Winnie Lui
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27 Chinese Terms Commonly Used in English That You Already Know
Did you know that many words commonly used in English are of Chinese origin?
That’s great news if you’re planning on learning Chinese… it means that you probably already know some Chinese words!
This list will show you what Chinese words you’ve probably already heard before in regards to food, animals and popular sayings.
Contents
- 27 Chinese Words Used in English
-
- 1. pekoe
- 2. bok choy
- 3. chop suey
- 4. dim sum
- 5. ginseng
- 6. loquat
- 7. won ton
- 8. wok
- 9. hoisin sauce
- 10. ketchup
- 11. chow
- 12. kung pao
- 13. tofu
- 14. lychee
- 15. kung fu
- 16. coolie
- 17. gung-ho
- 18. tai chi
- 19. yin and yang
- 20. mahjong
- 21. cheongsam
- 22. qipao
- 23. feng shui
- 24. typhoon
- 25. Shar Pei
- 26. Shih Tzu
- 27. chop chop
- And One More Thing...
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
27 Chinese Words Used in English
1. pekoe
Chinese: 白后 (bái hòu)
Pekoe is a popular type of tea, typically produced in Sri Lanka and India. The name comes from a Chinese dialect called Amoy, spoken in Xiamen, China, in which the tea is called pek-ho. In Mandarin, it’s 白后 (bái hòu), which means “white empress.” The name refers to the downy tips of young buds from the tea plant.
2. bok choy
Chinese: 白菜 (bái cài)
Bok choy, a leafy green vegetable with white stems, can be found at Chinese stores or general grocery stores. It’s a common ingredient in Asian cuisine. The word comes from 白菜 (bái cài), meaning “white vegetable.”
3. chop suey
Chinese: 杂碎 (zá suì)
Chop suey is a mixed-vegetable dish you can order at Chinese restaurants. It comes from 杂碎 (zá suì), meaning “mixed pieces.” For example, you might see “pork chop suey” or “vegetable chop suey” listed on a menu.
4. dim sum
Chinese: 点心 (diǎn xīn)
Dim sum are small, appetizer-like dishes of food, served for brunch at Chinese restaurants. There are a large variety of dim sum, including meat dishes, vegetarian dishes, cakes and pastries. Dim sum comes from 点心 (diǎn xīn). It translates literally as “touch the heart,” perhaps because of the dishes’ small, attractive quality.
5. ginseng
Chinese: 人参 (rén shēn)
Ginseng is a herbal root used for tea and naturopathic medicine. It comes from 人参 (rén shēn). Ginseng is known to have many health benefits, including boosting circulation, lowering cholesterol and reducing stress.
6. loquat
Chinese: 芦橘 (lú jú)
Loquat is a yellow, plum-like fruit native to China and Japan, sometimes called Japanese plum. The name comes from a word in Cantonese, luh kwat, literally meaning “rush orange.” In Mandarin, it’s 芦橘 (lú jú).
7. won ton
Chinese: 馄饨 (hún tún)
Won ton are Chinese meat-filled dumplings, usually served in soup, sometimes accompanied by noodles. The name is from 馄饨 (hún tún), meaning “irregular pasta.”
8. wok
Chinese: 锅 (guō)
A wok is a stir-fry pan used for cooking. The word comes from Cantonese wohk, meaning “pan.” Its equivalent in Mandarin is 锅 (guō).
9. hoisin sauce
Chinese: 海鲜酱 (hǎi xiān jiàng)
Hoisin sauce is a dark-colored, savory condiment with consistency like ketchup. It’s also called oyster sauce. It comes from 海鲜酱 (hǎi xiān jiàng), literally, “seafood sauce,” because it traditionally includes oyster essence or flavor.
10. ketchup
Mandarin Chinese: 番茄酱 (fān qié jiàng)
Hokkien Chinese: kê-tsiap
Would you have guessed that America’s favorite condiment comes from a Chinese word? It’s from the Hokkien Chinese term kê-tsiap, and it was originally a sauce made from fermented fish. Europeans tried to replicate it and later added tomato as a key ingredient. In Mandarin, ketchup is 番茄酱 (fān qié jiàng) or “tomato sauce.”
11. chow
Chinese: 炒 (chǎo)
Chow refers to food, and “chow down” means to eat. The term is Chinese-English pidgin, and dates back to the 1800s, when Chinese laborers developed railroads in California. There are different stories on this word’s origin. One explanation is that it comes from the Chinese word for “stir fry,” 炒 (chǎo).
12. kung pao
Chinese: 宫保鸡丁 (gōng bǎo jī dīng)
Have you ever had kung pao chicken? Kung pao chicken is a type of Chinese dish. This spicy dish originates from Sichuan Province (southwestern China) and traditionally uses Sichuan peppercorns.
In Mandarin, it’s called 宫保鸡丁 (gōng bǎo jī dīng). 宫保 (gōng bǎo) means “palace guard.” Legend has it that this dish was the favorite of a famous palace guard in ancient China.
