{"id":182134,"date":"2024-03-10T13:16:06","date_gmt":"2024-03-10T17:16:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/chinese-filler-words\/"},"modified":"2025-02-19T05:05:02","modified_gmt":"2025-02-19T10:05:02","slug":"chinese-filler-words","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/chinese\/chinese-filler-words\/","title":{"rendered":"13 Common Chinese Filler Words"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Just like &#8220;um&#8221; and &#8220;uh&#8221; in English, Chinese also has its own filler words.<\/p>\n<p>Learn the Chinese filler words below properly, and you&#8217;ll sound much more natural in Chinese, especially since native speakers say them a lot.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>You won&#8217;t find them in textbooks, but filler words like \u90a3\u4e2a <em>(n\u00e0ge) <\/em>and \u5c31\u662f\u00a0<em>(ji\u00f9sh\u00ec) <\/em>are a constant part of realistic, everyday conversations.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n<h2>\u90a3\u4e2a <em>(n\u00e0ge)<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>\u90a3\u4e2a literally means &#8220;that,&#8221; but it can also be used as a placeholder.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Be very careful when you use this word, as it can be misheard as the n-word in English!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In colloquial usage, \u90a3\u4e2a in Mandarin Chinese is often used as a filler word or placeholder when a speaker is pausing or hesitating, similar to saying &#8220;uh&#8221; or &#8220;um&#8221; in English. It doesn&#8217;t carry any specific meaning in this context; rather, it serves to fill the silence while the speaker gathers their thoughts.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\u4ed6\u95ee\u6211\u5173\u4e8e\u90a3\u4e2a\u2026\u2026\u90a3\u4e2a\u2026\u2026\u90a3\u4e2a\u8ba1\u5212\u3002<br \/>\n<em>(T\u0101 w\u00e8n w\u01d2 gu\u0101ny\u00fa n\u00e0ge\u2026 n\u00e0ge\u2026 n\u00e0ge j\u00echu\u00e0.)<br \/>\n<\/em>He asked me about that&#8230; um&#8230; that plan.<\/p>\n<p>One famous example of \u90a3\u4e2a <em>(n\u00e0 ge)<\/em> being used in a Chinese song is in the song \u5317\u4eac\u6b22\u8fce\u4f60 <em>(b\u011bi j\u012bng hu\u0101n y\u00edng n\u01d0),<\/em> &#8220;Beijing Welcomes You.&#8221; In this song, \u90a3\u4e2a is used as a filler word in the chorus:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\u90a3\u4e2a\uff0c\u6709\u4e00\u79cd\u529b\u91cf\uff0c\u90a3\u4e2a\uff0c\u6765\u81ea\u6bcf\u4e2a\u89d2\u843d\uff0c\u90a3\u4e2a\uff0c\u7167\u4eae\u6211\u5fc3\u4e2d\u7684\u90a3\u4e2a\u5730\u65b9\u3002<br \/>\n<em>(N\u00e0ge, y\u01d2u y\u00ec zh\u01d2ng l\u00ecli\u00e0ng, n\u00e0ge, l\u00e1i z\u00ec m\u011bi ge ji\u01ceolu\u00f2, n\u00e0ge, zh\u00e0oli\u00e0ng w\u01d2 x\u012bnzh\u014dng de n\u00e0ge d\u00ec fang.)<br \/>\n<\/em>That, there is a kind of power, that, comes from every corner, that, illuminates the place in my heart.<\/p>\n<p>In this context, \u90a3\u4e2a doesn&#8217;t have a specific meaning but is used rhythmically in the song to maintain the flow and add emphasis to the following lines.<\/p>\n<h2>\u8fd9\u4e2a <em>(zh\u00e8ge)<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>\u8fd9\u4e2a literally means &#8220;this,&#8221; and similar to \u90a3\u4e2a, it&#8217;s also used as a filler word. The two are pretty much interchangeable, but you&#8217;ll still hear native speakers saying \u90a3\u4e2a more.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\u4f60\u770b\u8fc7\u8fd9\u4e2a\uff0c\u8fd9\u4e2a\u65b0\u7535\u5f71\u5417\uff1f <br \/>\n<em>(N\u01d0 k\u00e0ngu\u00f2 zh\u00e8ge, zh\u00e8ge x\u012bn di\u00e0ny\u01d0ng ma?)