Chinese in Different Languages
Discover 'Chinese' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'Chinese' holds immense significance, connecting us to a rich cultural heritage with over 5,000 years of history. As the language of the most populous country in the world, it is spoken by more than a billion people, making it an essential part of global communication.
Chinese is not just a language; it is a window into a unique way of thinking and understanding the world. Its writing system, one of the oldest in the world, is logographic, meaning each character represents a word or a meaningful part of a word. This is quite different from alphabetic languages like English or Spanish, where letters represent sounds.
Given the cultural importance and global reach of Chinese, knowing its translation in different languages can be fascinating and useful. For instance, in Spanish, 'Chinese' is 'chino'; in French, it is 'chinois'; in German, it is 'chinesisch'; and in Japanese, it is 'chūgoku-go'.
Discover more translations of 'Chinese' and deepen your appreciation for this remarkable language and the civilization it represents.
Chinese
Chinese in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | chinees | ||
| In Afrikaans, "Chinees" can also refer to someone who is secretive or mysterious. | |||
| Amharic | ቻይንኛ | ||
| ቻይንኛ can also mean "porcelain" in Amharic. | |||
| Hausa | sinanci | ||
| In Hausa, "Sinanci" is a term used for "Chinese" and can also refer to a type of local cloth decorated with Chinese-style patterns. | |||
| Igbo | chinese nke | ||
| The Igbo word "Chinese nke" can also refer to someone who is crafty or cunning. | |||
| Malagasy | sinoa | ||
| The term "Sinoa" likely originates from "Tsin", the Hokkien pronunciation of the character "清" (Qīng), the name of the last imperial dynasty of China. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | chitchaina | ||
| Chitchaina can also mean "Chinese language" or "Chinese culture." | |||
| Shona | chichinese | ||
| The word "ChiChinese" in Shona also means "a person from China". | |||
| Somali | shiineys | ||
| The word 'Shiineys' in Somali can also be used to refer to people from the Far East, such as Japanese or Koreans. | |||
| Sesotho | sechaena | ||
| Sesotho word 'Sechaena' also means 'the people of China' or 'the people from the Far East.' | |||
| Swahili | kichina | ||
| The word 'Kichina' in Swahili comes from the Arabic word 'Sin' ('China') or the Persian word 'Chini' ('China') which originally referred to the Qin dynasty and is unrelated to the Swahili word 'ki-jina' ('name'). | |||
| Xhosa | isitshayina | ||
| In Xhosa, "IsiTshayina" also refers to a type of fabric with a particular texture. | |||
| Yoruba | ara ṣaina | ||
| "Ara Ṣaina" in Yoruba, meaning "Chinese," may also refer to "the Chinese language" or "a person from China." | |||
| Zulu | isishayina | ||
| IsiShayina is also used to refer to all things foreign, or even strange or mysterious. | |||
| Bambara | sinuwaw ka | ||
| Ewe | chinatɔwo ƒe chinatɔwo | ||
| Kinyarwanda | igishinwa | ||
| Lingala | ba chinois | ||
| Luganda | abachina | ||
| Sepedi | setšhaena | ||
| Twi (Akan) | chinafo | ||
Chinese in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | صينى | ||
| The word "صينى" can also mean "made in China" or "Chinese-style" in Arabic | |||
| Hebrew | סִינִית | ||
| סִינִית (sinít) is also used in Hebrew to describe the color "turquoise" or "aqua." | |||
| Pashto | چینایی | ||
| The word "چینایی" in Pashto also refers to the porcelain or fine pottery originating from China. | |||
| Arabic | صينى | ||
| The word "صينى" can also mean "made in China" or "Chinese-style" in Arabic | |||
Chinese in Western European Languages
| Albanian | kineze | ||
| The word "Kineze" in Albanian also refers to "Japanese" and "Vietnamese", all of which have roots in China. | |||
| Basque | txinatarra | ||
| The word "Txinatarra" also means "strange" or "foreign" in Basque, highlighting the concept of "otherness" associated with its Chinese origin. | |||
| Catalan | xinès | ||
| In Catalan, "Xinès" also refers to a type of Chinese cabbage. | |||
| Croatian | kineski | ||
| The adjective "kineski" also means "garish" or "showy" in Croatian. | |||
