When you’re learning Chinese, discovering 流行用语, aka Chinese slang expressions (liú xíng yòng yǔ) is a fun and interesting way to get a deeper understanding of the language and culture. However, before diving in, it’s important to know which phrases are appropriate to use in different situations. In this article, we’ll be exploring some of the most interesting, quirky, and downright wacky slang expressions in Chinese to know in 2023, along with their meanings and how to use them in context. Prepare to spice up your Chinese vocabulary with some seriously meowy slang!

1. Chinese slang: 蒟蒻 (jǔ ruò)

First up in your collection of popular words to know is 蒟蒻, a self-deprecating slang term used to refer to oneself as a noob or a newbie.

You’ll see it often used in online gaming communities and online. If you’re a new player to a game, for instance, you might say:
我是蒟蒻，还请多多关照
Wǒ shì jǔ ruò, hái qǐng duō duō guān zhào
I’m a noob, please take care of me.

Here’s how to use this slang expression in context:
A: 你打得好烂啊，是不是蒟蒻啊？
Nǐ dǎ de hǎo làn a，shì bù shì jǔruò a?
You play so poorly, are you a newbie?

B: 没错，我才刚开始学呢。
Méi cuò，wǒ cái gāng kāi shǐ xué ne
B: Yes, I’m just getting started.

Fun fact: Look up 蒟蒻 and you’ll see pictures of konjac, that calorie-free plant that was a popular noodle substitute a while back.
How did we get to “noob” from there? Konjac in Chinese (蒟蒻 (jǔ ruò) sounds like 巨[jù] 弱[ruò], which means very weak. From there, it’s easy to picture how online, especially, this came to mean “noob”.

2. 酱紫 (jiàng zǐ)

Next up is another great buzzword to know is 酱紫.

Because it sounds very similar to 这样子, it also means “like this” or “in this way”. The difference is that you will often use it playfully or sarcastically.

For example, if someone says “你怎么不去问问他呢? (nǐ zěn me bù qù wèn wèn tā ne?) which means “Why don’t you go ask him?”, you could sarcastically respond with “酱紫啊，太感谢你的好建议了” (jiàng zǐ a, tài gǎn xiè nǐ de hǎo jiàn yì le), which means “Oh, great idea, thanks so much!”

A: 今天要开会，你怎么穿得这么随便？
Jīntiān yào kāihuì，nǐ zěn me chuān dé zhè me suí biàn？
We have a meeting today, why are you dressed so casually?

B: 酱紫不行吗？
Jiàng zǐ bù xíng ma?
What’s wrong with that?

3. Chinese slang expression: 吃瓜 (chī guā)

Meaning “to eat watermelon seeds,” you’ll find 吃瓜 (chī guā) is a meowvelous slang expression to use to describe someone who is watching a situation from the sidelines without directly getting involved. It’s often used to describe people who are gossiping or watching drama unfold without participating in it themselves.

It’s purrfect to talk about bystanders or gawkers. For example, you can say:
他们两个人吵架了，我们都在一旁吃瓜看戏。
Tāmen liǎng gè rén chǎojià le，wǒmen dōu zài yī páng chī guā kàn xì
The two of them were arguing, and we were all standing by watching and waiting to see what would happen

Or
吃瓜群众看热闹。
Chī guā qúnzhòng kàn rènao.
The crowd watches the excitement with interest.

Curious to see 吃瓜 (chī guā) used in context? Here are two dialogues using it:

A: 这个新闻真扯。
Zhège xīnwén zhēn chě.
This news is sensationalized.

B: 别说了，我们只是吃瓜群众。
Bié shuō le, wǒmen zhǐshì chīguā qúnzhòng.
Let’s not say anything, we’re just bystanders watching the drama.

Here’s another way to use this Chinese slang expression:
A: 你听说了吗？ 王老师辞职了。
Nǐ tīngshuō le ma？ Wáng lǎoshī cízhí le.
Have you heard? Teacher Wang resigned.

B: 没有，怎么回事？
Méi yǒu，zěn me huí shì ？
No, what happened?

A: 不知道，我也是刚刚在微博上看到的，咱们吃瓜看热闹吧！
Bù zhīdào，wǒ yě shì gāng gang zài Wēibó shàng kàn dào de，zánmen chīguā kàn rènao ba ！
I don’t know. I just saw it on Weibo. Let’s just watch and see what happens.

4. 搞笑 (gǎo xiào)

搞笑 means “funny” or “humorous” and is often used to describe comedic content. For example, if you watch a funny video on Chinese social media, you might say “这个视频真的太搞笑了” (zhè ge shì pín zhēn de tài gǎo xiào le), which means “This video is really funny.”

A: 这个视频好搞笑啊！
Zhè ge shìpín hǎo  gǎoxiào le
This video is so funny!

B: 我也觉得，笑得我肚子疼。
Wǒ yě jué de xiào de wǒ dùzi téngI think so too, I laughed until my stomach hurt.

Think about who you’re talking to when using this Chinese-language expression: 搞笑 gǎo xiào could be considered somewhat informal and may not be appropriate in certain professional or formal settings.

5. The popular expression: 神犇 (shén bēn)

You use the slang term 神犇 (shén bēn) to describe someone extremely talented or skilled in a particular area. Imagine, if you know someone who is a talented musician, you might say to brag about them to your friends “他真是一个音乐神犇” (tā zhēn shì yī gè yīn yuè shén bēn). That means “He’s a real musical genius.”

Here’s how you can use this slang expression in context:

A: 他真的是个神犇，什么都会。
Tā zhēn de shì gè shénbēn，shénme dōu huì
He’s really a genius, he can do anything.

B: 是啊，我都有点佩服他了。
Shì a， wǒ dōu yǒu diǎn pèi fú tā le。
Yeah, I’m starting to admire him.

Fun fact: 神 means “god”. And because the character 犇 contains three times the character “牛” (cow”), and something “牛” is awesome in Chinese, this expression 神犇 took on the meaning of “十分牛”, that is to say, “extremely good”, to the point of being “god-like”.

6. Celebrate with the buzzword 撒花 (sā huā)

Want to celebrate something? Then, 撒花 (sā huā) is the expression you’ll want to use. It’s similar to saying “hooray” or “yay” in English.

So, for instance, if you’re told your friend won the lottery or another piece of good news, you might respond with 撒花 (sā huā!), which means “Hooray!”

A: 我通过了考试，撒花！
Wǒ tōngguò le kǎoshì，sāhuā！
I passed the exam, celebrate with me!

B: 恭喜恭喜，要好好庆祝一下！
Gōng xǐ gōng xǐ ， yào hǎo hǎo qìng zhù yī xià
Congratulations, we should definitely celebrate!

7. 摸鱼 (mō yú)

摸鱼 (mō yú) is a slang term you use to describe someone who is slacking off or goofing off. You’ll find it particularly handy to describe a situation where someone is not working hard or as diligently as they should be.

For example, if your colleague at work in China is taking a long break and not doing their work, you might say:
他今天一直在摸鱼
Tā jīntiān yīzhí zài mōyú
He’s been slacking off all day.

Here’s how you can use this popular expression in context:
A: 你最近在忙什么呢?
Nǐ zuì jìn zài máng shén me ne?
What have you been busy with lately?

B: 最近上班太累了，经常摸鱼。
Zuì jìn shàng bān tài lèi le, jīng cháng mō yú
I’ve been really tired at work lately, so I’ve been slacking off a lot.

