Mandarin Chinese · Grades K–8 · Mandarin I · Quick reference
Mandarin(Pinyin · Characters · Patterns)
Grades K–124 pages
Pinyin and the four tones with their changes, strokes, stroke order and radicals, how characters are built, the core grammar patterns and question words, aspect with 了, 过 and 在, numbers counted by 万, measure words, time, dates and money, everyday words, and the verses, festivals and poems the course learns.
1Pinyin & tones2Characters3Grammar patterns4Numbers & time5Everyday words6Faith & poems
1Pinyin & the Four Tonesgrades 3, 6, Mandarin I · the sound system
| Tone | Mark | Pitch | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | mā | high and level ¯ | 妈 mā mother |
| 2nd | má | rising ˊ (like a question) | 麻 má hemp |
| 3rd | mǎ | dip down, then up ˇ | 马 mǎ horse |
| 4th | mà | sharp fall ˋ (like a command) | 骂 mà scold |
| neutral | ma | short, light | 吗 ma (question) |
The mark sits on the main vowel: a first, then o or e, then i / u / ü; in iu and ui on the second letter (jiǔ, guì).
Tone changes
- 3rd + 3rd → 2nd + 3rd: nǐ hǎo is said ní hǎo; 很好 hěn hǎo → hén hǎo.
- 不 bù becomes bú before a 4th tone: bú shì, bú yào.
- 一 yī becomes yí before a 4th tone (yí gè) and yì before the others (yì tiān, yì běn).
| Pinyin | Says |
|---|---|
| zh, ch, sh, r | tongue curled back: zhōng, chī, shū, rén |
| z, c, s | z = ds in beds, c = ts in cats, s = s: zì, cài, sān |
| j, q, x | tongue tip down behind the lower teeth: jiā, qù, xiè (q ≈ ch, x ≈ sh, lighter) |
| b, d, g | unaspirated: no puff of air |
| p, t, k | aspirated: a puff of air |
| ü | say ee with round lips: nǚ, lǜ; after j, q, x written u: jù, qù, xué |
Finals to watch
zi, ci, si, zhi, chi, shi, ri: the i is a buzz, not ee. e alone is “uh” (hē, de); ie, üe say eh (xiè, yuè). ou as in go; ao as in cow; ei as in day; an ≈ ahn; ang ≈ ahng; ong ≈ oong. Syllables starting with i, u, ü are written yi-, wu-, yu-: yī, wǔ, yú.
| Group | Finals |
|---|---|
| simple | a o e i u ü |
| a- | ai ao an ang |
| e- | ei en eng er |
| o- | ou ong |
| i- | ia iao ie iu ian in iang ing iong |
| u- | ua uo uai ui uan un uang ueng |
| ü- | üe üan ün |
Tones are part of the word
mǎi 买 is buy, mài 卖 is sell. Wǒ xiǎng wèn nǐ = I want to ask you; wěn = kiss. Say the tone every time, from day one.
2Characters: Strokes, Radicals & How They Are Builtgrades 3, 5, 6, Mandarin I
| Stroke | Name | Looks like |
|---|---|---|
| 丶 | diǎn 点 | dot |
| 一 | héng 横 | horizontal |
| 丨 | shù 竖 | vertical |
| 丿 | piě 撇 | falling left |
| ㇏ | nà 捺 | falling right |
| ㇀ | tí 提 | rising |
| 𠃍 | zhé 折 | bend |
| 亅 | gōu 钩 | hook |
Stroke order rules
- Top to bottom (三), left to right (川).
- Horizontal before vertical (十); left falling before right falling (人).
- Outside before inside, close the box last (国, 回).
- Middle before the two sides when they are symmetrical (小).
- Count strokes to look a character up: 人 2, 口 3, 水 4, 我 7.
| Radical | Means | Seen in |
|---|---|---|
| 人 亻 | person | 你 他 们 |
| 口 | mouth | 吃 喝 叫 吗 |
| 女 | woman | 妈 姐 好 她 |
| 子 | child | 字 学 孩 |
| 木 | tree, wood | 林 森 树 桌 |
| 水 氵 | water | 河 海 洗 汽 |
| 火 灬 | fire | 烧 热 点 |
| 土 | earth | 地 坐 在 |
| 日 | sun, day | 明 早 晚 时 |
| 月 | moon, flesh | 朋 服 脚 |
| 心 忄 | heart | 想 忘 快 怕 |
| 言 讠 | speech | 说 话 谢 请 |
| 手 扌 | hand | 打 拿 找 |
| 艹 | grass | 花 茶 菜 |
| 金 钅 | metal | 钱 铁 |
| 辶 | walking | 这 远 近 道 |
| 门 | gate | 问 间 闻 |
| 宀 | roof | 家 安 室 |
How characters are built
- Pictures (象形 xiàngxíng): 人 person, 口 mouth, 大 big, 小 small, 山 mountain, 水 water, 日 sun, 月 moon, 木 tree, 火 fire, 马 horse, 鱼 fish.
