Why is today so special in China?

The 20th of May is a very special day for the Chinese because they celebrate love on this day! For the Chinese, today is like a Valentine’s day.

During this lovely day, couples go on a date or spend time together. And for those who are single, well, it’s a perfect time for them to be brave and show their love to their main crush! Nobody can resist a declaration of love at this special event!

How did 5.20 come to equal a Chinese love word that says I love you?

Talking about this special event, you may wonder why it occurs on this day and not another one in Chinese. The answer is quite simple. It’s all about the sounds. When you write May 20th in numbers, it’s written 5.20. When you pronounce the numbers 5. 2. 0 in Chinese, 五二零 wǔ èr líng, they sound very close to the words 我爱你 wǒ ài nǐ. See? They don’t sound the same, but they sound quite similar, and that’s enough! The Chinese love plays on homophonic words and numbers with hidden meanings.
520 originally started as a slang word used by the Chinese online as a shortcut to say I love you in Chinese, like ILY in English. It then came to be associated with the date May 20th (5.20), which became a very romantic day!

Show your love with 520!

The Chinese love numbers and their hidden meanings

The Chinese people sure love this romantic day, as they have strong beliefs regarding numbers. You may know how some numbers are considered lucky and some unauspicious in Chinese. Certain number combinations also have secret meanings.

For example, did you hear of the wedding record set in China on 2012.12.12? In China, tons of couples got married on that special day because it was said to be a lucky day for lovers. See, in Chinese, you can pronounce 12 一二 yāo èr. (in Chinese, when talking about a phone number or a street, 1 is pronounced yāo instead of yī). The sound of yāoèr is close to the sound of 要爱 yào ài, which means to want love. So 2012.12.12 stood for “to want love, to want love, to want love.” What a lovely day to get married, huh?!

Ninchanese is an incredible app for learning Chinese!

” I actually graduated from the University of Edinburgh with a MA in Chinese.
I’ve used Ninchanese daily, and it has helped me a lot!  “

 – Connor, Ninchanese User

Try Ninchanese, an award-winning method to learn Chinese today:

Start Learning Now

As for 520, it means 我爱你 wǒ ài nǐ, and is a great Chinese love word to say today (and whenever you can) to your loved one. When you do, make sure you pronounce each word individually, because saying 5 五 wǔ and 20 二十 èr shí doesn’t work the same! Also, be careful not to mix it up with 250 二百五 èrbǎiwǔ, another number with a special meaning, but that means something totally different! 250 èrbǎiwǔ means idiot, stupid. Trust me; your lover won’t appreciate it if, instead of sending a cute 520 (I love you) text or saying it to them, you write 250. 嘻嘻.
If you like the idea of communicating in numbers, you can also take it up a notch and tell your boo 5201314! Why? 520, you know, is the Chinese love word to use today, and 1314 represents 一生一世 yīshēng yīshì (for a lifetime). So if you say 5201314, you’re saying I love you for a lifetime. So romantic, right? Add a 么么哒 to send extra love and affection!

Happy 520 love day!

Have a nice and lovely day full of 520 and love! Don’t forget to share your love as much as you can: today and every day using 520, the Chinese love word is purrfect for today!

The Nincha Team

Stay in touch with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Try the best way to learn Chinese today.
Ninchanese is free to use!

Sign up now

The post 520: A Chinese Love Word and Number to Know appeared first on Ninchanese.

But young Chinese people like to immerse themselves in western culture and sometimes plan romantic activities on this special day, February 14. Let’s take this opportunity to spread our love in Chinese with 6 different ways to tell that special person you like them.

#1 我爱你 – I love you

Saying “I love you” is such a huge commitment, especially in China, you can’t use it with everyone. Indeed, you wouldn’t say “I love you” to a person you’ve just met, or to someone you’re interested in, even if you get along well with them. As you can imagine, saying 我爱你 to someone on a first date might be inappropriate and have the opposite effect of scaring them away.

But if you’re committed to someone, the right way to show them you love them is to say

我爱你 wǒ ài nǐ I love you

In China, lovers use it to express their strong feelings, when they are truly, madly and deeply in love with each other.

#2 我喜欢你 – I like you

If you want to show your love in a more modest way, to your friends or to someone you’re like, you can definitely use

我喜欢你 wǒ xǐ huān nǐ I like you.

It’s a lot less strong than 我爱你.

#3 我对你感兴趣 – I’m interested in you

If you’ve found someone you want to date, here is one of the things you can say to show them your interest.

wǒ duì nǐ gǎn xìng qu I'm interested in you.

It’s a bit straight to the point, so just be confident, and it can work!

#4 你是我喜欢的类型 – You’re my type

Congratulations, you’re finally on a date! This person likes rock music, plays volleyball and loves Nincha more than everything, JUST LIKE YOU! Sounds like you’ve found your perfect match.

Then it’s the right time to tell them they’re just your type by using

你是我喜欢的类型 nǐ shì wǒ xǐ huān de lèi xíng You're just my type

#5 我爱上你了- I’m in love with you

The two of you have spent a lot of time together by now and you can feel yourself falling in love little by little with them.

Tell them how you feel:

我爱上你了 wǒ ài shàng nǐ le I'm in love with you.

Maybe it’s a good time to start talking about moving in together?

#6 你让我着迷 / 疯狂 – I’m fascinated by you/ I’m crazy about you

You are now in a stable relationship with your beloved, isn’t it nice? Remember to not take your lover for granted, however, and don’t forget to show them your love as much as possible!

Here are two adorable sentences to use:

你让我着迷 nǐ ràng wǒ zháo mí I’m fascinated by you.

你让我疯狂 nǐ ràng wǒ fēngkuáng I’m crazy about you.

Aww, so sweet!

Now that you know these 6 romantic ways to show your love in Chinese, you can express your feelings on Valentine’s day but also on EVERY day of the year! Have you used any of these sentences to show your feelings to someone in Chinese? Did we miss other useful sentences to show your love in Chinese?

Tell us in the comments!

The Nincha Team

Stay in touch with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Try the best way to learn Chinese today.
Ninchanese is free to use!

Sign up now

The post 6 ways to show your love in Chinese appeared first on Ninchanese.

It’s World Happy Day today, so here’s your mission for today: Smile!

And today’s motto is:

A good sentence to remember whenever you feel down. Be happy, smile to the world and the world will smile back at you! ☼

The Nincha Team

Stay in touch with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Try the best way to learn Chinese today.
Ninchanese is free to use!

Sign up now

The post Don’t worry, be happy! appeared first on Ninchanese.

Valentine’s day in Chinese

Valentine’s day in Chinese is called 情人节 (qíngrén jié), literally the festival for those who have feelings, i.e. lovers. Awww.

Declare your love in Chinese with a love Nincha

As Nincha shows, saying I love you in Chinese is easy:

Share this Love Nincha to show your love! Or use this Nincha Valentine’s card to declare your love in Chinese to someone special!

Ninchanese is a new platform where you’ll have a blast learning Chinese! We’re still working on it for now, so sign up to try the beta for free when we launch! Check out our trailer : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ahnj5pLMulo and stay in touch with us on Facebook, Twitter, Google + and Weibo.

The post Happy Valentine’s Day in Chinese! 情人节快乐! appeared first on Ninchanese.

 I love you, will you kiss me ?!

This Nincha is so cute…

Ninchanese is a new platform where you’ll have a blast learning Chinese! We’re still working on it for now, so sign up to try the beta for free when we launch! Check out our trailer and stay in touch with us on Facebook, Twitter, Google + and Weibo.

The post A real life Nincha! appeared first on Ninchanese.