8.双倍奉还 (shuāng bèi fèng huán)

双倍奉还 is an idiom in Chinese that means “to pay back twice as much” or “to retaliate with double the force.” It’s often used to describe situations where someone has been wronged or hurt and is seeking justice or revenge. For example, if someone steals from you, you might say “我一定让他双倍奉还” (wǒ yī dìng ràng tā shuāng bèi fèng huán), which means “I will make him pay back twice as much.”

This expression can also be used in a playful way, such as when someone gives you a gift or does something nice for you. In this case, you might say “谢谢你的礼物，我会双倍奉还的” (xiè xiè nǐ de lǐwù, wǒ huì shuāng bèi fèng huán de), which means “Thank you for your gift, I will repay you doubly.”

Here’s another dialogue showing you how to use this expression:

A: 你欠我的钱，什么时候还？
Nǐ qiàn wǒ de qián，shén me shí hou huán
A: You owe me money, when will you pay me back?

B: 不用急，我会尽快还你，双倍奉还。
Bù yòng jí，wǒ huì jǐn kuài hái nǐ，shuāng bèi fèng huán.
Don’t worry, I’ll repay you as soon as possible, with double the amount.

A cultural note on slang expressions in Chinese

Slang expressions are an important part of the Chinese language and culture. Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced learner, using slang is a great way to connect with native speakers, add some personality to your language skills, and maybe even score a few laughs along the way.

Just remember, these phrases can be playful and interesting, as long as you use them appropriately and stay aware of their nuances and connotations. While these phrases can be tons of fun, it’s important to be aware of their connotations and usage contexts so that you can use them with confidence and respect. When in doubt, for instance, exercise discretion, and check what setting you’re in. In professional and formal settings, particularly, it’s advisable to err on the side of caution and use more neutral language.

And once you have that in mind, especially when you’re with friends you trust, purrfect! Give these slang expressions a try in a safe space, with your friends, so they can tell you without being shocked if you screwed up using a word! Go ahead and start using these phrases in your daily life, impress your friends with your cool Chinese slang, and don’t forget to have fun with it!

On that note, there you have it, folks! We hope you’ve enjoyed this wild ride through some of the most popular and fun slang expressions in Chinese to know in 2023.

And one more thing…

If you want to continue learning Chinese with authentic and entertaining content, then you’ll love Ninchanese.

With Ninchanese, you get a complete method to learn Chinese, which has you speaking, reading, writing, and more in Chinese. What’s more, whether you’re a beginner or an advanced learner, there’s content your level on Ninchanese and plenty more!

Start using Ninchanese on the web, with your computer or tablet, or on your phone with the Android app.

Enjoy!

Sarah &

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!

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The post 8 Fun Chinese Slang Expressions to Impress Your Friends in 2023 appeared first on Ninchanese.

How to say Christmas in Chinese

First things first, let’s see how to write Christmas in Chinese.

圣诞节
Shèng Dàn jié
Christmas

That’s how you say Christmas in Chinese: 圣诞节 / Shèng Dàn jié.

To talk about Christmas Eve, you say:平安夜, [Píng ān Yè], which literally means: the Safe and Sound eve.
That’s also how you say “Silent Night” in Chinese. And yes, the famous Christmas Carol “Silent Night” is called 平安夜, [Píng ān Yè] in Mandarin!

平安夜
Píng ān Yè
Christmas Eve.

To write Merry Christmas in Chinese characters, you want to add the word 快乐, which means happy.

So to say Merry Christmas in Chinese language, you’ll say:

圣诞节快乐!
Shèng Dàn jié kuài lè
Merry Christmas

Celebrate Christmas in Chinese with a special world!

Christmas in China

Christmas in China is not quite celebrated the way other Christian-oriented countries celebrate it. Still, the holiday is becoming more and more popular in Chinese, so we’ve put together something special for the occasion: a Christmas-centric Mini-Course on Ninchanese!

Spend Meowy Holidays on Ninchanese!

In this special mini-world, you’ll experience how the Chinese celebrate Christmas. You’ll also learn the purrfect words and phrases you need to know to celebrate Christmas in Chinese and enjoy the holidays!

The special world dedicated to the Holidays is now available on the App and free for all Nincha learners (that can be you! Just sign up!). This Merry Holiday world is available for a limited time only: from the 20th of December 2021 to the 3rd of January 2022.

All those that will have finished these Holiday Stages by that date will earn a Nincha Holiday Badge! Make your friends and fellow Nincha learners envious with this exclusive badge! What are you waiting for? Click below to get started!

Or click here to head to Ninchanese if you can’t load the image.

You will be learning these words in Chinese for the holidays

Ooh, you want to know what you’ll be learning in these stages? Here are some of the words and phrases you’ll see:

•  节日 jié rì holiday; festival; holidays;

• 礼物 lǐ wù gift; present;

• 祝 zhù to wish; to express good wishes;

• 快乐 kuài lè happy; merry;

• 新年 xīn nián New Year;

• 圣诞 Shèng dàn Christmas;

• 圣诞节 Shèng dàn jié Christmas; Christmas season; Christmas time;

• 圣诞老人 Shèngdàn Lǎorén Santa Claus; Father Christmas;

• 节日快乐 Jié rì kuài lè  Happy Holidays;

• 圣诞快乐Shèng dàn kuài lè  Merry Christmas;

• 新年快乐 Xīn nián kuài lè Happy New Year.

Discover the rest and learn how to use these holiday words and phrases in Chinese in the Special Christmas World on Ninchanese!  It’s free!

More Christmas in Chinese Words

Want to go beyond the special Christmas Mini-World on Ninchanese? No problem! With the Nincha Decks, you can create as many vocabulary lists as you want about Christmas and the holidays in Chinese to go with it!
Learn Christmas greetings in Chinese, explore more Christmas Words in Chinese, focus on Christmas meals… The World’s your Oyster so go wild!

Here are 16 more Christmas Words to get you started – purrfect for your first Holiday-themed Nincha Deck!

Chinese Words to put yourself in the Christmas Spirit

Enjoy! And hopefully, learning these words will spark a little extra joy these holidays.

On this note,

The Nincha Team wishes you 圣诞快乐!

Have great holidays, everyone!

And one more thing…

If you want to continue learning Chinese with authentic and entertaining content, then you’ll love Ninchanese.

With Ninchanese, you get a complete method to learn Chinese which has you speaking, reading, writing, and more in Chinese. What’s more, whether you’re a beginner or an advanced learner, there’s content your level on Ninchanese and plenty more to discover!

So, whether you already have a background in Chinese or not, you will enjoy a way of learning Mandarin, both enjoyable and effective.

Start using Ninchanese on the web, with your computer or tablet, or, for Chinese learning in your pocket and on the go, download the Ninchanese app from the Google Play Store.

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 Christmas in Chinese and Other Purrfect Words for the Holidays appeared first on Ninchanese.

In this blog post, you’ll see:
How to write happy Thanksgiving in Chinese
What is the name for Black Friday in Chinese
Black Friday Ninchanese Sale
Thanksgiving Food in Chinese Vocabulary
Learn Thanksgiving words in Chinese on Ninchanese!

Thanksgiving is a popular celebration in the US and Canada – they celebrate it on a different day.

At Ninchanese, we want you to be able to share this tradition with your Chinese-speaking friends, so, in addition to the word list here, we have something special for you: A whole stage dedicated to Thanksgiving words! As well as a purrfect Black Friday sale you’ll want to know about. So keep reading!