- Pictures combined (会意): 木 + 木 = 林 woods; 木木木 = 森 forest; 日 + 月 = 明 bright; 女 + 子 = 好 good; 人 + 木 = 休 rest.
- Meaning + sound (形声 xíngshēng), most characters: 妈 mā = 女 (meaning) + 马 mǎ (sound); 河 hé = 氵 + 可 kě; 请 qǐng = 讠 + 青 qīng.
- Simplified (mainland, this course) vs traditional (Taiwan, Hong Kong): 国 / 國, 学 / 學, 爱 / 愛.
From oracle bones to the keyboard
甲骨文 jiǎgǔwén, the oldest writing on shells and bones (about 1200 B.C.) → bronze and seal script → the brush and 书法 shūfǎ calligraphy → 拼音 pīnyīn (1958) → typing: write the pinyin, pick the character. A Chinese dictionary is searched by radical and stroke count.
3Grammar Patternsno endings, no tenses: word order and little words do the work
| Pattern | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Subject + Verb + Object | 我吃苹果。 | I eat apples. |
| A 是 B | 他是老师。 | He is a teacher. |
| 不 + verb / adjective | 我不是学生。我不喜欢。 | I am not a student. I don’t like it. |
| Time before the verb | 我七点起床。 | I get up at seven. |
| Place: 在 + place + verb | 我在家学习。 | I study at home. |
| 很 + adjective | 她很高。 | She is tall. (很 is nearly silent) |
| 有 / 没有 | 我有一个哥哥。我没有狗。 | I have an older brother. I don’t have a dog. |
| 的 = ’s / of | 我的书 · 妈妈的车 | my book · Mom’s car |
| 太 … 了 | 太贵了! | Too expensive! |
| 因为 … 所以 | 因为下雨，所以我不去。 | Because it is raining, I’m not going. |
| 虽然 … 但是 | 虽然很难，但是很有意思。 | Although it is hard, it is interesting. |
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| … 吗? | 你是美国人吗? Are you American? |
| … 呢? | 我很好，你呢? I’m fine, and you? |
| verb 不 verb | 你去不去? Are you going? |
| 什么 what | 这是什么? What is this? |
| 谁 who | 他是谁? Who is he? |
| 哪儿 where | 你去哪儿? Where are you going? |
| 哪 which | 你是哪国人? Which country are you from? |
| 几 / 多少 how many | 你几岁? 多少钱? How old? How much money? |
| 怎么 how | 你怎么去? How do you go? |
| 为什么 why | 你为什么不来? |
| 什么时候 when | 你什么时候来? |
Mood particles
吧 ba suggests: 我们走吧! Let’s go! 啊 a adds feeling: 好啊! 呢 ne bounces a question back or marks “-ing”: 他在吃饭呢. Also: 先 … 再 first … then; 从 … 到 from … to; A 离 B 近 A is near B.
| Word | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 了 le | completed, or a change | 我吃了。我好了。I ate. I’m better now. |
| 没 méi | did not (past) | 我没去。I didn’t go. |
| 过 guo | ever / have the experience | 你去过中国吗? Have you been to China? |
| 在 zài | right now (-ing) | 我在看书。I am reading. |
| 会 huì | can (learned skill); will | 我会游泳。我会去。 |
| 能 néng · 可以 kěyǐ | can (able) · may (permission) | 你能来吗? 我可以进来吗? |
| 想 xiǎng | would like to, think | 我想吃饺子。 |
| 要 yào | want, going to | 我要水。我要去。 |
| 比 bǐ · 一样 | than · the same as | 冬天比夏天冷。我和你一样高。 |
| 最 zuì | the most | 我最喜欢数学。 |
No conjugation, no plural, no tense
吃 chī is eat, eats, ate, eating. Time words (昨天, 明天), 了, 过 and 在 tell when. Nouns don’t change for plural; 们 marks people: 我们, 你们, 他们.
4Numbers, Measure Words, Time & Moneygrades K–7, Mandarin I
| # | 字 | pinyin | # | 字 | pinyin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 零 | líng | 10 | 十 | shí |
| 1 | 一 | yī | 11 | 十一 | shí yī |
| 2 | 二 / 两 | èr / liǎng | 20 | 二十 | èr shí |
| 3 | 三 | sān | 21 | 二十一 | èr shí yī |
| 4 | 四 | sì | 99 | 九十九 | jiǔ shí jiǔ |
| 5 | 五 | wǔ | 100 | 一百 | yì bǎi |
| 6 | 六 | liù | 1,000 | 一千 | yì qiān |
| 7 | 七 | qī | 10,000 | 一万 | yí wàn |
| 8 | 八 | bā | 100,000,000 | 一亿 | yí yì |
| 9 | 九 | jiǔ |
Count big numbers by 万 (ten thousand): 50,000 = 五万; a million = 一百万. Use 两 liǎng for “two of”: 两个人, 两本书; 二 for counting and in 十二.
