

Ingredients: Seasoning:

肉 ròu meat 辣 là hot, spicy

牛肉 niúròu beef 辣椒 làjiāo pepper

鸡肉 jīròu chicken 酸 suān sour

猪肉 zhūrǒu pork 糖醋 tángcù sweet and sour

鱼 yú fish 醋 cù vinegar

豆 dòu beans 糖 táng sugar

蔬菜 shūcài vegetables 盐 yán salt

米饭 mǐfàn rice 咸 xián salty

面条 miàntiáo noodles

You may also look out for the following characters to give you a clue:

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Hotel1 of 2

A hotel is called 饭店 (fàndiàn) or 宾馆 (bīnguǎn) - guest house.

The range of rooms are:

You check in at reception 前台服务 (qiántái fúwù), where you fill in the registration form 登记表 (dēngjìbiǎo), and are told your room number 房间号码 (fāngjiān hàomǎ) and given your room key/card 钥匙 /卡 (yàoshi /kǎ).

单人间 dānrén jiān single room

双人间 shuāngrén jiān double room

标准间 biāozhǔn jiān standard room

豪华套间 háohuá tàojiān luxury suite

空调 kōngtiáo Air-conditioning

电视 diànshì Television

电话 diànhuà telephone

热水 rèshuǐ hot water (in a thermos flask)

早餐 zǎocān breakfast

浴室 yùshì bathroom

Typical facilities are:

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Paying1 of 2

You can either pay by cash 现金 (xiànjīn) or credit card 信用卡 (xìnyòngkǎ).

The bill is called 账单 (zhàngdān) and you call for the bill by either saying 买单 (mǎidān) or 结账 ( jiézhàng).

After paying you will receive a receipt 发票 (fāpiào) or 收据 (shōujù).

发票 tends to be a small or automatically produced receipt, while 收据 is used for a more substantial, especially produced receipt. Sellers pay tax based on 发票.

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Bargain and discounts1 of 2

In China it is normal to haggle over prices in markets 市场 (shìchǎng) and similar places but not in modern department stores 百货店 (bǎihuòdiàn).

To give a discount is called 打折 (dǎzhé). The discount given is expressed as the amount remaining not the amount taken off the price:

a 20% discount would be 八折, a 60% discount would be 四折.

To say that something is to expensive use 太贵了! (tài guì le)

贵 (guì) is expensive,

便宜 (piányi) is inexpensive/bargain.

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Measurements1 of 2

Both traditional Chinese measurements and metric measurements are in common use. Metric measurements usually use the prefix 公, traditional measurements use no prefix or the prefix市 (meaning ‘market’).

公分 gōngfēn gram

两 liǎng 50 grams

斤 jīn half a kilogram

公斤 gōngjīn kilogram

担 dàn 50 kilograms

(公)吨 (gōng)dūn ton

市亩 shìmǔ 0.0667 hectares

公亩 gōngmǔ 100 square metre

市顷 shìqǐng 6.6667 hectares

公顷 gōngqǐng hectare

Common Chinese measurements

Weight

Area

.../cont

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Measurements2 of 2

市分 shìfēn 1/3 centimetre

公分 gōngfēn 1 centimetre

市尺 shìchǐ 1/3 metre

公尺 gōngchǐ metre

市丈 shìzhàng 3 1/3 metre

市里 shìlǐ 1/2 kilometre

公里 gōnglǐ kilometre

升 shēng litre

斗 dǒu 10 litre

Common Chinese measurements (Cotinued)

Length

Volume

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Buildings1 of 1

There are a number of traditional and modern types of buildings in China.

The number of floors are counted from 1, so 一楼 is the ground floor, 二楼 is the first floor etc. Floor thirteen is often omitted.

A floor is called 楼 (lóu) or 层 (céng). 楼 is also used for the number of a building. 她住两号楼 (tā zhù liǎng hào lóu) means ‘She lives in Building No.2’.