First things first, let’s see how to say Thanksgiving in Chinese.

How to write happy Thanksgiving in Chinese

In Mandarin, you say:

感恩节
Gǎn ēn jié
Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving in Chinese: a very apt literal meaning

The name for Thanksgiving in Chinese language literally means: The Day to Give Thanks.

Character Breakdown:
感恩  [gǎn ēn] is to be thankful in Chinese.
节 [jié] means festival

Together, they form a very fitting name in Chinese for Thanksgiving!

To write Happy Thanksgiving in Chinese characters, you want to add the word 快乐[kuài lè], which means happy.

So to say Happy Thanksgiving in Chinese language, you’ll say:

感恩节快乐!
Gǎn ēn jié kuài lè
Happy Thanksgiving

Speaking of which:

The Nincha Team 祝你感恩节快乐!
The Nincha Team zhù nǐ gǎnēn jié kuàilè!
The Nincha Team behind Ninchanese wishes you a Happy Thanksgiving!

What is the name for Black Friday in Chinese?

Another essential part of the Thanksgiving Tradition now is Black Friday! This term designates the Friday following Thanksgiving. This special Friday has become a big day full of sales and discounts. Kind of like Singles’ Day in China, with probably fewer sales.

And while a lot of countries don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, one thing most countries now do is Black Friday sales!

How to say Black Friday in Chinese

黑五
hēiwǔ
Black Friday

The name 黑五 [hēiwǔ] is short for 黑色星期五 [hēisèxīng qīwǔ] – literally black Color Friday.

On Black Friday, what you’re looking for the most is:

黑五打折
hēiwǔdǎzhé
Black friday discounts

Speaking of which… there’s a meowsome BLACK FRIDAY sale about to happen at Ninchanese!

Black Friday Ninchanese Sale

This weekend only, get a whopping 40% OFF any plan in Ninchanese. Not only is that our meowsomest promo yet, but it’ll also be gone in a flash. So, don’t miss it!

More Thanksgiving goodies!
You know about the delightful sale on Ninchanese; you know how to wish a Happy Day to Give Thanks in Chinese. Great start! Are you ready now to learn more yummy words around Thanksgiving in Chinese?

Thanksgiving Food in Chinese Vocabulary

A huge part of Thanksgiving, aside from gathering with family or friends and being grateful, is… eating! So let’s talk meowsome Thanksgiving food words in Mandarin. You can learn them for free on Ninchanese and read them right here.

Learn Thanksgiving words in Chinese on Ninchanese!

Reading about Thanksgiving words is one thing, and you know what is 100% better?
Learning these scrumptious thanksgiving dishes in Chinese.

What are you waiting for? Go learn them on Ninchanese for free! They are all here!

Enjoy this feast of Thanksgiving words in Mandarin!

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll be learning, straight from the Ninchanese web app.

Are these Chinese words for Thanksgiving making you hungry? Grateful?  Which is your favorite Thanksgiving dish? Let us know in the comments!

And one more thing…

If you want to continue learning Chinese with authentic and entertaining content, then you’ll love Ninchanese.

With Ninchanese, you get a complete method to learn Chinese, which has you speaking, reading, writing, and more in Chinese. What’s more, whether you’re a beginner or an advanced learner, there’s content your level on Ninchanese and plenty more to discover!

Ninchanese has a wide range of contemporary Chinese content to learn – from HSK-based worlds to Chinese cooking, travel essentials, and more.

You’ll discover that learning Chinese is fun and easy with Ninchanese‘s effective and personalized learning method. You’ll stay engaged and motivated to progress until you master Mandarin Chinese.

So, whether you already have a background in Chinese or not, you will enjoy a way of learning Mandarin, both enjoyable and effective.

Start using Ninchanese on the web app, with your computer or tablet, or, for Chinese learning in your pocket and on the go,download the Ninchanese app from the Google Play Store

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 Thanksgiving in Chinese: Stuff your face with these Words appeared first on Ninchanese.

If I asked you to think about words that had the character dragon in them in Chinese, you’d probably think of words like a dragon boat, a dragon fruit, and you’d be purrfectly right. But today, we’re here to talk about unusual dragon words. Words in Chinese you’ll be surprised to learn there’s a dragon in! So without further ado, here are unexpected words that contain the character dragon in

The following Chinese words, quite surprisingly, all have dragons in them. Which ones did you expect the least?

Dragon in Chinese phrase #1: Faucet

水龙头

shuǐ lóng tóu

faucet

literally: a  water dragon head

The name for faucet in Chinese is cool. It’s composed of:

水 shuǐ water
龙 lóng dragon
头 tóu head

What’s a Water-Dragon-head? Why, a “faucet” or a “tap”, of course! A little underwhelming, perhaps? Wait till you see this.

Sigh, if only all our faucets could look as dragonny as this one. Source

That’s why 水龙头 is our first word with a dragon in it!

Dragon word in Chinese #2: Boss

龙头

lóng tóu

Bicycle handlebar; boss

literally: a dragon head

In the same (water) vein, you have 龙头 which means a bicycle handlebar (as well as a faucet).
Interestingly, it also means “boss” or “chief”. That one’s easier to picture as a dragon head.

Dragon in Chinese language word #3: 龙卷 Tornado

龙卷

lóng juǎn

tornado

literally: a dragon roll

Literally dragon roll (doesn’t that make you hungry?), 龙卷 is how the Chinese say “Tornado” in their language. 龙卷 also means “Twister”.

No wonder Chinese CCTV called these nine tornados dragons.

Dragon in Mandarin word # 4: Tarragon

龙嵩

lóng sōng

tarragon

literally: dragon + lofty

Even the English name looks like it considered being a dragon, and then gave up halfway, only to come up with tarragon instead.
So way to go, the Chinese language, for being brave enough to include the word dragon in the name for tarragon in Chinese.
Yes, 龙嵩 is how to say tarragon in Chinese. You can also use 龙蒿 lóng hāo. Same dragon, same meaning.

Chinese Dragon word # 5: Lobster

龙虾

lóng xiā

lobster

literally: a dragon shrimp

Ah, the dragons of shrimp. We’re talking about lobsters, of course! Can you picture it? They are much bigger and badder than puny little shrimps!

其实我是龙
Actually, I’m a dragon

So, 龙虾 is how you say lobster in Chinese.

Two other fish and shellfish also have a 龙 in their name.

小龙虾, xiǎo lóng xiā, crayfish
The delicious, soft-water crayfish gets the name: the small dragon shrimp. They’re so yummy we can’t complain.

龙利, lóng lì, sole
Flat like a dragon? Like a dragon took a trip to 2D and became a flatfish.

Dragon word in Chinese # 6: Decrepit, senile

龙钟

lóng zhōng

senile

literally: dragon clock; dragon bell

Okay, this one isn’t so nice, and as fierce dragon lovers and protectors, we protest. But a word’s a word, so 龙钟 is a way to say someone is senile in Chinese.

How did this word come to mean “decrepit, senile”? That’s a question even the Chinese ask themselves.
Perhaps because as we age, we start to resemble a bell with droopy dragon ears that can’t hear much anything? Care to venture a guess? Let us know in the comments.