<br \/>\n<\/em>Have you seen this&#8230; uh, this new movie?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It can also appear at the start of a sentence:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\u8fd9\u4e2a, \u6211\u8fd8\u8bf4\u4e0d\u597d\u3002 <br \/>\n<em>(Zh\u00e8ge, w\u01d2 h\u00e1i shu\u014d b\u00f9 h\u01ceo.) <br \/>\n<\/em>Uh&#8230; I&#8217;m still not certain.<\/p>\n<h2>\u55ef<em> (\u0113n)<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>Equivalent to &#8220;um&#8221; or &#8220;uh&#8221; in English, this Chinese filler word is\u00a0used to indicate acknowledgment, agreement or hesitation in speech. Here&#8217;s how you can use it:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\u55ef\uff0c\u6211\u60f3\u4e00\u4e0b\u518d\u544a\u8bc9\u4f60\u3002 <br \/>\n<em>(<\/em><em>\u0112n, w\u01d2 xi\u01ceng y\u00edxi\u00e0 z\u00e0i g\u00e0os\u00f9 n\u01d0.)<\/em> <br \/>\nUm, let me think about it and then I&#8217;ll tell you.<\/p>\n<p>In this example, \u55ef is used to show hesitation or a pause while the speaker gathers their thoughts before responding.<\/p>\n<p>You can hear this common filler word and many other native Chinese expressions and vocab in the video-based learning program, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/chinese\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">FluentU<\/a>. <span data-sheets-root=\"1\"><p><strong>FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<p>You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.apple.com\/us\/app\/fluentu-learn-language-videos\/id917892175\">the iOS app<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.fluentflix.fluentu&amp;hl=en&amp;gl=US\">Android app.<\/a><\/p>\r\n<p><i><a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)<\/a><\/i>\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\r\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/NativeAd-Chinese.jpg\" alt=\"FluentU Ad\" \/>\r\n  <p style=\"text-align: center\">\r\n    <button class=\"btn-blue\" style=\"border: none;font-size: 18px;text-align: center;padding: 0.75rem 1.5rem;cursor: pointer\">\r\n      Try FluentU for FREE!\r\n    <\/button>\r\n  <\/p>\r\n<\/a>\r\n<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>\u5c31\u662f <em>(<strong>ji\u00f9sh\u00ec)<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n<p>\u5c31\u662f means &#8220;exactly&#8221; or &#8220;precisely,&#8221; such as when you&#8217;re emphasizing something or giving a definition:\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\u90a3\u5c31\u662f\u6211\u8bf4\u7684\u3002 <br \/>\n<em>(N\u00e0 ji\u00f9sh\u00ec w\u01d2 shu\u014d de.)<\/em> <br \/>\nThat&#8217;s exactly what I said.<\/p>\n<p>It can conveniently be a filler word too. People might say it when they&#8217;re pausing to think so that they can express their thoughts more clearly:\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\u5c31\u662f\uff0c\u6211\u89c9\u5f97\u8fd9\u4e2a\u95ee\u9898\u4e0d\u5927\u3002<em> <br \/>\n(Ji\u00f9sh\u00ec, w\u01d2 ju\u00e9de zh\u00e8 ge w\u00e8nt\u00ed b\u00f9 d\u00e0.)<\/em> <br \/>\nIt&#8217;s just, I think this problem is not big.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\u4ed6\u5c31\u662f\uff0c\u5c31\u662f\u6211\u4eec\u73ed\u6700\u53d7\u6b22\u8fce\u7684\u8001\u5e08\u3002 <br \/>\n<em>(T\u0101 ji\u00f9sh\u00ec, ji\u00f9sh\u00ec w\u01d2men b\u0101n zu\u00ec sh\u00f2u hu\u0101ny\u00edng de l\u01ceosh\u012b.) <br \/>\n<\/em>He is, like, the most popular teacher in our class.