Chinese word

普通话

Pronunciation

Pinyinpǔ tōng huà

Meaning

  • nounMandarin

Example

我们都用普通话交流。wǒ men dōu yòng pǔ tōng huà jiāo liú

We all communicate in Mandarin.

Illustration for 普通话 (Mandarin)

More examples

老师要求我们在课堂上都说普通话。lǎo shī yāo qiú wǒ men zài kè táng shàng dōu shuō pǔ tōng huà

The teacher requires us all to speak Mandarin in class.

Core concept

A shared spoken form that lets people from different regions understand one another.

Common phrases

  • 说普通话shuō pǔ tōng huà

    speak Mandarin

  • 会普通话huì pǔ tōng huà

    be able to speak Mandarin

  • 学普通话xué pǔ tōng huà

    learn Mandarin

Similar words

汉语hàn yǔ: The full Chinese language, covering speech and writing.
中文zhōng wén: Chinese used to refer to written language, texts, or the language itself.
方言fāng yán: The everyday spoken language particular to people in a certain region.
口语kóu yǔ: Language used in ordinary spoken conversation.

Definition in Chinese

在教育、广播和官方场合中采用的现代汉语口语标准，目的是使不同地区的人能互相理解。zài jiào yù guǎng bō hé guān fāng chǎng hé zhōng cǎi yòng de xiàn dài hàn yǔ kóu yǔ biāo zhǔn mù dì shì shǐ bù tóng dì qū de rén néng hù xiāng lí jiě

Word origin

普通话 (pǔtōnghuà, "Mandarin") is formed from 普 (pǔ, "ordinary") + 通 (tōng, "common") + 话 (huà, "speech"), so its name points to commonly shared speech.

Usage tips

  • Chinese speakers may use local speech with family or neighbors but switch to this shared form in classrooms, broadcasts, and conversations with people from other regions.

Opposites

Related words

  • 普通话水平pǔ tōng huà shuǐ píngMandarin proficiencynoun
  • 普通话考试pǔ tōng huà kǎo shìMandarin examnoun

Word lists with this word