Dragon word in Mandarin #7: Queue

人龙

rén lóng

a queue of people

literally: a people dragon

When picturing a long line of people, you might think more of a snake in English. But the Chinese are all about dragons, and we love them for that.
So when you want to talk in Chinese about a large group of people waiting in line, say, in front of the post office, you can say 人龙. That literally means people dragon, and when you see the length of some queues, you have no trouble imagining why.
人龙 is a queue of people in Chinese.

Dragon in Chinese word #8: 恐龙 Dinosaur

恐龙

kǒng lóng

dinosaur

literally: fear dragon

Dinosaurs. Huge, powerful, mysterious creatures that roamed the Earth in ancient times called something close to dragons? Mm, that works for me. Fear dragons!

Is it a dragon? A dinosaur? A dragonosaur! — Concept art by Saleh Ahmad

Fun fact: most dinosaur names in Chinese have a dragon in them!

For example:
A velociraptor in Chinese is 伶盗龙, líng dào lóng.

A triceratops in Chinese is 三角龙, sān jiǎo lóng, a 3 horn dragon. Nice!

Bonus: 4 Chinese Loanwords that also have a dragon in them

Borrowed for its beautiful “long” sound, the word Dragon in Chinese is also found in these words imported from other languages:

Dragon loanword #1: Nylon

尼龙

 ní lóng

nylon (loanword)

What do you need to say nylon in Chinese? The Chinese character for a dragon, of course! Nylon in Chinese is 尼龙, ní lóng.

Dragon loanword #2: Salon

沙龙

shā lóng

salon (phonetic loanword)

Similarly, the Chinese conjured up the characters “sand” and “dragon”, for their phonetic pronunciation of the word “salon”.
Salon in Chinese is 沙龙, shā lóng.

Dragon loanword #3: Macaron

马卡龙

mǎ kǎ lóng

macaron (phonetic loanword)

Macarons can either be, depending on your viewpoint, either sweet French delicacies or yummy coconut treats. In either case, they’re sugary bliss. So much so that the Chinese decided you needed:
A horse (马), your card (卡), and a dragon (龙) to get some quickly enough. Just kidding, these characters were all borrowed for their sounds, of course, to form the word “macaron”. 马卡龙, mǎ kǎ lóng, is a macaron in Chinese.

Dragon loanword #4: Upsilon (greek letter Yu)

宇普西龙

yǔ pǔ xī lóng

Upsilon (phonetic loanword)

Lastly, Upsilon, the goatlike greek letter Yu was another excellent candidate for the character 龙. 龙 does indeed sound quite close to “Lon”.
宇普西龙, yǔ pǔ xī lóng is Upsilon in Chinese.

What did you think of these Chinese words? Unexpected to find dragons in them, right? Bet you wouldn’t have guessed all these words had a dragon in them! It shows how important dragons are in Chinese “animal culture”. So much so that they created lots of words with the Chinese character for dragon in them (128 in fact!).

Liked this article? Then you’re going to love this meowsome article on Five Words you didn’t expect to find a Cat in! Yeah, at Ninchanese, we’re all about cats, dragons, and learning Chinese.

The Nincha Team

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About Ninchanese

With Ninchanese‘s effective and personalized learning method, learning Chinese is fun and easy. You’ll stay engaged and motivated to progress until you master Mandarin Chinese.

Quick progress in Chinese at your level

Ninchanese is designed for all levels of Chinese, from beginners to advanced Chinese learners. So, whether you already have a background in Chinese or not, you will enjoy a way of learning Mandarin, both enjoyable and effective.

Ready to learn to speak Chinese? Sign up and try it now FOR FREE!

The post 8 Unexpected Words that Contain a Dragon in Chinese appeared first on Ninchanese.

Maybe you already know how to say Halloween in Chinese, but do you know any other frightful words around Halloween in Chinese? It’s the purfect time to learn some so you can have a complete Halloween spooky kit in Chinese.

Before you turn into an I-scream (get the frightful Halloween joke?), let’s see 15 Halloween in Chinese words!

How to write happy Halloween in Chinese

First things first, let’s see how to say Halloween in Chinese.

万圣节

Wàn shèng jié
Halloween

This is a shorter version of its full name in Chinese:  万圣节前夕 [Wàn shèng jié Qián xī]，which literally means: the eve before All Saint’s Day.

You can also use 鬼节 [guǐjié] to say Halloween in Chinese language. 鬼 [guǐ] is “ghost” in Chinese, and 节 [jié] is “festival”, so describing Halloween as the ghost festival is pretty fitting!

To write Happy Halloween in Chinese characters, you want to add the word 快乐, which means happy.

So to say Happy Halloween in Chinese language, you’ll say:

万圣节快乐!

Wàn shèng jié kuài lè
Happy Halloween

With 鬼节, here’s how to say happy Halloween in Chinese:

鬼节快乐!

guǐ jié kuài lè
Happy Ghost Day (Halloween)!

Speaking of which:

The Nincha Team 祝你万圣节快乐!

The Nincha Team zhù nǐ wànshèngjié kuàilè!
The Nincha Team behind Ninchanese wishes you a Happy Halloween!

With Ninchanese, get a complete method to learn Chinese, which has you speaking, reading, writing, and more in Chinese. And because culture and language go hand in hand, learn about the major Chinese cultural events and festivals on Ninchanese. From traditions to Chinese vocabulary and expressions,  you’ll love discovering all the great festivals China has to offer. Learn also about Western celebrations in Chinese such as Christmas and Thanksgiving, and how to play games in Chinese! Now that’s something to howl about.

Let’s see more Halloween words in Chinese!

Chinese Halloween Vocabulary

南瓜       Nánguā              pumpkin
南瓜灯    Nánguā dēng    Jack-o’-lantern
黑猫        Hēi māo             black cat
蜘蛛        Zhīzhū                spider
巫婆        Wūpó                  witch
扫把        Sàobǎ                 broom
面具        Miànjù                mask
猫头鹰    Māotóuyīng       owl
糖果        Tángguǒ            candies
骨架        Gǔjià                   skeleton
怪物        Guàiwù                monster
鬼            Guǐ                       ghost
鬼屋        Guǐwū                  haunted house
僵尸        Jiāng shī              Chinese vampire / Chinese-style Zombie
捣蛋        Dǎo dàn                to play tricks

Making your own Jack-o’lantern this year? Why not carve a beautiful lucky Nincha on your 南瓜？ Here’s a meowsome guide to do so! 

There are some pretty great Halloween costumes on the list, don’t you think? Nincha’s being a 僵尸 this year! That’s a Chinese-style zombie! What about you?

Bonus: Two Halloween Chinese Expressions

Want more? Here are two thrilling and chilling sentences to use, too to howl on Halloween in Chinese:

不给糖，就捣蛋

Bù gěi táng, jiù dǎodàn
Trick or treat!

噢，你吓了我一跳！

ō，nǐxiàlewǒyītiào ！
Oh, you scared me!

Enjoy this haunted collection of Halloween words in Chinese!

The Nincha Team

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The post Brain candy: 15 Halloween words in Chinese  appeared first on Ninchanese.

Best wishes for the Mid-Autumn Festival

中秋节快乐! 
Zhōng qiū jié kuài lè!
Happy mid-autumn festival!

Why is the festival called the “Mid-autumn” Festival?

First things first. If you break down the Chinese name 中秋节 (Zhōng qiū jié), you get 中[zhōng] (middle) + 秋[qiū] (autumn) + 节[jié] (holiday). Why is that?

To us, the name of this festival, which is “Mid-autumn Festival,” begs the question: Why is this festival called the Mid-Autumn festival held on the first day of Autumn?