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s similar to &#8220;like,&#8221; &#8220;you know&#8221; or &#8220;actually.&#8221;\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>You might even combine it with \u90a3\u4e2a:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\u6211\u4eec\u5c31\u662f\u53bb\u90a3\u4e2a\uff0c\u5c31\u662f\u65b0\u5f00\u7684\u5496\u5561\u9986\u3002 <br \/>\n<em>(W\u01d2men ji\u00f9sh\u00ec q\u00f9 n\u00e0ge, ji\u00f9sh\u00ec x\u012bnk\u0101i de k\u0101f\u0113igu\u01cen.)<br \/>\n<\/em>We&#8217;re going to that, you know, the newly opened cafe.<\/p>\n<h2>\u600e\u4e48\u8bf4(\u5462)<em> (z\u011bnme shu\u014d [ne])<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>\u600e\u4e48\u8bf4 roughly translates to: \u201cHow should I say it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As a filler word, it\u2019s used when what you\u2019re about to say is a bit awkward or delicate, so it softens the statement. For example, you might talk about how a coworker\u2019s not doing well or telling off a friend about their behavior:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\u4ed6\u7684\u5de5\u4f5c\uff0c\u600e\u4e48\u8bf4\uff0c\u4e0d\u662f\u5f88\u7a33\u5b9a\uff0c\u6240\u4ee5\u4ed6\u7ecf\u5e38\u6362\u5de5\u4f5c\u3002<em> <br \/>\n(T\u0101 de g\u014dngzu\u00f2, z\u011bnme shu\u014d, b\u00f9 sh\u00ec h\u011bn w\u011bnd\u00ecng, su\u01d2y\u01d0 t\u0101 j\u012bngch\u00e1ng hu\u00e0n g\u014dngzu\u00f2.)<\/em> <br \/>\nHis job, how should I put it, isn&#8217;t very stable, so he often changes jobs.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\u8fd9\u4e2a\u95ee\u9898\uff0c\u600e\u4e48\u8bf4\uff0c\u6709\u70b9\u590d\u6742\u3002 <br \/>\n<em>(Zh\u00e8 ge w\u00e8nt\u00ed, z\u011bnme shu\u014d, y\u01d2udi\u01cen f\u00f9z\u00e1.)<\/em> <br \/>\nThis issue, let&#8217;s say, is a bit complicated.<\/p>\n<p>\u600e\u4e48\u8bf4 can also come up when someone is expressing complicated emotions:<\/p>\n<div class=\"w-full text-token-text-primary\" dir=\"auto\" data-testid=\"conversation-turn-63\">\n<div class=\"px-4 py-2 justify-center text-base md:gap-6 m-auto\">\n<div class=\"flex flex-1 text-base mx-auto gap-3 juice:gap-4 juice:md:gap-6 md:px-5 lg:px-1 xl:px-5 md:max-w-3xl lg:max-w-[40rem] xl:max-w-[48rem]\">\n<div class=\"relative flex w-full min-w-0 flex-col agent-turn\">\n<div class=\"flex-col gap-1 md:gap-3\">\n<div class=\"flex flex-grow flex-col max-w-full\">\n<div class=\"min-h-[20px] text-message flex flex-col items-start gap-3 whitespace-pre-wrap break-words [.text-message+&amp;]:mt-5 overflow-x-auto\" dir=\"auto\" data-message-author-role=\"assistant\" data-message-id=\"2a1b703d-43c4-422b-91c3-faf6023a79aa\">\n<div class=\"markdown prose w-full break-words dark:prose-invert light\">\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\u600e\u4e48\u8bf4\uff0c\u5206\u624b\u540e\u6211\u677e\u4e86\u53e3\u6c14\u3002<em> <br \/>\n(Z\u011bnme shu\u014d, f\u0113nsh\u01d2u h\u00f2u w\u01d2 s\u014dng le k\u01d2uq\u00ec.)<br \/>\n<\/em>How should I put it&#8230; I felt relieved after we broke up.<\/p>\n<p>You could even say \u600e\u4e48\u8bf4\u5462\uff1a<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\u6211\u7684\u963f\u59e8\u53ea\u662f&#8230; \u600e\u4e48\u8bf4\u5462\uff0c\u975e\u5e38\u9ad8\u5174\u3002<em> <br \/>\n(W\u01d2 de \u0101y\u00ed zh\u01d0 sh\u00ec&#8230; z\u011bnme shu\u014d ne, f\u0113ich\u00e1ng g\u0101ox\u00ecng.)<\/em> <br \/>\nMy aunt is just&#8230; how should I say it, very happy.