13. tofu
Chinese: 豆腐 (dòu fǔ)
Tofu is soy bean curd. It comes directly from its Chinese name, 豆腐 (dòu fǔ).
14. lychee
Chinese: 荔枝 (lì zhī)
Lychee is a tropical fruit with characteristically red shells and sweet, white flesh. Lychee is also used to flavor other foods like tea. In Chinese, it’s 荔枝 (lì zhī).
15. kung fu
Chinese: 夫 (gōng fū)
Kung fu, or Chinese martial arts, has been made famous by Hollywood movies and movie stars like Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. The word comes from 功夫 (gōng fū).
16. coolie
Chinese: 苦力 (kǔ lì)
A coolie is a laborer. The term comes from European colonialism and the practice of importing cheap labor from China and India. In Chinese it’s 苦力 (kǔ lì), or literally, “bitter work.”
17. gung-ho
Chinese: 工合 (gōng hé)
Gung-ho means to show enthusiasm. It comes from the name for Chinese industrial cooperatives, 工合 (gōng hé), which means “work together.”
In 1942, US Marine Corps Lieutenant Evans Carlson saw and admired the work ethic of these organizations and decided to take the phrase back to America as an unofficial slogan for the Marines.
18. tai chi
Chinese: 太极拳 (tài jí quán)
Tai chi is a slow, meditative martial arts exercise. It comes from the Chinese name for this practice, 太极拳 (tài jí quán), or “shadow boxing.”
19. yin and yang
Chinese: 阴阳 (yīn yáng)
In Taoist philosophy, yin and yang represent two balancing forces in the universe. Yin is the dark force, and represents feminine quality. Yang is the light force, and represents masculine quality. The harmony of ying and yang is thought to balance the universe and influence everything in it. It comes from the Chinese term 阴阳 (yīn yáng).
20. mahjong
Chinese: 麻将 (má jiāng)
Mahjong is a Chinese gambling game. It comes from both Cantonese màhjéuk and the Mandarin 麻雀 (má què), which literally mean “sparrow.” A sparrow is often pictured on the first tile of a playing set. Mahjong is also phonetically identical to the game’s name in Chinese, which is 麻将 (má jiāng).
21. cheongsam
Chinese: 长衫 (cháng shān)
Cheongsam is a traditional robe for men. It is still worn at weddings or during Chinese New Year. The word comes from Cantonese chèuhngsāam, equivalent to Mandarin’s 长衫 (cháng shān) or “long dress.”
22. qipao
Chinese: 旗袍 (qí páo)
Qipao is a form-fitting traditional dress for women.
23. feng shui
Chinese: 风水 (fēng shuǐ)
The practice of feng shui is thought to balance the energies in the environment and bring about good fortune. It comes from Chinese 风水 (fēng shuǐ), meaning “natural surroundings” or literally “wind and water.”
24. typhoon
Chinese: 台风 (tái fēng)
A typhoon is a hurricane. The term comes from the Chinese equivalent, 台风 (tái fēng).
25. Shar Pei
Chinese: 沙皮 (shāpí)
Shar Pei is a breed of dog with characteristically brown, wrinkly skin and a blue-black tongue. Its name comes from 沙皮 (shāpí), meaning “sandy skin.”
26. Shih Tzu
Chinese: 西施犬 (xī shī quǎn)
Shih Tzu is a Tibetan dog breed with a long silky coat.
27. chop chop
Mandarin Chinese: 急 (jí)
Cantonese: gāp
Last but not least, the famous phrase for “hurry up!” Chop chop comes from the Cantonese word, gāp, which in Mandarin is 急 (jí). Both mean “in a rush.”
There you have it! Twenty-seven English words from Chinese that you already knew. Isn’t it nice to know that you’ve got 27 freebies in your Chinese learning vocabulary list? And there are even more out there! Keep an ear out for them on immersion programs like FluentU, where the subtitled videos make it easy to find and save new vocabulary words.
FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.
You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.
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But don’t stop there. Learning Chinese can be just as easy as going through this short list.
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
And One More Thing...
If you want to continue learning Chinese with interactive and authentic Chinese content, then you'll love FluentU.
FluentU naturally eases you into learning Chinese language. Native Chinese content comes within reach, and you'll learn Chinese as it's spoken in real life.
FluentU has a wide range of contemporary videos—like dramas, TV shows, commercials and music videos.
FluentU brings these native Chinese videos within reach via interactive captions. You can tap on any word to instantly look it up. All words have carefully written definitions and examples that will help you understand how a word is used. Tap to add words you'd like to review to a vocab list.
FluentU's Learn Mode turns every video into a language learning lesson. You can always swipe left or right to see more examples for the word you're learning.
The best part is that FluentU always keeps track of your vocabulary. It customizes quizzes to focus on areas that need attention and reminds you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned. You have a 100% personalized experience.
Start using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)