This year, the Chinese Mid-Autumn festival happens to fall on September 21st, the beginning of Fall. But that’s not what one should focus on. What’s important to know is that this festival, like all Chinese festivals, follows the lunar calendar. 中秋节 is celebrated each year on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month. Because that’s the day the Autumn harvest ends. Incidentally, 秋  also means “Harvest time.”  The 15th is also the middle of the month, and the 8th lunar month is the middle of autumn. Hence the name, Mid-Autumn.
In our western calendar, its date changes slightly every year and ranges from mid-September to early October.

A magical way to celebrate the full moon

Okay, now that’s out of the way, what is this Chinese festival? What magical mid-autumn festival traditions are there? What do we do during it? This traditional Chinese festival is all about the full moon.

When the moon shines the brightest, Chinese people worldwide celebrate the Mid-Autumn festival.

Mid-autumn Festival Traditions

Gaze at the moon and make wishes

On this day, in China, the moon shines at its brightest. The Chinese believe it’s the purrfect time to send prayers for good luck. In ancient times, they would wish for a great next harvest next year, and now, they wish each other luck in life and business. That’s why the festival is sometimes called the Moon festival. Lanterns are often lit and sent out into the starry sky, carrying with them our wishes.

Join in the fun with mooncakes

What else? Ah yes, you’re going to like this next part. The mooncake festival is all about eating, and everyone should partake in at least one of the delicious Mid-Autumn festival food traditions. Yes, to celebrate the moon, we eat delicious mooncakes filled with all sorts of things. The fillings may be traditional lotus seed paste, egg yolk, red bean paste, or more innovative. That’s why this festival is also sometimes called the Mooncake festival.

The mooncakes are elaborately decorated, with patterns usually depicting the festival’s legends. Mooncakes now range from the traditional kind, rich and dense, with usually a duck egg in the center,

to modern takes on them, with a more delicate flavor and made with rice flour, such as the snowflake skin mooncakes. You’ll even find some iced, filled with ice cream. Luckily for us, stores and pastry shops usually sell mooncakes in small sizes, sometimes even bite-sized, which allows you to sample several.

Kick off October with some quality family time

The full moon also represents a family reunion. Due to that, the festival is also a big family moment, and getting together is a crucial Mid-Autumn festival tradition. Everyone gets three days off for it! If you’re in China or with a Chinese family, you’ll typically have a big celebratory meal with your family. You’ll eat, talk and sit together and enjoy the glorious moon. You can also have this experience with your Nincha family on the Ninchanese app in a special Mid-Autumn-themed world! In the Dialogue, you’ll be learning with Yocha a quote from a famous Mid-Autumn poem and will chat about the Mid-Autumn Festival.

When did the Mid-Autumn festival really begin?

No one knows for sure, but we do know this festival is thousands of years old!

Over 2000 years ago

The earliest records of the Mid-Autumn festival found are over 2000 years old, during the Han Dynasty.

In the 10th century AD, the festival date became fixed.

From there, the celebration steadily grew in popularity. As early as the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), the festival began being celebrated all over China, with much of the Mid-Autumn festival traditions appearing then. At the time, the date for the Mid-Autumn festival still varied. In the Song dynasty (960 – 1279 AD),  the festival’s date became officially fixed. It has become a yearly custom every since and is still a festival that means a lot to Chinese people worldwide. Did you know, however, that this festival only became a public holiday in 2008?

The Legends of the Autumn Full Moon Festival

Many have written poems and stories about the moon festival, and there are many legends around the Mid-Autumn festival. Among those, Chang’e Flying to the Moon is the most widely known.

Chang’e, Goddess of Heaven

It goes like this:
Once upon a time, Chang’e was married to Hou Yi, a real hotshot at the time (what?! he literally was! He was a heroic archer who shot down nine of the ten suns believed to have existed in ancient times).

Chang’e bringing mooncakes on a platter for the Chinese Mid-Autumn festival

Tasked with protecting an elixir that would allow Houyi to ascend directly to Heaven, Chang’e found herself forced to drink it. Then, desperate to stay close to her love, she managed to fly to the moon, the nearest place to Earth in heaven. There, she eventually adopted an immortal pet rabbit (that’s a different story), and that’s why ever since she’s been represented this way.

Chang’e and her rabbit

It is believed that Hou Yi, who sorely missed Chang’e, would serve the food she liked best when the full moon shone the brightest. Awwww. And that’s how, according to the legend, the Mid-Autumn festival began.

Mooncakes to fight the Mongols

There is another Mid-Autumn folktale so meowsome it sounds like a legend, except it actually happened.
In the late Yuan Dynasty (1271 to 1368 AD), people were unhappy with their rulers, the Mongols, and so, the resistance wanted to plot an uprising. To keep their messages hidden, a counselor had the brilliant idea of hiding notes inside the mooncakes, indicating when the uprising should occur. The revolt was very successful, and so, from then on, each year, the new ruler rewarded his subjects with mooncakes to commemorate that fateful day.

Since then, eating mooncakes took on a different meaning and has become even more of a tradition.

Talk about the Mid-Autumn festival in Chinese

Want to discover more about this festival? Then the new content on Ninchanese is precisely what you need. So check it out now; it’s available for free, this week only!

Three Special Event Stages for you on Ninchanese

A unique themed world to celebrate the Mid-Autumn festival, this week only!

There’s a new pop-up advanced world for you to discover for the occasion! Join in the Mid-Autumn festival celebrations with this themed exclusive world. In it, you can:

• Learn vocabulary to understand and discuss the Mid-Autumn festival
• Build sentences to talk and wish someone a happy Mid-Autumn festival in Mandarin
• Express yourself in Chinese: Learn to speak about the Mid-Autumn festival in the new dialogue
• Train your ear: Listening practice to be ready to talk about the festival in Chinese

The best part? It’s free all this week! So hurry! It’ll soon be gone.

Best paired with a yummy mooncake to keep your brain juices flowing. Enjoy and happy Chinese learning!

The Nincha Team

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The post Marvelous Mid-Autumn Festival Traditions and Stories appeared first on Ninchanese.

Photo by Natalie Ng

Ready to learn how to say different cuts of meat in Chinese? So you can easily order yummy slices of meat for your next 火锅 huǒ guō hot pot? Or finally, know what kind of meat is in Chinese dumplings? Then Chinese Meat recipes will hold no secret for you!

First, let’s see how to say meat in Chinese as well as Chicken, Turkey, Pork, Lamb, Duck, Veal, and Beef in Chinese.

And no, don’t even ask, we won’t be talking about cat meat in Chinese or any other kind of strange meat (it seems like people look up rat meat in Chinese? The horror). Dog Meat is sometimes eaten in winter because it’s super caloric meat to eat, but we’ve never come across any other type, so enough with the rumors! Alright? Here we go.

Types of Meat in Chinese

Photo by Usman Yousaf

Good to know: In China, you’ll often come across dish names that simply say 肉 ròu Meat. In most restaurants (the obvious exception being Halal Uyghur restaurants ), 肉 will by default be pork. That’s because, traditionally, pork is the most consumed meat (or at least was in the past).
If you’re not sure whether it’s going to be pork or not or are trying to avoid eating pork, better check with your waiter/waitress first!

You’ll also often just see 鸡 jī chicken, 鸭 yā duck, 羊 yáng lamb, mutton, 牛 niú Beef on their own, without the 肉 thrown in, on a menu. So you might not see duck meat in Chinese, but you’ll definitely see 鸭 and a favorite, 烤鸭 yā Roast Duck!