| Danish | kinesisk | ||
| "Kinesisk" comes from the Greek word "Kina" which in turn comes from the Old Persian word "China" which means "the land of the Qin dynasty." | |||
| Dutch | chinese | ||
| In Dutch, the word "Chinese" can also refer to the Chinese language or to people from China. | |||
| English | chinese | ||
| "Chinese" can refer to the Sinitic branch of languages, the Chinese writing system, as well as a number of other cultures and civilizations. | |||
| French | chinois | ||
| In French, the word "chinois" can also refer to a type of decorative fabric or a style of furniture. | |||
| Frisian | sineesk | ||
| Sineesk is in it Frisian form an alternate spelling of Sineesch, a word that also means Chinese and is related to the words Sina and Sine, both of which also mean China. | |||
| Galician | chinés | ||
| German | chinesisch | ||
| Die Herkunft des Wortes "Chinesisch" ist unklar, es hat aber auch eine abwertende Bedeutung im Sinne von "minderwertig" oder "billig" | |||
| Icelandic | kínverska | ||
| It is a compound word made up of the noun "Kína" meaning "China" and the adjectival suffix "-versk" meaning "belonging to" or "style of". | |||
| Irish | sínis | ||
| The spelling of Sínis has changed several times since its first use in the 13th century, including Sinys, Syneys, Synys, Chynas, and Chynys | |||
| Italian | cinese | ||
| The word 'Cinese' in Italian also refers to a type of blue-and-white porcelain popular in the 18th century. | |||
| Luxembourgish | chineesesch | ||
| The word "Chineesesch" can also be used to refer to something that is exotic or unusual. | |||
| Maltese | ċiniż | ||
| The word 'Ċiniż' in Maltese originally meant 'pagan' or 'heathen', but now it primarily refers to people or things from China. | |||
| Norwegian | kinesisk | ||
| Det kinesiske folket var den største etniske gruppen i Kina, men ikke den eneste, og i denne forstand må «kinesisk» forstås geografisk og ikke etnisk. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | chinês | ||
| The word "chinês" in Portuguese can also mean "bizarre" or "extravagant". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | sìneach | ||
| The etymological roots of "Sìneach" in Scots Gaelic are debated, but may include "Sinae" (ancient Greek) or "Shina" (Sanskrit). | |||
| Spanish | chino | ||
| In Spanish, "chino" can also refer to people of Chinese descent or to clothing originally worn by Chinese laborers. | |||
| Swedish | kinesiska | ||
| Kinesiska comes from the Persian word "چينى" (Chini), which itself derives from the Sanskrit word "Cīna", meaning "the land of the Qin dynasty". | |||
| Welsh | tseiniaidd | ||
| The word "Tseiniaidd" may have originated from the Arabic word "Sin", meaning "China". It could also be a combination of the words "Tseina" (China) and "-iaidd" (relating to). | |||
Chinese in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | кітайскі | ||
| The word "Кітайскі" is also used to refer to something that is of high quality or luxurious. | |||
| Bosnian | kineski | ||
| Bosnian word 'Kineski' comes from the Old Persian word 'Cina' meaning 'land of the Qin' and ultimately from the ancient Chinese word 'Qin' (pronounced 'Chin') which was the name of a powerful state in West China. | |||
| Bulgarian | китайски | ||
| В миналото думата "Китайски" е била употребявана като название и за някои други азиатски страни и народи. | |||
| Czech | čínština | ||
| The word "čínština" is derived from the word "Čína", which in turn comes from the Sanskrit word "Cīna". | |||
| Estonian | hiina keel | ||
| Hiina keel (Chinese) translates to "the language of the Xiongnu" in Estonian, as "hiina" can refer to the Xiongnu people who lived in what is now Mongolia and northern China. | |||
| Finnish | kiinalainen | ||
| In Finnish folklore, Kiinalainen also means 'a ghost' or 'a nocturnal forest spirit'. | |||
| Hungarian | kínai | ||
| In Hungarian, the word "kínai" can also mean "foreign" or "exotic", due to the historical dominance of Chinese goods in the country. | |||
| Latvian | ķīniešu | ||
| "Ķīniešu" can also mean "porcelain" in Latvian, derived from the Chinese "porcelain" (瓷器; pinyin: cíqì). | |||
| Lithuanian | kinų | ||
| The word "Kinų" may also refer to a Chinese restaurant or a Chinese dish. | |||
