Chinese word

汉语

Pronunciation

Pinyinhàn yǔ

Meaning

  • nounChinese

Example

我在学汉语。wǒ zài xué hàn yǔ

I am learning Chinese.

Illustration for 汉语 (Chinese)

More examples

你会说汉语吗？nǐ huì shuō hàn yǔ ma

Can you speak Chinese?

Core concept

A shared language system that carries Han speech and writing across generations.

Common phrases

  • 学汉语xué hàn yǔ

    learn Chinese

  • 说汉语shuō hàn yǔ

    speak Chinese

Similar words

中文zhōng wén: Chinese viewed as the language of written texts and teaching materials.
普通话pǔ tōng huà: China's standard spoken language, with pronunciation based on Beijing speech.
汉字hàn zì: Written symbols that represent the Chinese language.

Definition in Chinese

指汉民族使用的语言，包括口语和书面语，是汉族的语言体系，用来交流、记录和传承文化。zhǐ hàn mín zú shǐ yòng de yǔ yán bāo kuò kóu yǔ hé shū miàn yǔ shì hàn zú de yǔ yán tǐ xì yòng lái jiāo liú jì lù hé chuán chéng wén huà

Word origin

汉 (hàn, "Han") + 语 (yǔ, "language") names the language associated with the Han people.

Usage tips

  • In classroom sentences, verbs meaning learn and speak often take 汉语 (hànyǔ, "Chinese language") as their object, linking the word to studying and speaking.

Related words

  • 汉语课hàn yǔ kèChinese classnoun
  • 汉语老师hàn yǔ lǎo shīChinese teachernoun

Word lists with this word