Essential Mandarin Words: Comprehensive Learning Guide

Embarking on the journey to learn Mandarin can be both exciting and challenging. To help you get started, here is a comprehensive guide with essential words and phrases across various categories that will form the foundation of your Mandarin vocabulary.

Basic Greetings

Hello

Mandarin: Nǐ hǎo (你好)

How are you?

Mandarin: Nǐ hǎo ma? (你好吗？)

Thank you

Mandarin: Xièxiè (谢谢)

Goodbye

Mandarin: Zàijiàn (再见)

Please

Mandarin: Qǐng (请)

Yes

Mandarin: Shì (是)

No

Mandarin: Bù (不)

Colors

Red

Mandarin: Hóng (红)

Blue

Mandarin: Lán (蓝)

Green

Mandarin: Lǜ (绿)

Yellow

Mandarin: Huáng (黄)

Black

Mandarin: Hēi (黑)

White

Mandarin: Bái (白)

Numbers

One

Mandarin: Yī (一)

Two

Mandarin: Èr (二)

Three

Mandarin: Sān (三)

Four

Mandarin: Sì (四)

Five

Mandarin: Wǔ (五)

Six

Mandarin: Liù (六)

Seven

Mandarin: Qī (七)

Eight

Mandarin: Bā (八)

Nine

Mandarin: Jiǔ (九)

Ten

Mandarin: Shí (十)

Days of the Week

Monday

Mandarin: Xīngqī yī (星期一)

Tuesday

Mandarin: Xīngqī èr (星期二)

Wednesday

Mandarin: Xīngqī sān (星期三)

Thursday

Mandarin: Xīngqī sì (星期四)

Friday

Mandarin: Xīngqī wǔ (星期五)

Saturday

Mandarin: Xīngqī liù (星期六)

Sunday

Mandarin: Xīngqī tiān (星期天)

Common Phrases

What is your name?

Mandarin: Nǐ jiào shénme míngzì? (你叫什么名字？)

My name is…

Mandarin: Wǒ jiào… (我叫…)

Where is the bathroom?

Mandarin: Xǐshǒujiān zài nǎlǐ? (洗手间在哪里？)

How much does this cost?

Mandarin: Zhège duōshǎo qián? (这个多少钱？)

I don’t understand

Mandarin: Wǒ bù míngbái (我不明白)

Can you help me?

Mandarin: Nǐ néng bāng wǒ ma? (你能帮我吗？)

Start Learning Today

These basic words and phrases are just the beginning of your Mandarin learning journey. To further enhance your language skills, consider using language learning apps like Glosa. They offer interactive exercises, progress tracking, and personalized learning paths to make your study sessions effective and enjoyable.

Ready to dive deeper into Mandarin? Download the Glosa app and start speaking Mandarin with confidence today!

For more tips and resources on learning Mandarin, visit our blog.

Looking to advance your Mandarin skills? Check out our Intermediate Mandarin Guide for more vocabulary, phrases, and tips to take your learning to the next level.

Happy Learning!