| Macedonian | кинески | ||
| The word "Кинески" also refers to the Chinese language and culture in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | chiński | ||
| The Polish term "chiński" can also refer to a shade of blue associated with China or porcelain from China. | |||
| Romanian | chinez | ||
| The Romanian word "chinez" also means "strange" or "extravagant". | |||
| Russian | китайский язык | ||
| The Russian word for “Chinese” (китайский язык) comes from a Turkic language, in which “qitay” referred to a woven material | |||
| Serbian | кинески | ||
| "Кинески" derives from the Persian word "Chin", which itself comes from the Sanskrit word "Cīna". | |||
| Slovak | čínština | ||
| Alternately refers to all Sino-Tibetan languages, as well as the languages of China's ethnic minorities. | |||
| Slovenian | kitajski | ||
| The word “Kitajski” has also been used to describe the Japanese and was also the name chosen by the first Japanese embassy when they traveled to Europe in modern times. | |||
| Ukrainian | китайська | ||
| The word "Китайська" can also refer to "china" as a type of porcelain or fine ceramics. | |||
Chinese in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | চাইনিজ | ||
| "চাইনিজ" শব্দটির ব্যুৎপত্তি "চিন" দেশের নাম থেকে, যা ফার্সি "চীন" থেকে এসেছে। | |||
| Gujarati | ચાઇનીઝ | ||
| The word 'ચાઇનીઝ' is also used to refer to the Chinese language, culture, and cuisine. | |||
| Hindi | चीनी | ||
| चीनी (Hindi) can also refer to "sugar" and comes from Sanskrit word "sharkara" via Persian, and unrelated to Chinese people. | |||
| Kannada | ಚೈನೀಸ್ | ||
| Chinese (ಚೈನೀಸ್): The word is derived from the name of the Qin Dynasty, which ruled China during the 3rd century BC. | |||
| Malayalam | ചൈനീസ് | ||
| In the 16th century Portuguese travellers, who were the first Europeans to reach China via the sea route, called the place “China” after the name of the ruling Qin dynasty. | |||
| Marathi | चीनी | ||
| The word 'चीनी' (Chinese) in Marathi can also refer to sugar or confectionery. | |||
| Nepali | चीनियाँ | ||
| चीनियाँ (Chīniyā) is derived from the Sanskrit word चीन (Chīna), which referred to the region of China as a whole as well as to people and goods originating from that area. | |||
| Punjabi | ਚੀਨੀ | ||
| The word "ਚੀਨੀ" in Punjabi can also refer to the sweet substance obtained from sugarcane and used as a sweetener. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | චීන | ||
| The word 'චීන' can also mean 'China' or 'of China', and is often used to refer to the Chinese people or the Chinese culture. | |||
| Tamil | சீனர்கள் | ||
| Telugu | చైనీస్ | ||
| Urdu | چینی | ||
| چینی is also the Urdu word for "porcelain" as well as the Indian subcontinent term for the Han Chinese people who migrated there during the Mughal era. | |||
Chinese in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 中文 | ||
| "中文"也可指中东文化或中欧国家 | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 中文 | ||
| 簡化字的「中」，取自「中國」中間一豎；繁體的「中」字則是由中間開始往左右兩邊延伸，代表中國位於東亞的中心地帶。 | |||
| Japanese | 中国語 | ||
| "中国語" can also mean "Japanese" or "Korean" in a historical context | |||
| Korean | 중국말 | ||
| In addition to the meaning 'Chinese,' 중국말 also carries the meaning 'Mandarin,' the standard dialect of modern Chinese. | |||
| Mongolian | хятад | ||
| The word "Хятад" can also refer to the Chinese language or culture. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | တရုတ် | ||
| In Myanmar, "တရုတ်" (Chinese) can also refer to people of Chinese descent or the Chinese language. | |||
Chinese in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | cina | ||
| In Indonesian, "Cina" can also refer to the word "China" or "Chinese people". | |||
| Javanese | wong cina | ||
| The word "wong cina" (''wong'' = person, ''cina'' = China) literally means "person from China". In addition to referring to ethnic Chinese people, this term can also be used to refer to Indonesian citizens of Chinese descent. | |||
| Khmer | ជនជាតិចិន | ||
| The Khmer word "ជនជាតិចិន" can also refer to people of Vietnamese or Lao descent, as the distinction between these ethnic groups is sometimes blurred in Cambodia. | |||
| Lao | ຈີນ | ||
