Walk into any modern office in Singapore — from the sleek towers of Marina Bay to the creative co-working spaces of Tanjong Pagar — and you’ll hear a familiar mix of English, Singlish, and Mandarin in daily conversations.
For expats and international professionals, this can …
Yī fú 衣服 Clothes
Kù zi 裤子 Pants
Xié zi 鞋子 Shoes
Mào zi 帽子 Hat
Wà zi 袜子 Socks
Qún zi 裙子 Skirt
Wài tào 外套 Coat
If you consider having your kid learn Mandarin, sign up for a free online 1-to-1 Mandarin lesson …
Qì chē 汽车 Car
Huǒ chē 火车 Train
Fēi jī 飞机 Airplane
Chuán 船 Boat
Zì xíng chē 自行车 Bicycle
Mó tuō chē 摩托车 Motorcycle
If you consider having your kid learn Mandarin, sign up for a free online 1-to-1 Mandarin lesson on this page …
Tài fēng kuáng le! 太疯狂了！ That’s crazy!
Tài diān le! 太颠了！ That’s crazy!
Tài lí pǔ le! 太离谱了！ That’s ridiculous!
Wú yǔ le! 无语了！ I’m speechless!
Tài fēng le ba! 太疯了吧！ That’s insane!
Zhēn gòu kě yǐ de! 真够可以的！ That’s really something!
Wǒ rén shǎ …
Bù shū fu 不舒服 Not feeling well
Wǒ yǒu diǎn bù shū fu, xiǎng xiū xi yī xià. 我有点不舒服，想休息一下。 I’m not feeling well, I’d like to rest a bit.
Gǎn mào le 感冒了 Have a cold
Tā zuó tiān chuī kōng tiáo, jīn tiān gǎn …
Hǎo lěng a! 好冷啊！ It’s so cold!
Tài lěng le! 太冷了！ It’s so cold!
Wǒ hěn lěng. 我很冷。 I’m cold.
Dòng sǐ le! 冻死了! Freezing to death!
Lěng de fā dǒu 冷得发抖 So cold I’m shivering
Wǒ dōu dòng jiāng le! 我都冻僵了！ I’m frozen stiff!…
Tiān qì 天气 Weather
Qíng tiān 晴天 Sunny day
Yǔ tiān 雨天 Rainy day
Yīn tiān 阴天 Cloudy day
Nuǎn huo 暖和 Warm
Liáng kuai 凉快 Cool
If you consider having your kid learn Mandarin, sign up for a free online 1-to-1 Mandarin lesson on …
Qiáng bāo kōng le. 钱包空了。 My wallet is empty.
Zhè ge yuè mǎi tài duō yī fu, wǒ qián bāo kōng le. 这个月买太多衣服，我钱包空了。 I bought too many clothes this month; my wallet’s empty.
Chī tǔ le 吃土了 Eating dirt / totally broke
Shuāng shí yī …
Walk into any co-working space in London’s financial district, and you’ll notice something new — it’s not just coffee talk about AI or crypto anymore.
You’ll hear people practicing tones, repeating phrases like “nǐ hǎo” and “xièxie.”
Welcome to London’s Mandarin boom — a …
Yīn yuè 音乐 Music
Kuài lè 快乐 Happy
Fā cāi 发财 To get rich
Fà xíng 发型 Hairstyle
Hǎo chī 好吃 Tasty
Hào xué 好学 Eager to learn
Hái yǒu 还有 Still have / also
Huán shū 还书 Return a book
Want to learn more? …
If you live in New York, you already know the city speaks every language. But one is becoming especially useful — Chinese.
From doing business with Chinese clients, to exploring Chinatown, or just making friends with your neighbors, a little Mandarin can go a …
Xíng lǐ 行李 Luggage
Yín háng 银行 Bank
Cháng chéng 长城 Great Wall
Zhǎng dà 长大 To grow up
Jià qī 假期 Vacation / holiday
Jiǎ zhuāng 假装 To pretend / act as if
Dà hǎi 大海 Ocean / sea
Dài fu 大夫 Doctor (formal …
Zhōu 粥 Porridge
Wǒ zǎo shàng hē zhōu. 我早上喝粥。 I drink porridge in the morning.
Tāng 汤 Soup
Mā ma bāo de tāng hěn hǎo hē. 妈妈煲的汤很好喝。 The soup that mom makes is very delicious!
Miàn bāo 面包 Bread
Wǒ zǎo shàng chī miàn bāo. …
Hóng sè 红色 Red
Lán sè 蓝色 Blue
Lǜ sè 绿色 Green
Fěn sè 粉色 Pink
Zǐ sè 紫色 Purple
Zōng sè 棕色 Brown
Huī sè 灰色 Gray
If you consider having your kid learn Mandarin, sign up for a free online 1-to-1 Mandarin lesson …
Gòu le 够了 That’s enough / Enough already
Nǐ jiù bié shuō le, gòu le. 你就别说了，够了。 Stop talking, that’s enough.
Tíng yī xià 停一下 Pause for a moment / Stop for now
Kě yǐ tíng yī xià ma? 可以停一下吗？ Can you stop for a moment?…
Děng yī xià. 等一下。 Wait a sec.
Qǐng děng yī xià. 请等一下。 Please wait a moment.
Děng děng wǒ 等等我 Wait for me!
Děng yī xià ba！ 等一下吧！ Just wait a bit！
Qǐng shāo děng 请稍等 Please wait a moment.
Bié jí, mǎ shàng hǎo! …
Hǎo 好 Good / Nice
Hǎo chī 好吃 Tasty (food)
Hǎo hē 好喝 Tasty (drink)
Hǎo kàn 好看 Good-looking / interesting
Hǎo wán 好玩 Fun / enjoyable
Hǎo tīng 好听 Pleasant to hear / nice-sounding
Hǎo zhù 好住 Comfortable to live in
Hǎo xiào 好笑 …
Màn 慢 Slow
Màn xìng 慢性 Chronic / slow in nature
Màn bù 慢步 Slow walk / stroll
Qīng màn 轻慢 Slightly slow / light and slow
Huǎn màn 缓慢 Slow / gradual
Ào màn 傲慢 Arrogant / haughty
Dài màn 怠慢 Neglect / treat …
Kuài 快 Fast / Quick
Kuài lè 快乐 Happy / joyful
Kuài sù 快速 Fast / rapid
Kuài diǎn 快点 Hurry up / faster
Kuài jié 快捷 Quick / convenient
Kuài zǒu 快走 Walk fast / hurry up
Huān kuài 欢快 Joyful / cheerful
Tòng …