Cuts of Meat in Chinese

Chinese Meat Skewers Photo by Chuan

Love meat skewers? You’re going to love these other street food dishes, then, we bet!

Chicken wings in Chinese and more chicken parts

Chicken Wings are a very loved Chinese food – Photo by George Zheng.

Curious to know how to say scallion in Chinese or cilantro? Check out these Chinese food lists then!
More of a hands-on learner? Then learn directly how to say meat, scallion, and more in Chinese: the Chinese Food World on Ninchanese will teach you and much more!

Just a few of the many things you can learn in the Chinese food course on Ninchanese

Now, let’s get back to our Chinese words for meats.

Parts of Pork in Chinese and Pig Meat-based Products

Pork Meat is often used in Chinese Dumplings – Photo by Alex Hu

Want to learn how to read and say all these meats in Simplified and Traditional Chinese? The Chinese Meats Vocabulary Stage in the Chinese Food World is waiting for you!

The Chinese Cooking World is made for foodies learning Chinese!

Want also to know how to order these meats and other dishes from a restaurant? The Chinese Food World is what you need. Check it out here! 

The Nincha Team

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The post Chinese vocabulary for meat: All you need to know for Beef, Chicken, Pork and more! appeared first on Ninchanese.

• Do I need to learn to write Chinese characters?
• When is the best time to begin with them?
• Where do you start?
• How do you write Chinese characters? Are there any rules?

With this article, I want to share a bit of my experience in writing characters and maybe a helpful additional way of learning Chinese. To be clear, I’m not talking about the art of Chinese Calligraphy but just casual hand-writing. Handwritten Chinese with a pen a piece of paper.

Do I need to learn to write Chinese characters?

Learning a language, in general, is split into 4 parts. Each with different importance:  Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing. I think everyone would agree that Listening and Speaking are the most important. After that comes reading, and at the end is writing as the least important part. Also, if the language is similar to your mother-tongue, then writing and reading becomes just a byproduct, because you already can read and write the words, even if you don’t know the meaning.  

The question if you need to learn to write Chinese characters is the most common one, and honestly, it’s not necessary to learn handwritten Chinese. But learning how to write Chinese characters can help and provide another supporting method to learn them if you are into writing. 

Before jumping into the subject, let’s take a look at the reasons why you may not need to learn to write Chinese characters. 

 When is the best time to start learning to write Chinese characters? 

Since I started learning Chinese, I also started writing Chinese characters every day as an additional way to learn words, after the switch from pinyin only to Chinese characters. For me, all of the above points go very well together. Learning to write Chinese character reinforce my understanding of characters.

So, I would say this is also the best time to start writing Chinese characters: right from the beginning. Everyone has to go through the elementary pronunciation- and pinyin-only classes before entering the tough world of Chinese characters, so the best way is when everything goes hand-in-hand. But it’s also not too late to start with it if you are already on a higher level. You just need some patience, persistence, and a good learning strategy. 

But since everyone learns differently, has their methods and is not necessarily that interested in the world of Chinese characters, this totally depends on your preferences.

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

How do I start learning writing Chinese characters?

The material

When I started with hand-writing Chinese, I tried different methods to find what worked best for me.  

So, first things first: Basically, what you need is just a pen, something to write on, some words you want to practice and a dictionary/app which can show you the stroke-orders and directions. 

The plan

Sounds simple and easy but there are some factors you have to ask yourself: 

• How often do you want to practice (daily, every 2 days, weekly, bi-weekly?) 
• When you practice, how much time do you want to spend? 
• How many characters do you want to write, and how to choose what to write? 
• Why do you want to practice these characters? 
• When do you know that you practiced enough and need to drill new characters? 

And as mentioned above, it’s not about Calligraphy, but casual handwriting. So, don’t spend too much time and money in searching for the best pen and paper. In my opinion, that doesn’t matter that much; you just need to feel comfortable when writing. The only thing which has at least a small impact is the paper.  

My own routine

For me, the paper affects a lot of those questions above. You’ll get that later, first I’ll show you my personal answers on the questions:  

• I want to write characters daily as part of my learning-routine (this needs persistence), but I also don’t want to spend too much time (<20 min daily).   
• I’m learning with different materials: Chinese classes, books, Apps (mostly Ninchanese), etc. I usually pick the words I write from those materials. E.g., I’m learning a new unit in a book or started to learn some new words on Ninchanese; then, I’ll also use these words to practice writing Chinese characters. This way, everything is learned together and can be connected.  

The role of the paper 

To answer the other questions, at this point, the paper comes in:   

I’m using those small vocabulary-notebooks, which are exactly what I need: 

Both of them are pretty much the same. It’s just different manufacturers, and the 田格本 had one row less than the 田字簿。 

So, based on these notebooks, I decided to write one page every day, which answers the questions of how much time to spent and how many characters to write:

• One page is one day 
• One line is one word (can be 1 to 4 characters), which currently is 12 words/phrases 
• On the left side, I write the pinyin, so I know what to write. To keep track of how long I have to practice a word until I know it, I write a point on the right side, and if I had this word right for at least 3 days, I’ll exchange it with a new character. 

Does stroke order matter in chinese? The list of Strokenames of Chinese character

All types of strokes have names by themselves, but you don’t have to remember all of those. Even in casual Chinese language, these are rarely known. There are some which are also very rarely used, only in a few characters.

I picked this sheet up in the past for a class once and translated the names, so you can imagine where their names come from: 

Writing Right-/Lefthanded: 

You may have heard that the majority of Chinese people are right-handed. It’s a tradition to train left-handed people to use their right hand. So, why do I mention it? I am lefthanded, which leads to a minor problem when writing these characters.  

When you look at the stroke orders and directions, these are defined rules and these essential when you write with an ink-pen or brush, because you have to press down and lift the pen at the end, so it leaves a specific line-thickness at the end or beginning.   

When casually writing Chinese characters, a right-handed person would drag the pen in the direction he writes and leaves the words, but a left-handed person has to push the pen and would always smear his left-hand over the just written words. So, using a lot of ink will always result in a big mess, but it also feels very uncomfortable when you have to push a pen to create horizontal strokes (try to push a pen over paper, you’ll see). And here again, I have to mention it’s just about casual handwriting, so to feel comfortable writing Chinese characters, I write horizontal lines from right to left instead of the other direction.  

A short personal story about that: One time in school, I had to write characters on the whiteboard in front of the teacher, and it was the first time I had to do that. So, I just wrote like I was comfortable with dragging horizontal lines from right to left. In the end, my teacher smiled and said that the written characters are 100% correct, but the way I wrote was not that accurate, and I explained that I knew but did so because I use my left hand, and it feels more comfortable that way. This was hard to understand for him, and it still is for a lot of (righthanded) people when I explain it. 

Final words 

Since that episode with the teacher, I’m still doing my writing-practice how I feel comfortable, but I also know the proper way, and whenever I have to write in front of a teacher, I’ll write how it is intended, even if it’s not comfortable for me. 

So, saying that, I hope this article provides some useful tips and answers to some questions which prevented you from writing Chinese characters. It doesn’t take much, so why not just give it a try? Who knows, you may get the hang of it and it becomes a routine in your daily life.

 Stefan and 

The Nincha Team

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The post Writing Chinese characters: The purpose appeared first on Ninchanese.