Money
多少钱? How much? 块 kuài (dollar/yuan, written 元), 毛 máo (dime, written 角), 分 fēn (cent). 三块五 = 3.50. 太贵了! Too expensive. 便宜一点儿 a little cheaper. 一共 altogether.
| Measure | For | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 个 gè | people, most things | 三个人, 一个苹果 |
| 本 běn | books | 两本书 |
| 只 zhī | animals | 一只猫, 两只狗 |
| 张 zhāng | flat things | 一张纸, 一张桌子 |
| 条 tiáo | long thin things | 一条鱼, 一条裤子 |
| 把 bǎ | things with handles | 一把椅子, 一把伞 |
| 件 jiàn | clothes, matters | 一件衣服 |
| 口 kǒu | family members | 我家有五口人 |
| 杯 / 碗 | cups / bowls | 一杯茶, 一碗米饭 |
| 辆 liàng | vehicles | 一辆车 |
| 位 wèi | people (polite) | 一位老师 |
| 双 shuāng | pairs | 一双鞋 |
| 岁 suì | years of age | 我八岁 |
| 次 cì | times | 一次, 两次 |
When in doubt, 个
个 gè fits almost anything. 这个 this one, 那个 that one, 哪个 which one, 几个 how many.
Time: 几点了?
- 点 diǎn o’clock · 分 fēn minute · 半 bàn half · 刻 kè quarter: 两点 2:00, 两点半 2:30, 两点一刻 2:15, 两点三刻 2:45, 两点十分 2:10.
- 现在几点? What time is it now? 现在三点。
- 早上 morning · 上午 before noon · 中午 noon · 下午 afternoon · 晚上 evening · 今天, 明天, 昨天 today, tomorrow, yesterday · 每天 every day · 然后 then.
| Chinese | English |
|---|---|
| 星期一 … 星期六, 星期天 / 星期日 | Monday … Saturday, Sunday |
| 今天星期几? 今天星期三。 | What day is today? Wednesday. |
| 一月, 二月 … 十二月 | January, February … December |
| 几月几号? 五月三号。 | What date? May 3. |
| 二〇二六年 | the year 2026 |
| 你今年多大? 我十岁。 | How old are you this year? I am ten. |
| 生日快乐! | Happy birthday! |
| 春天 夏天 秋天 冬天 | spring, summer, fall, winter |
5Words for Every Daygrades K–5
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 你好 / 您好 | nǐ hǎo / nín hǎo | hello (polite: nín) |
| 早上好 · 晚安 | zǎoshang hǎo · wǎn’ān | good morning · good night |
| 再见 | zàijiàn | goodbye |
| 谢谢 · 不客气 | xièxie · bú kèqi | thank you · you’re welcome |
| 对不起 · 没关系 | duìbuqǐ · méi guānxi | sorry · it’s all right |
| 请 | qǐng | please; 请坐 please sit, 请问 may I ask |
| 你好吗? 我很好。 | nǐ hǎo ma? wǒ hěn hǎo | How are you? I’m fine. |
| 你叫什么名字? 我叫… | nǐ jiào shénme míngzi? wǒ jiào… | What is your name? I am called… |
| 认识你很高兴 | rènshi nǐ hěn gāoxìng | glad to meet you |
| 我是美国人 | wǒ shì Měiguó rén | I am American |
| Chinese | English |
|---|---|
| 爸爸 妈妈 | dad, mom |
| 哥哥 弟弟 姐姐 妹妹 | older brother, younger brother, older sister, younger sister |
| 爷爷 奶奶 | grandpa, grandma |
| 我家有五口人。 | There are five people in my family. |
| 我爱你 | I love you |
| Chinese | English |
|---|---|
| 头 眼睛 耳朵 鼻子 嘴 手 脚 | head, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, hand, foot |
| 我头疼。我生病了。 | My head hurts. I am sick. |
| 红 黄 蓝 绿 白 黑 橙 | red, yellow, blue, green, white, black, orange |
| 衣服 裤子 鞋 帽子 · 穿 | clothes, pants, shoes, hat · wear |
| 红帽子 | a red hat |
| Chinese | English |
|---|---|
| 米饭 面条 饺子 苹果 香蕉 水 茶 | rice, noodles, dumplings, apple, banana, water, tea |
| 我要… 我想吃… 我喜欢吃… | I want… I’d like to eat… I like to eat… |
| 好吃! 我饿了。 | Delicious! I’m hungry. |
| 筷子 · 勺子 · 碗 | chopsticks · spoon · bowl |
| 吃饭了! 请慢用。 | Dinner is ready! Enjoy your meal. |
| Chinese | English |
|---|---|
| 猫 狗 鱼 鸟 马 牛 羊 | cat, dog, fish, bird, horse, cow, sheep |
