Mandarin Chinese: First Steps

Everyday greetings

你好 (nǐ hǎo) works morning, noon, and night. Add 吗 (ma) to turn it into a question: 你好吗？ (nǐ hǎo ma?) — "How are you?"

Words to keep

Words to keep vocabulary in Mandarin Chinese: First Steps

Term	Pinyin	Meaning
你好	nǐ hǎo	hello
谢谢	xièxie	thank you
不客气	bú kèqi	you're welcome
再见	zàijiàn	goodbye

你好，我叫小美。 (nǐ hǎo, wǒ jiào Xiǎoměi.) — Hello, my name is Xiaomei.

谢谢你的帮助。 (xièxie nǐ de bāngzhù.) — Thank you for your help.

不客气，很高兴认识你。 (bú kèqi, hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ.) — You're welcome, nice to meet you.

明天见，再见！ (míngtiān jiàn, zàijiàn!) — See you tomorrow, goodbye!

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The first five

Numbers are the fastest way to feel progress. Say each character out loud as you read it: 一, 二, 三, 四, 五.

Counting

Counting vocabulary in Mandarin Chinese: First Steps

Term	Pinyin	Meaning
一	yī	one
二	èr	two
三	sān	three
四	sì	four
五	wǔ	five

一杯茶 (yì bēi chá) — one cup of tea

第二 (dì'èr) — second

三本书 (sān běn shū) — three books

四天 (sì tiān) — four days

五块钱 (wǔ kuài qián) — five yuan

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The pattern

Use 我叫 (wǒ jiào) plus your name to say "I am called…". Ask the same back with 你叫什么名字？ (nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?)

People & names

People & names vocabulary in Mandarin Chinese: First Steps

Term	Pinyin	Meaning
我	wǒ	I / me
你	nǐ	you
名字	míngzi	name
叫	jiào	to be called

我是学生。 (wǒ shì xuésheng.) — I am a student.

你是老师吗？ (nǐ shì lǎoshī ma?) — Are you a teacher?

我的名字是林。 (wǒ de míngzi shì Lín.) — My name is Lin.

我叫小明。 (wǒ jiào Xiǎomíng.) — I am called Xiaoming.

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