World 5 (HSK 5) – Part 2 is out of Beta!

Join Lupishu and Nincha through +100 new stages of advanced academic content to learn Chinese! You’ll be delighted to learn Chinese with these new stages full of HSK 5 vocabulary, upper intermediate to advanced Chinese grammar, and dialogues. It’s time to depart from the eternal intermediate level and move to a fluent Chinese speaker level!

Explore this new island of learning on Ninchanese here.

Why most Chinese learners stay at intermediate levels

It’s not their fault. It’s hard to find a teacher that has the experience to drive them well in their learning at this point. There’s also not much interesting content available for Chinese learners once they are at an upper intermediate level and want to brush past it. And, to give a final blow: the books weigh a ton and look impossible to go through.

They could use something to guide them further in their learning and help them take the next step. They’re ready for it.

A new world 5 to help you cross the bridge to HSK 5 advanced Chinese

At Ninchanese, we bite-sized all HSK 5 needs into small, efficient, and well-thought-out stages. You now have access to a complete world that will effectively help you improve each part of the Chinese language you need to be at ease in. That’s reading, writing, listening, and speaking.

This new advanced HSK 5 Chinese world offers structured learning perfect to support all the learning you’ve been doing up to now and all the freeform learning you’ve done in context.  The best part? Learn however you like, do a session of 5 minutes a day or however much more you want, and feel a recurring sense of achievement and progress.

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

What does it mean to have an “advanced level of Chinese”?

Wondering if this new advanced level of Chinese is for you? If you’re ready? We bet you are. If you see yourself in this, you sure are:

You have made great strides in their Chinese learning up to now. You are good at talking about common topics and are learning a lot on your own, by interacting with a Chinese environment. This has helped you realize there’s still a lot you want to learn.

Does it mean you’re looking for a lot of interesting and authentic content to learn?

That’s a good thing, because the new World 5 in Ninchanese is huge and full of cool content.

To give you an idea: Now that it’s complete, the HSK5 world is as BIG as world 1 to 4 reunited! That’s a good chunk of content to work on!

HSK 5 World 5: Advanced content on two islands

The complete World 5 is so big it had to be split into two islands. Once you’ve done both, you’ll have learned 1 300 Chinese words and over 60 of the more difficult and advanced grammar structures. And that’s not it! You’ll also learn by speaking and writing over 70 new dialogues and 1523 new sentences to be able to speak about advanced ideas.

You’ll be able to read newspapers and magazines, enjoy Chinese films and plays and give a full-length speech in Chinese. Discover the curriculum of the HSK world 5 here.

Vocabulary

The amount of HSK 5 vocabulary to learn and familiarize yourself with is much larger than in the previous worlds. Organized by theme, this vocab will give the keys to understand much of any given situation. You’ll be able to understand the words used in any TV show or newspapers for example.

Grammar

The HSK 5 grammar you’ll study in this world goes in depth. All lessons are still simply explained but you’ll be handling more complex structures here. Not to worry, you’ll have plenty of example sentences to rely on. They are relevant, all full of sense. Learn to use the grammar points and example sentences in the grammar stages, and you’ll be able to use very useful ways to express your thoughts in Chinese.

Dialogues

As always, the HSK 5 dialogues all have a very practical focus and day to day related events. The conversations are also much longer than in the previous worlds. You’ll get a sense of immersion through the interactive way of speaking.

Authentic Chinese material that stays interesting

Too often, content at an advanced Chinese level goes abstract and borderline stuffy, when there are loads of interesting topics to talk and learn about! Modern, day-to-day content, to talk about technology, the news, economics, your favorite artist, to debate and share your opinion, to understand the culture and social etiquette, and a lot more. One area this world particularly focuses on is working in a Chinese environment and doing International business. Those are key things to know to pass the HSK 5.

Learn to work in a Chinese environment: a highlight on one key topic in World 5

As you go through the thousands of dialogues in the app, you’ll see Lupishu evolve and learning working skills. Lupishu is going through every stage of the work market and so will you alongside him. From making a Chinese resume, explaining skills in an interview, starting with an internship at a coffee shop at the airport, to become a salesman for a big company,… Yes, our Lupishu has well grown. We are very proud of Lupishu. And of you, now already, and even more so when you’ll reach his level and you’ll be able to work in a Chinese environment at ease!

What’s else is in store for this new HSK 5 world?

What about the pearl?

The story, of course! Lupishu is still doing his best to recover the pearl from the Emperor! IceAly, one of our early users, loves Ninchanese tremendously and asked to help write the story. IceAly is very creative, lives in China and use daily Ninchanese. We gladly accepted her help to write the story. We are impatient to share this new cat-story full of epic Chinese adventures with you!

Final words

Creating this new world based on the Ninchanese method has been a tremendous and fulfilling amount of work. We greatly thank all the Chinese teachers that poured their hearts into it, and the many little Nincha dragons that beta-tested it and sent their corrections (Noornalini, a special mention to you). Thanks also to all the Nincha team for their excellent work. We hope you’ll love it.

True, we are cute, true we are fun, true we have cats. But very true, that you have access to great educational content is our top priority.

We want to thank all that have helped to make Ninchanese so meowsome.

The Nincha Team

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

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Can you believe it’s already time for summer? How time flies! You’ll be soon on your long awaited holiday and doing all sorts of summer fun activities! Will you keep learning Chinese? Naw, no time for that, you think. Here’s a thought: what’s worse than having spent time learning so many Chinese characters to then forget them in less than 2 months? Nothing, right? You may be dreaming of sunshine, and being outside, rather than on your computer, using Ninchanese, but worry not! Ninchanese works great on your mobile devices. Summer is full of opportunities to speak and practice your Chinese, especially with this list of 10 fun things you can do right away to improve your Mandarin! So read on, and get ready to have lots of fun leveling up your Chinese this summer!

The first tip needs sand to be done! Let’s go to the beach, then! Well, only mentally for now…

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Write Chinese characters on the beach

You’ll probably spend your holidays on the beach. What are your plans? Swimming, tanning, building sand castles? No, forget sand castles, they are so overrated. Instead, how about drawing the Chinese characters you know in the sand? Take a picture of your beautiful creations and go Instagram them with the hashtag #myninchanesesummer! We’ll pick the best pictures of characters, and you’ll get a surprise!
The beach is the perfect place to practice your Chinese writing, now you know that. It can also be a very useful place to make new friends. Come on, have you ever played beach volley?

Make Chinese-speaking friends

Chinese learning requires practicing and daring to speak Mandarin from the beginning is a great way to set your Chinese pronunciation skills on the right track. Your holiday destination a perfect occasion to do so. Depending on where you’re going, odds are there’ll be Chinese tourists there too. Don’t miss your chance! This is a perfect time to meet new people and make Chinese-speaking friends! All you have to do is go and talk to them! I know it can be scary at first, but to practice and improve your Chinese, you need to leave your comfort zone.

The first time I went to China, I was alone and felt very nervous on the plane. Traveling alone is not an easy thing to do, especially when you’re young. It’s very scary. I knew, then, I had to make friends so they could comfort me. In the plane, my neighbors were an old Chinese couple. They looked very nice. They were the perfect target! I needed to talk to them! It all started with a 你好 and then she asked me questions in Chinese about my travel. It made me feel better. I was also very happy she could understand me. I really improved both my understanding and listening skills.

