Using Chinese words in English
Lost in Translation
By the time you leave China, you might have picked up on quite a few useful Chinese words that sadly don’t have an English equivalent. This is fine if you’re surrounded by friends who are learning Chinese, however when you return home, you might find yourself in quite a pickle. Here are some useful Chinese words that are mixed in our everyday conversations.
| Chinese word | Description | Use |
|---|---|---|
| 麻烦
máfan |
Troublesome, in the way, difficult | “I have to redo my entire presentation”
“Ah that’s so mafan.” |
| 对
duì |
Yes, correct, that’s right | “Is this the way to the school?”
“Duiduidui” |
| 老外
lǎowài |
Westerner in china | “Have you been to this bar?”
“Yeah its a laowai hotspot” |
| 天啊
tiān a |
Oh my god, oh my heavens | “Tian-a! Did she really say that?” |
| OK啊
ok a |
Exclamation | “Sorry about that”
“Its Okay-a” |
| 舒服
shūfú |
Comfortable, feels good, fits | “This subway is so busy I’m not feeling very shufu” |
| 差不多 chàbùduō | Just about, around | “Does it take 5 minutes to get there?”
“Yeah chabuduo” |
| 厉害
lìhài |
Smart, clever, good | “Ah so lihai, you figured it out” |
| 糟糕
zāogāo |
Horrible, terrible, very bad | “It’s been raining all week!”
“I know the weather is really zaogao” |
| 早
zǎo |
Early | “Morning!”
“Mm Zao” |
| 不好意思
bùhǎoyìsi |
Sorry, embarrassed, not comfortable | “I forgot about our date… so buhaoyisi” |
21 Jun 2017
