Chinese Language

Details: Category: Everyday Things

This is a project Tim started to enrich his learning. Beneath each photo you will see the English & Chinese word then the Chinese pronunciation guide.

5 Elephants

Five Elephants 五象 wǔ xiàng

Birthday Cake

Birthday Cake 生日蛋糕 shēng rì dàn gāo

Bridge

Bridge 桥 qiáo

Cat

Cat 猫 māo

family photo

Family Dinner 家庭聚餐 jiā tíng jù cān

Moms Garden

Mom's Garden 妈妈的花园 māmā de huā yuán

Mom's Gate 妈妈之门 māmā zhīmén

Niece and Husband

Niece and Husband with dogs 侄女和丈夫带狗 zhínǚ hé zhàngfu dàigǒu

Park Gate

Park Gate 公园门 gōng yuán mén

private dinning room

Private Dinning Room 私人餐厅 sī rén cān tīng

Restaurant at night

Restaurant at night 晚上的餐厅 wǎn shàng de cān tīng

Restaurant Sign

Restaurant Sign 餐厅招牌 cāntīng zhāopái

School Gate

School Gate 校门 xiào mén

Ship

Ship 船 chuán

Sunset

Sunset 日落 rì luò

Table and Cup

Cup on Table 桌上的杯子 zhuōshàng de bēizi

Western Restaurant

Western Restaurant 西餐厅 xīcāntīng

Details: Category: Everyday Things

Everyday Things Two

battery

Battery 电池 dian chi

BeiJingHotPot

Beijing Hotpot 北京火锅 běijīng huǒguō

Boats

Boats 船 chuán

EyeGlasses

Eyeglasses 眼镜 yǎnjìng glasses is pural in Engish, there is no pural in Chinese.

Flowering Tree

Flowering tree 开花树 kāi huā shù

Great Wall

Great Wall of China 中国长城 zhōngguó chángchéng China's Great Wall

Heroin

Heron 苍鹭 cāng lù

Lego Shop

Lego Shop 乐高商店 lègāo shāngdiàn

Moon

Moon 月亮 yuèliàng

Panda

Panda 熊猫 xióngmāo

Period Clothing

Period clothing 经期服装 jīng qī fú zhuāng

Recordplayer

Record Player 电唱机 diàn chàng jī
Victrola 维克托拉 wéi kè tuō lā （human powered record player)

Street Cleaning Robot

Street cleaning robot 街道清洁机器人 jiē dào qīng jié jī qì rén

Swans

swan 天鹅 tiāné

Temple

Temple 寺庙 sìmiào

WashingMachine

Washing Machine 洗衣机 xǐ yī jī

Woman Calling Cat

Woman Calling Cat 女人叫猫 nǚ rénjiào māo

Details: Category: Everyday Things

Lake. 湖。(hu)

This is BinHu Lake in Nanning.

这是南宁的滨湖。

Island。岛。 (dao)

This is an island in BinHu Lake in Nanning.

这是南宁滨湖的一个岛屿。

Canton Tower, 广州塔 (guang zhou ta)
GaungZhou 广州

The tallest tower in China. Third tallest tower in the world. You can go up and do and see many things.

中国最高的塔。世界上第三高的塔。你可以上去做和看很多东西。

learn more

Canton is the older English name for the city GaungZhou.

Girl eating fruit
奴在吃水果（nuhair zai chi shui guo)

Details: Category: Chinese Language

Most Common Chinese Words for Beginners

If you’re just starting to learn Chinese, focusing on high-utility words used to describe people, actions, and objects in everyday scenarios is the most practical step.

Basic Pronouns and Words for People

Chinese	Pinyin	English
我	wǒ	I, me
你	nǐ	you (singular)
他 / 她	tā	he / she
我们	wǒmen	we, us
他们 / 她们	tāmen	they (m/f)
人	rén	person
学生	xuéshēng	student
老师	lǎoshī	teacher
朋友	péngyou	friend

Essential Everyday Verbs

Chinese	Pinyin	English
是	shì	to be
有	yǒu	to have
去	qù	to go
来	lái	to come
吃	chī	to eat
喝	hē	to drink
看	kàn	to look, watch
说	shuō	to speak, say
喜欢	xǐhuan	to like

Common Nouns in Daily Situations

Chinese	Pinyin	English
水	shuǐ	water
饭	fàn	rice, meal
家	jiā	home, family
学校	xuéxiào	school
商店	shāngdiàn	shop, store
钱	qián	money
东西	dōngxi	thing, item
手机	shǒujī	mobile phone
桌子	zhuōzi	table

Top 20 High-Frequency Chinese Words

Chinese		Pinyin	English
什么		shénme	what
那里 / 哪儿		nàlǐ / nǎr	there / where
这里		zhèlǐ	here
对		duì	correct, right
还是		háishì	or (in questions)
一下		yíxià	(used after verb for brief action)
已经		yǐjīng	already
再		zài	again
别		bié	don't
走		zǒu	to walk
起床		qǐchuáng	to get up
觉得		juéde	to think, feel
等		děng	to wait
穿		chuān	to wear
介绍		jièshào	to introduce
手机		shǒujī	mobile phone
火车站		huǒchēzhàn	train station
机场		jīchǎng	airport
公共汽车	gōnggòngqìchē		bus
上班	shàngbān		to go to work

Most Common Chinese Words by Usage Frequency

The following lists focus on high-frequency Chinese words that are extremely common across all mediums—conversations, books, online content, and exams—yet were not covered in earlier sections. By learning these, you’ll increase your comprehension in real-world situations and diversify your language usage.