Chinese Words Used in English: 30 Loanwords
🇨🇳 Chinese · 30 cards · B1 · by Wei Lin
You already know more Chinese than you think: tea, tofu, typhoon, kung fu, feng shui, wonton, brainwash. This deck gives you the original word behind each one, with tone marks on everything.
Two things trip people up. Most of the food words — dim sum, wonton, bok choy, wok, hoisin — came into English through Cantonese, so the Mandarin reading sounds nothing like the English spelling; the notes tell you which is which. And meanings drift: kowtow means grovelling in English, while 磕头 is still a literal bow people perform at New Year. Read the note first, then drill the tones — the English pronunciation will not get you understood in Chengdu.
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How to use this deck
Flip through the cards, then switch to Quiz. Tap the play button on any row to hear it. The full table below is there to read, print or copy into your own flashcard app.
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All 30 cards
| # | Chinese | Pronunciation | English | Example | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 茶 English "tea" came by sea from Amoy Hokkien tê; "chai" came overland from the Mandarin form chá. | chá | tea | 我只喝茶，不喝咖啡。 I only drink tea, not coffee. | |
| 2 | 功夫 Literally "effort, skill". 花功夫 huā gōngfu = to put time and effort into something. | gōngfu | kung fu, martial arts; skill, effort | 他从小就练功夫。 He's been practising kung fu since he was small. | |
| 3 | 豆腐 English borrowed the spelling via Japanese tōfu, but the word is Chinese: 豆 bean + 腐 curdled. 腐 is neutral tone here. | dòufu | tofu, bean curd | 这家的麻婆豆腐特别辣。 The mapo tofu here is extremely spicy. | |
| 4 | 台风 风 fēng = wind. The English form was shaped by Cantonese 大風 daai6 fung1 and by Greek typhōn; 台风 is the standard Mandarin word. | táifēng | typhoon | 台风要来了，今天别出门。 A typhoon is coming, don't go out today. | |
| 5 | 点心 "Dim sum" is the Cantonese reading dim2 sam1. In Mandarin 点心 covers any light snack or sweet pastry; 心 is neutral tone. | diǎnxin | dim sum; snack, pastry | 周末我们去喝茶、吃点心。 On the weekend we go for tea and dim sum. | |
| 6 | 炒面 From Cantonese caau2 min6. 炒 = stir-fry, 面 = noodles. 老板 is the normal way to address a small-restaurant owner. | chǎomiàn | chow mein, fried noodles | 老板，来一份牛肉炒面。 Boss, one beef chow mein please. | |
| 7 | 馄饨 "Wonton" is Cantonese 雲吞 wan4 tan1. First syllable second tone, second syllable neutral: hún-tun, not "hun-TUN". | húntun | wonton, dumpling in soup | 楼下那家的馄饨很好吃。 The wontons at the place downstairs are really good. | |
| 8 | 白菜 "Bok choy" is Cantonese baak6 coi3. In Mandarin 白菜 usually means napa cabbage; green bok choy is 小白菜 xiǎobáicài or 青菜 qīngcài. | báicài | Chinese cabbage, napa cabbage | 白菜今天特别便宜。 Cabbage is really cheap today. | |
| 9 | 包子 Now common on English menus as "bao" or "baozi". A plain bun with no filling is 馒头 mántou. | bāozi | bao, steamed filled bun | 我早上吃了两个肉包子。 I ate two meat buns this morning. | |
| 10 | 荔枝 English "lychee/litchi" comes from a southern (Cantonese lai6 zi1) reading of these two characters. | lìzhī | lychee | 夏天的荔枝又甜又贵。 Summer lychees are sweet and expensive. | |
| 11 | 乌龙茶 乌龙 literally "black dragon". Careful: 乌龙 on its own is slang for a blunder or an own goal. | wūlóngchá | oolong tea | 给我泡一壶乌龙茶吧。 Make me a pot of oolong tea. | |
| 12 | 锅 English "wok" is Cantonese 鑊 wok6. In Mandarin the everyday word is 锅; a wok specifically is 炒锅 chǎoguō. | guō | wok, pot, pan | 先把锅烧热，再放油。 Heat the wok first, then add the oil. | |
| 13 | 海鲜酱 "Hoisin" is Cantonese hoi2 sin1 = seafood. Despite the name the sauce contains no seafood. | hǎixiānjiàng | hoisin sauce | 我用海鲜酱腌了排骨。 I marinated the ribs in hoisin sauce. | |
| 14 | 麻将 The verb is 打 dǎ, literally "to hit": 打麻将. The English spelling reflects a Shanghainese-area pronunciation. | májiàng | mahjong | 奶奶一打麻将就忘了时间。 Once Grandma starts playing mahjong she forgets the time. | |
| 15 | 风水 Literally "wind and water". Say fēng-shuǐ (first tone + third tone), not the English "fung shway". | fēngshuǐ | feng shui | 他说这套房子风水不好。 He says this apartment has bad feng shui. | |
| 16 | 太极 The exercise is properly 太极拳 tàijíquán, and the verb is 打 dǎ; 太极 alone is the philosophical concept. | tàijí | tai chi (the concept) | 公园里有很多人在打太极。 Lots of people are doing tai chi in the park. | |
| 17 | 气 Spelled "chi" in older English books (Wade-Giles). 气 also means air or anger: 生气 shēngqì = to get angry. | qì | qi, vital energy; air, gas | 中医说他气虚，要好好补一补。 The Chinese-medicine doctor says his qi is weak and he needs building up. | |