So don’t be shy, and make your holiday mission to connect with Chinese people. At least, dare to say “你好”! You’ll see they’ll be glad to hear someone speaking their mother tongue and most likely open to chatting with you. Plus, your family and friends will be very impressed to see you speaking Chinese with natives.

Another tip that will impress your friends for sure and prevent you from forgetting your Chinese over the summer, playing the DJ.

Create a Chinese playlist

Be a trendsetter, play the hottest 2016 Chinese pop songs on the beach! All your friends will be impressed by your DJ skills. Playing music in Chinese will also help you improve your listening skills. I just have the best 2016 Chinese playlist you need, that should help you.
Summer holidays are also the equivalent of Chinese learning loss, therefore, listening to someone speaking Mandarin will help you not become a total stranger towards Chinese.

If you want to stay discreet on the beach and keep your hottest songs for yourself, that’s totally fair. Listening to your fave Chinese songs on repeat is great to tune your ears to sounds in Chinese. At first, the lyrics might seem incomprehensible, but you’ll be happy to see after a few listens that you now understand each lyric a lot better! Read the lyrics to the songs online and look up all the words you don’t know in our Chinese dictionary. It’ll be a fun exploration!

Summer is the perfect occasion for outdoor activities during sunny days. But, the weather can surprise us, so here’s a list of indoor activities to keep you having fun practicing your Chinese on summer rainy days.

Sing in the rain!

OK, don’t sing literally in the rain, you might get sick from that. Sing in your shower. Come on, everyone does it. Learn to sing one of those Chinese songs you’ve listened to so much outside each day and perform while showering. This is your moment, so enjoy it! Learning Chinese can be fun and done everywhere, even in your bathroom! That way, you get a perfect combo of both having trained your listening skills with Chinese songs, and having o practiced your speaking skills! Tons of songs will use the vocabulary learned on Ninchanese, it’s a good way to review these words.

If you’d rather be entertained that entertain your neighbors with your amazing voice (I’m sure it is), here’s a great way to practice Chinese while playing!

The secret tip for gamers!

Not everyone has planned to go on vacation. Or maybe you’d like to stay home having fun and resting today. Be delighted dear gamers, I’ve got the perfect tip for you to keep practicing and learning Chinese without even knowing it –well kind of. Put your video games in Chinese! You can also play online with Chinese speakers, and use the chats to practice with them. We hear it’s particularly effective to learn swear words. to practice! Isn’t it amazing? In Ninchanese, we know that a fun learning is more efficient!

If you’re not a big fan of videos games, don’t worry, I have some other amazing tips for you! There are plenty of other fun activities you can do indoors to practice your Chinese this summer, like using your TV for example!

Watch movies. But in Chinese, please!

If you love watching movies, you’ve come to the right place. But this time, for a pleasant change, watch them in Chinese! Watching movies and shows in Chinese will help you improve your listening and comprehension skills! Here are the 10 best Chinese TV shows to watch. So, what do you say? Ready for a binge-watching kind of holiday?

Or maybe you don’t want to spend all your holidays in the dark, watching TV. If you want to be more active, here’s the solution: cook!

Cook Chinese dishes!

Channel your inner chef, and pick recipes that are in Chinese, or maybe in both Chinese and English. Challenge yourself, and cook awesome dishes to surprise your friends and family! There are so many easy recipes you can do. Plus, you’ll learn so many new words about food and cooking in Chinese along the way. Here’s a recipe to a cool and easy to make Chinese delicacy, that I like to cook myself, to get you started: the super-tasty 糯米糍 nuòmǐ cí (Sticky rice balls). You can also find cooking videos in Chinese on youtube that can help you to improve both your listening and cooking skills.

Just started The Best Chinese Food Board on @pinterest! Suggestions of good Chinese recipes? https://t.co/u7VHJHaI5W pic.twitter.com/IXEhtILzVn

— Ninchanese (@Ninchanese) 16 June 2016

Cooking in Mandarin is very useful for learning Chinese, you’ll see! And when you’re going to buy the ingredients, don’t forget to say “你好” to the sellers of the shop! Seize all the opportunities to speak Chinese with natives!

The next tip on your list is also one you can share with your family.

Teach Chinese to your family

If you’re lucky enough to have siblings that are willing to learn some Chinese, then go for it! Try teaching your family a few words and sharing with them your adventures learning Chinese. If someone else in your family is also learning Chinese, you can also play games in Chinese on the way to your holiday destination. You can play Chinese learning games about guessing characters or their meanings, or challenge them to a Ninchallenge, a duel over your knowledge of learning Chinese. You’ll have arrived before you know it!

This tip is also a good way to spend some family time bonding with your parents and siblings. You’ll remember these summer holidays forever, and your Chinese will be so much improved. Your friends can also be a good help when learning Chinese , especially on social networks when they notify you. Learn how to turn those pesky notifications into sneak Chinese learning sessions in our next tip. in the following method.

Learning Chinese with Facebook

Change the language input of your Facebook account and set it in Chinese is a great way to practice using a site completely in Chinese and learning the web and computer terms in Chinese. You’ll learn new words regarding social networks, but you’ll also review ones you’ve learned with Nincha. You’ll see, it’s an interesting experience turning a tool you’re so familiar with into something a little more challenging.
And whenever you post something on Facebook, like a picture of you during the holidays, you’ll be notified in Chinese of the likes, reactions and comments! Isn’t that super cool and super sneaky?

Whether it’s on the beach, in the countryside, in another country or at home, most of us will be spending our holidays with family and friends this summer. Don’t forget to give yourself some me-time too, it’s also a good way to enjoy holidays and rest before going back to work. So, how can you prevent summer Chinese learning loss if it’s just you and your cat?

Ninchanese your cat!

Talk to your cat in Chinese, it won’t judge you, I swear! Try to teach it a few words. For instance, order your cat to bring you a coffee but in Chinese! See? There are so many things you can do with it! Practice with your cat as if you were practicing with Nincha, except your cat won’t answer you, well, I guess so…
If your cat would rather hunt than listen to you speak, you can also try speaking to yourself or speaking in front of a mirror. If you do, watch your face, your match and your body language as you speak, and try to talk for 2, 3 minutes, just like you’d be talking to a friend. Or to your cat. If you don’t know how to say something, don’t stop to look it up. Just keep going, find a different way to express yourself or change your sentence. It’s great to see what areas in speaking you’re having trouble with and need to be worked on, and to identify words you don’t know but would like to look up.

And if you want to know if your Chinese pronunciation is good, use our voice-recognition feature to get instant feedback on your speaking skills.

Final words:

From outdoor to indoors, we hope this list of summer activities will keep your holiday fun-filled and full of Chinese! You may have noticed that all these activities have one thing in common: to have you practicing and learning Chinese as much as you can this summer. Take every opportunity to do a little Chinese, whether it’s on the beach with Chinese tourists, by drawing characters in the sand or at home by listening Chinese songs and reviewing word. And remember the key to making Chinese learning enjoyable is to find a fun way to do it! You also know you’ll have Ninchanese with you, on your mobile devices, so whenever you have a few minutes, keep improving your Chinese learning online with Ninchanese. We’ll be here all summer to guide you and take care of your Chinese language learning. You can also check Ninchanese secret tips to fully enjoy the platform!

Do you have any secret tips to keep learning Chinese during summer? Share them with us in the comments!

Pauline and

The Nincha Team

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The post Top 10 Fun Activities to Keep Learning Chinese This Summer appeared first on Ninchanese.