中国語

chūgokugo
nounBeginner
general

The Chinese language, specifically Mandarin Chinese, which is the official language of China and Taiwan, and one of the four official languages of Singapore.

彼は中国語でビジネスの会議を進めました。

He conducted the business meeting in Chinese.

💡

In Japanese, '中国語' typically refers to Mandarin Chinese, the most widely spoken form of Chinese.

Collocations

中国語を話すto speak Chinese中国語の勉強studying Chinese中国語の新聞Chinese newspaper

Synonyms

Related Phrases

中国語が話せますか?phrase
Can you speak Chinese?
中国語の勉強を始めましたphrase
I started studying Chinese.

💡Pro Tip

Mandarin vs. Chinese

In Japanese, '中国語' specifically refers to Mandarin Chinese, not other Chinese languages like Cantonese.

Gold Rule

Formal vs. Informal

When referring to the Chinese language in formal contexts, '中国語' is appropriate. In informal contexts, '中文' may also be used.

📖Word Origin

The term '中国語' is composed of '中国' (China) and '語' (language), literally meaning 'the language of China'.

📝Usage Notes

In Japanese, '中国語' is used to refer to Mandarin Chinese, the standard form of Chinese. It is distinct from other Chinese languages like Cantonese, which is referred to as '広東語' (Cantonese) in Japanese.

Word Breakdown

中国
China
root
+
language
suffix
和英辞典