| 18 | 阴阳 阴 is the shady, cool, passive side; 阳 the sunny, warm, active side. | yīnyáng | yin and yang | 中医讲究阴阳平衡。 Chinese medicine is all about balancing yin and yang. | |
| 19 | 道 "Tao" is Wade-Giles, "Dao" is pinyin — same word. Everyday meanings: road, way, and (as a verb) to say. | dào | the Tao, the way; road | 这就是自然之道。 This is the way of nature. | |
| 20 | 气功 气 qi + 功 skill/work. Written "chi kung" in older English sources. The verb is 练 liàn, to practise. | qìgōng | qigong (breathing and movement exercise) | 我爸每天早上练气功。 My dad does qigong every morning. | |
| 21 | 武术 In English "wushu" means the modern competition sport; in Chinese it is the general word for martial arts. | wǔshù | wushu, martial arts | 她小学就开始学武术了。 She started learning martial arts in primary school. | |
| 22 | 师父 "Sifu" is the Cantonese reading si1 fu6. The identically pronounced 师傅 shīfu is the polite way to address a driver, cook or repairman. | shīfu | master, teacher (sifu) | 谢谢师父，我明白了。 Thank you, Master, I understand now. | |
| 23 | 人参 Literally "man root", after its shape. English "ginseng" comes from a Hokkien reading (jîn-sim). Note 参 is shēn here, not cān. | rénshēn | ginseng | 这锅鸡汤里放了人参。 There's ginseng in this pot of chicken soup. | |
| 24 | 旗袍 "Cheongsam" is Cantonese 長衫 coeng4 saam1, literally "long gown"; 旗袍 is the Mandarin name for the same dress. | qípáo | qipao, cheongsam | 她婚礼上穿了一件红旗袍。 She wore a red qipao at her wedding. | |
| 25 | 拼音 Literally "spell sound". Full name 汉语拼音 Hànyǔ Pīnyīn. | pīnyīn | pinyin | 孩子先学拼音，再学汉字。 Children learn pinyin first, then characters. | |
| 26 | 磕头 Literally "knock head". In English "kowtow" means to grovel; in Chinese it is still a literal, mostly ceremonial bow. | kētóu | to kowtow, to bow with the forehead to the ground | 过年的时候我们给爷爷磕头。 At New Year we kowtow to Grandpa. | |
| 27 | 苦力 Literally "bitter strength". The English "coolie" is a racial slur today — learn it to read history, don't use it. | kǔlì | manual labourer, porter (coolie) | 他年轻时在码头当苦力。 When he was young he worked as a labourer at the docks. | |
| 28 | 洗脑 English "brainwash" is a word-for-word calque of 洗 (wash) + 脑 (brain), borrowed in the 1950s. | xǐnǎo | to brainwash | 这种广告就是在洗脑。 Ads like this are just brainwashing. | |
| 29 | 丢脸 English "lose face" is a calque of 丢脸 / 丢面子 diū miànzi. 丢 = to drop, lose; 脸 = face. | diūliǎn | to lose face, to be embarrassing | 考试没及格，太丢脸了。 Failing the exam was so embarrassing. | |
| 30 | 好久不见 The odd English phrase is a direct calque: 好久 "a long time" + 不见 "not see". 不 is bú before the fourth-tone 见. | hǎojiǔ bú jiàn | long time no see | 好久不见，你一点都没变！ Long time no see — you haven't changed at all! |
Wei Lin
Native zh · Speaks English
Grew up in Chengdu, live in Vancouver. I build Mandarin decks with pinyin and tone marks on everything, and I test them on my own kids.
Published
Questions about this deck
- Why does English say "tea" when Mandarin says chá?
- Both forms spread from China by different routes. Traders buying tea at Amoy (Xiamen) in Fujian picked up the Hokkien word tê, which became Dutch thee and English "tea". The overland Silk Road route carried the Mandarin chá, which became Russian chai, Turkish çay, Hindi chāy — and the "chai" you order in cafés.
- Why do dim sum, wonton, bok choy and wok sound nothing like the Mandarin words?
- Most Chinese food vocabulary entered English through Cantonese-speaking emigrants from Guangdong and Hong Kong in the 19th and 20th centuries. 点心 is diǎnxin in Mandarin but dim2 sam1 in Cantonese, 馄饨 is húntun but wan4 tan1, 白菜 is báicài but baak6 coi3, and "wok" is the Cantonese reading of 鑊 (Mandarin 锅 guō). Order with the English spellings in Chengdu or Beijing and you will get blank looks.
- Are "coolie" and "kowtow" safe to use in English?
- "Coolie" is not: in English it is a slur for Asian labourers, so learn 苦力 kǔlì only for reading history. "Kowtow" is acceptable in English but means "to grovel, to submit", which is far more negative than Chinese 磕头, a literal bow performed at New Year, at funerals or in temples.
- Which of these are sound loans and which are translated phrases?
- Most are sound loans: 茶, 功夫, 台风, 荔枝, 麻将, 风水, 人参, 拼音. Three are calques, where English copied the structure rather than the sound: "brainwash" from 洗脑, "lose face" from 丢脸 / 丢面子, and "long time no see" from 好久不见. Calques are easy wins because the Chinese word order is already familiar to you.
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