adj
Very common
Chinese
cheye-NEEZ
Chinese (adj) means relating to China, its people, or their culture. Example: “They celebrated Chinese New Year with a big family dinner.”
adj
1
Relating to China, its people, or their culture.
"They celebrated Chinese New Year with a big family dinner."
"She studies Chinese history at university."
name
1
The Chinese language, especially Standard Mandarin, written in Chinese characters.
"He's been learning Chinese for three years."
How to use Chinese
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishDescribes anything from China or its people, or refers to the language itself.
Common pairings
Chinese food
speak Chinese
Chinese New Year
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Word forms
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They celebrated _____ New Year with a big family dinner.
Etymology
Formed from China plus the adjective suffix -ese.
Synonyms
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Rhymes for Chinese
See all rhymes for Chinese →Frequently asked questions
What does “Chinese” mean?
The word “Chinese” means relating to China, its people, or their culture. In plain terms, describes anything from China or its people, or refers to the language itself.
How do you pronounce “Chinese”?
“Chinese” is pronounced cheye-NEEZ (/ˌt͡ʃaɪˈniz/ in IPA).
How do you use “Chinese” in a sentence?
Here is “Chinese” used in a sentence: “They celebrated Chinese New Year with a big family dinner.”
What is another word for “Chinese”?
Words with a similar meaning to “Chinese” include Sinic, Sino-, Seric, Serian, Serican and Sinaean.
What part of speech is “Chinese”?
Depending on how it is used, “Chinese” can be an adjective and a name.
Is “Chinese” a common word?
“Chinese” is a very common word in modern English.
How many meanings does “Chinese” have?
“Chinese” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: relating to China, its people, or their culture.
What is the difference between Chinese and Mandarin?
Chinese is a broad term covering the language, people and culture of China. Mandarin is the most widely spoken variety of the Chinese language and the country's official standard. So all Mandarin is Chinese, but Chinese also includes other varieties such as Cantonese. 'Chinese' is the umbrella; 'Mandarin' is one branch.
Is Chinese a language or a nationality?
It can be both. As a nationality, 'Chinese' describes people from China. As a language, it refers to the group of related varieties spoken there, of which Mandarin is the standard form. The same word also works as an adjective for anything relating to China's culture, food or history.
What are the main varieties of Chinese?
Chinese is not a single language but a family of related varieties. The largest is Mandarin, the official standard, followed by widely spoken forms such as Cantonese, Wu (including Shanghainese), Hokkien and Hakka. They share a common writing system but differ greatly in pronunciation, so speakers may not understand one another.
Is it polite to call someone 'a Chinese'?
It is more natural and respectful to say 'a Chinese person' or 'a Chinese woman' rather than 'a Chinese' on its own, which can sound abrupt. Used as an adjective before a noun, the word is perfectly polite, and 'Chinese people' is preferred as the plural.
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