| 熊猫 老虎 猴子 大象 | panda, tiger, monkey, elephant |
| Chinese | English |
|---|---|
| 书 笔 纸 桌子 椅子 · 这是书 | book, pen, paper, desk, chair · this is a book |
| 请坐 · 请听 · 请说 | please sit · listen · speak |
| 学校 教堂 家 商店 医院 银行 图书馆 | school, church, home, shop, hospital, bank, library |
| 我去教堂。 | I go to church. |
| 左边 右边 前面 后面 · 往前走 | left, right, front, back · go straight ahead |
| 坐车 火车 飞机 船 地铁 高铁 · 骑自行车 | ride in a car, train, plane, boat, subway, high-speed rail · ride a bike |
| 你怎么去? 我坐公共汽车去。 | How do you go? By bus. |
| Chinese | English |
|---|---|
| 天气怎么样? 今天很热 / 很冷。 | How is the weather? Hot / cold today. |
| 下雨了 · 下雪了 · 刮风 · 晴天 | it’s raining · snowing · windy · sunny |
| 太阳 月亮 星星 · 花 树 山 水 | sun, moon, stars · flower, tree, mountain, water |
| Chinese | English |
|---|---|
| 唱歌 游泳 踢足球 打篮球 跑步 画画 | sing, swim, play soccer, play basketball, run, draw |
| 你会游泳吗? 我会。 | Can you swim? I can. |
6Faith, Festivals & Poemsgrades 5–8, Mandarin I
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 神 / 上帝 | Shén / Shàngdì | God |
| 耶稣基督 | Yēsū Jīdū | Jesus Christ |
| 圣经 | Shèngjīng | the Bible (和合本 Héhéběn, 1919) |
| 教会 | jiàohuì | church |
| 祷告 · 阿们 | dǎogào · āmen | pray · amen |
| 福音 · 信 | fúyīn · xìn | gospel · believe |
| 圣诞节快乐! | Shèngdànjié kuàilè | Merry Christmas! |
| 复活节快乐! | Fùhuójié kuàilè | Happy Easter! |
Verses
- 约翰福音 3:16 神爱世人，甚至将他的独生子赐给他们，叫一切信他的，不至灭亡，反得永生。
- 约翰福音 1:1 太初有道，道与神同在，道就是神。
- 诗篇 23:1 耶和华是我的牧者，我必不致缺乏。
- 创世记 1:1 起初，神创造天地。
| Festival | When | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 春节 Chūnjié Spring Festival | lunar New Year (Jan–Feb) | 年夜饭 reunion dinner, 红包 red envelopes, 新年快乐! 过年好! |
| 元宵节 Lantern Festival | 15th day of the first month | lanterns, 汤圆 sweet rice balls |
| 端午节 Dragon Boat | 5th day of the 5th month | dragon boats, 粽子 rice dumplings |
| 中秋节 Mid-Autumn | 15th day of the 8th month | full moon, 月饼 mooncakes, family |
| 圣诞节 Christmas | 12月25日 | 耶稣降生 the birth of Jesus |
People of the story
利玛窦 Matteo Ricci and 徐光启 Xu Guangqi: a map and a friendship (1600s). 马礼逊 Robert Morrison translated the Bible (1823). 戴德生 Hudson Taylor, inland China (1853–1905). 李爱锐 Eric Liddell, the Olympic runner who taught in China. The 景教碑 Nestorian stele (781) is the oldest record of the gospel in China.
静夜思 Jìng Yè Sī · Li Bai
床前明月光，疑是地上霜。举头望明月，低头思故乡。
Before my bed the bright moonlight; I thought it frost upon the ground. I raise my head and see the moon; I bow my head and think of home.
春晓 Chūn Xiǎo · Meng Haoran
春眠不觉晓，处处闻啼鸟。夜来风雨声，花落知多少。
Spring sleep, unaware of dawn; everywhere the birds are singing. Last night the sound of wind and rain; how many blossoms fell?
| Chinese | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 守株待兔 | waiting by the stump for a rabbit: hoping luck repeats |
| 画蛇添足 | drawing legs on a snake: ruining by overdoing |
| 井底之蛙 | a frog at the bottom of a well: a narrow view |
| 愚公移山 | the foolish old man moves the mountain: persistence |
| 一言既出，驷马难追 | a word once spoken, four horses cannot catch |
| 敬畏耶和华是智慧的开端 | the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom (箴言 9:10) |