四合院 sì hé yuàn courtyard house (traditional house in Beijing)

石库门 shí kù mén stone gate house (traditional house in Shanghai)

胡同 hútong alley

大厦 dà shà high-rise

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Public Places1 of 1

Common public places are:

邮局 yóujú post office

公园 gōngyuán park

动物园 dòngwùyuán zoo

博物馆 bówùguǎn museum

市政厅 shìzhèngtīng town hall

派出所 pàichūsuǒ police station

火车站 huǒchēzhàn train station

车站 chēzhàn bus station

医院 yīyuàn hospital

厕所 cèsuǒ toilet

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Towns1 of 1

Common public places are:

The names of non Chinese cities are usually transcriptions of their original names:

北京 běijīng Beijing (capital, administrative centre)

上海 shànghǎi Shanghai (commercial centre)

香港 xiānggǎng Hongkong (commercial centre) 南京 nánjīng Nanjing (former capital)

武汉 wǔhàn Wuhan (big industrial centre) 天津 tiānjīn Tianjin (port to the west of Beijing)

西安 xī'ān Xian (ancient capital) 广州 guǎngzhōu Guangzhou, Canton

杭州 hángzhōu Hangzhou (famous for its tea and gardens)

苏州 sūzhōu Suzhou (the 'Venice' of China)

青岛 qīngdǎo Qingdao (famous for its beer) 重庆 chóngqìng Chongqing (biggest city in the world)

成都 chéngdū Chengdu (capital city of Sichuan province)

伦敦 lúndūn London 纽约 niǔyuē New York

华盛顿 huáshèngdùn Washington 巴黎 bālí Paris

柏林 bólín Berlin 芝加哥 zhījiāgē Chicago

罗马 luómǎ Rome 东京 dōngjīng Tokyo

汉城 hànchéng Seoul

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Administrative regions1 of 2

Provinces: 省 shěng

Autonomous regions: 自治区 zìzhìqū

Directly governed cities: 直辖市 zhíxiáshì

Special administrative regions: 特别行政区 tèbiéxíngzhèngqū

安徽 ānhuī Anhui 福建 fújiàn Fujian

甘肃 gānsù Gansu 广东 guǎngdōng Guangdong (Canton)

海南 hǎinán Hainan 河北 héběi Hebei

黑龙江 hēilóngjiāng Heilongjiang 河南 hénán Henan

湖北 húběi Hubei 湖南 húnán Hunan

江苏 jiāngsū Jiāngsū 吉林 jīlín Jilin

辽宁 liáoníng Liaoning 青海 qīnghǎi Qinghai

陕西 shǎnxī Shaanxi 山东 shāndōng Shandong

山西 shānxī Shanxi 四川 sìchuān Sichuan

台湾 táiwān Taiwan 云南 yúnnán Yunnan

浙江 zhèjiāng Zhejiang

The names of non Chinese cities are usually transcriptions of their original names:

Provinces

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Administrative regions2 of 2

广西壮族自治区 guǎngxīzhuàngzúzìzhìqū Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region

内蒙古自治区 nèiměnggǔzìzhìqū Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region

宁夏回族自治区 níngxiàhuízúzìzhìqū Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region

新疆维吾尔自治区 xīnjiāngwéiwú'ěrzìzhìqū Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region

西藏自治区 xīzàngzìzhìqū Tibet Autonomous Region

Autonomous Regions

Municipalities under central control

Special administrative regions

北京 běijīng Beijing 天津 tiānjīn Tianjin

香港 xiānggǎng Hongkong 澳门 àomén Macau

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中国 zhōngguó China

英国 yīngguó England, Britain

法国 fǎguó France

德国 déguó Germany

美国 měiguó United States

俄国 éguó Russia

韩国 hánguó Korea

澳大利亚 àodàlìyà Australia

新西兰 xīnxīlán New Zealand

日本 rìběn Japan

意大利 yìdàlì Italy

爱尔兰 ài'ěrlán Ireland

西班牙 xībānyá Spain

新加坡 xīnjiāpō Singapore

瑞典 ruìdiǎn Schweden

瑞士 ruìshì Switzerland

越南 yuènán Vietnam

Countries1 of 1

Country names are either formed by adding 国 (guó)to a syllable sounding similar to the country’s actual name, or the Chinese name is a transcription of the country’s name:

To ask what country somebody is from, say:你是哪国人? (nǐ shì nǎ guó rén) What country are you from?

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Continents1 of 1

亚洲 yàzhōu Asia

非洲 fēizhōu Africa

美洲 měizhōu America

欧洲 ōuzhōu Europe

The names of continents end in 洲 (zhōu).

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End of Basic Chinese Grammar - Index