| The word ຈີນ "Chinese" in Lao comes from the Sanskrit word "Cīna", which likely originates from the name of the Qin dynasty (秦朝). | |||
| Malay | orang cina | ||
| The term "Orang Cina" also refers to ethnic Chinese migrants who assimilated into local culture. | |||
| Thai | ชาวจีน | ||
| The term "ชาวจีน" literally translates as "boat people," and was first used to refer to migrants from southern China in the 19th century. | |||
| Vietnamese | người trung quốc | ||
| Literally means 'middle kingdom people', referring to the ancient belief that China was the centre of the world. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | intsik | ||
Chinese in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | çin | ||
| The word "Çin" in Azerbaijani can also refer to the Chinese language or the Chinese people. | |||
| Kazakh | қытай | ||
| The word "Қытай" also has the alternate meaning of "the land of the rising sun" in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | кытайча | ||
| The word "Кытайча" in Kyrgyz also refers to the Chinese language and culture. | |||
| Tajik | чинӣ | ||
| The word "Чинӣ" has multiple meanings in Tajik, including "porcelain," "tea set," and "delicate." | |||
| Turkmen | hytaýlylar | ||
| Uzbek | xitoy | ||
| The term "Xitoy" in Uzbek is derived from the Persian word "Kitay," which was in turn borrowed from the Sogdian word "x'yt'y." It can also refer to people of Chinese descent or the Chinese language. | |||
| Uyghur | خەنزۇچە | ||
Chinese in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | pākē | ||
| The origin of the term 'paka' could originate from the Cantonese Chinese term 'pak ke'(客家 'foreign visitor'). | |||
| Maori | hainamana | ||
| The word 'Hainamana' also refers to people from the Hainan province in southern China. | |||
| Samoan | saina | ||
| Saina can also refer to the Saina people of Taiwan and the Saina language, an extinct language spoken by them. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | intsik | ||
| The term 'Intsik' is also used in some Filipino dialects to refer to people with Chinese ancestry, or to describe things or concepts associated with Chinese culture. | |||
Chinese in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | chino markanxa | ||
| Guarani | chino | ||
Chinese in International Languages
| Esperanto | ĉina | ||
| The Esperanto word "Ĉina" is derived from the Malay word "Cina", which refers to people of Chinese descent in Southeast Asia. | |||
| Latin | seres | ||
| The Latin word "Seres" originally referred to a silk-producing people of Central Asia, not the Chinese. | |||
Chinese in Others Languages
| Greek | κινέζικα | ||
| "Κινέζικα" derives from "Σινικός", the adjectival form of "Σίνα" (China), which itself comes from the Sanskrit word "Cīna" and ultimately from the Old Chinese word "Zhōngguó" (Middle Kingdom). | |||
| Hmong | hmoob suav teb | ||
| Hmoob Suav Teb (literally "cloth-wearing Chinese") is the term used by the Hmong to refer to the Han Chinese. | |||
| Kurdish | çînî | ||
| In Kurdish, "Çînî" not only refers to China and its people but can also mean "porcelain" or "fine ceramics". | |||
| Turkish | çince | ||
| {"text": "Çince kelimesi aynı zamanda "tuhaf, anlaşılmaz, karmaşık" anlamlarında da kullanılır"} | |||
| Xhosa | isitshayina | ||
| In Xhosa, "IsiTshayina" also refers to a type of fabric with a particular texture. | |||
| Yiddish | כינעזיש | ||
| The word "כינעזיש" in Yiddish derives from the Persian word "Chini," also meaning "Chinese." | |||
| Zulu | isishayina | ||
| IsiShayina is also used to refer to all things foreign, or even strange or mysterious. | |||
| Assamese | চীনা | ||
| Aymara | chino markanxa | ||
| Bhojpuri | चीनी लोग के बा | ||
| Dhivehi | ޗައިނީސް އެވެ | ||
| Dogri | चीनी | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | intsik | ||
| Guarani | chino | ||
| Ilocano | intsik | ||
| Krio | chaynish pipul dɛn | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | چینی | ||
| Maithili | चीनी | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯆꯥꯏꯅꯥꯒꯤ ꯑꯦꯝ | ||
| Mizo | chinese tawng a ni | ||
| Oromo | chaayinaa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଚାଇନିଜ୍ | ||
| Quechua | chino | ||
| Sanskrit | चीनी | ||
| Tatar | кытай | ||
| Tigrinya | ቻይናዊ | ||
| Tsonga | xichayina | ||