<\/p>\n<h2>\u7136\u540e(\u5462)<em> (r\u00e1nh\u00f2u [ne])<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>\u7136\u540e(\u5462) is a very common filler word. Because I hear it all the time, even as a non-native speaker, I sometimes catch myself saying it when I&#8217;m trying to think about what my next sentence should be!\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u7136\u540e typically means \u201cand then,\u201d and it\u2019s for connecting two events that happen in sequence. It can get overused in regular conversation though, even when there&#8217;s no logical connection between two statements:\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\u6628\u5929\u665a\u4e0a\u6211\u592a\u7d2f\u4e86\uff0c\u6ca1\u505a\u996d\u3002\u7136\u540e\uff0c\u4eca\u5929\u5929\u6c14\u600e\u4e48\u6837\uff1f <br \/>\n<em>(Zu\u00f3ti\u0101n w\u01censh\u00e0ng w\u01d2 t\u00e0i l\u00e8i le, m\u00e9i zu\u00f2 f\u00e0n. R\u00e1nh\u00f2u&#8230; j\u012bnti\u0101n ti\u0101nq\u00ec z\u011bnme y\u00e0ng?) <br \/>\n<\/em>I was too tired last night and didn\u2019t cook. Then&#8230; how\u2019s the weather today?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2>\u54e6<em> (\u00f2)<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>This word is commonly used as a filler to express understanding or to signify a response to new information. Here&#8217;s an example:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\u54e6\uff0c\u539f\u6765\u662f\u8fd9\u6837\uff01 <br \/>\n<em>(\u00d2, yu\u00e1nl\u00e1i sh\u00ec zh\u00e8y\u00e0ng!)<\/em> <br \/>\nOh, so that&#8217;s how it is!<\/p>\n<p>It can also serve to acknowledge what someone has said before responding further, acting as a bridge between different parts of a conversation, like this:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>Person A:<\/strong> \u6211\u4eec\u660e\u5929\u4e00\u8d77\u53bb\u770b\u7535\u5f71\u5427\u3002 <br \/>\n<em>(<\/em><em>W\u01d2men m\u00edngti\u0101n y\u00ecq\u01d0 q\u00f9 k\u00e0n di\u00e0ny\u01d0ng ba.) <br \/>\n<\/em>Let&#8217;s go watch a movie together tomorrow.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>Person B:<\/strong> \u54e6\uff0c\u597d\u4e3b\u610f\u3002\u4f60\u60f3\u770b\u54ea\u90e8\u7535\u5f71\uff1f <br \/>\n<em>(\u00d2, h\u01ceo zh\u01d4yi. N\u01d0 xi\u01ceng k\u00e0n n\u01ce b\u00f9 di\u00e0ny\u01d0ng?)<\/em> <br \/>\nOh, good idea. Which movie do you want to watch?<\/p>\n<h2>\u54ce <em>(\u0101i)<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>This filler word is commonly used to express surprise and frustration or to call someone&#8217;s attention.<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s an example of how you&#8217;d use it to show surprise or realization:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\u54ce\uff0c\u4f60\u600e\u4e48\u8fd9\u4e48\u5feb\u5c31\u56de\u6765\u4e86\uff1f <br \/>\n(<em>\u0100i, n\u01d0 z\u011bnme zh\u00e8me ku\u00e0i ji\u00f9 hu\u00edl\u00e1i le?)<\/em> <br \/>\nOh, how come you&#8217;re back so soon?<\/p>\n<p>And here&#8217;s how it can be used to indicate frustration or annoyance:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\u54ce\uff0c\u8fd9\u4e2a\u7535\u8111\u53c8\u574f\u4e86\uff01 <br \/>\n<em>(\u0100i, zh\u00e8 <\/em><em>ge di\u00e0nn\u01ceo y\u00f2u hu\u00e0ile!)<\/em> <br \/>\nUgh, this computer is broken again!<\/p>\n<p>Or to call someone&#8217;s attention:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\u54ce\uff0c\u4f60\u542c\u6211\u8bf4\uff01 <br \/>\n<em>(\u0100i, n\u01d0 t\u012bng w\u01d2 shu\u014d!)<\/em> <br \/>\nHey, listen to me!<\/p>\n<h2>\u5566 <em>(la)<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>This word is used to soften commands or requests, similar to adding &#8220;please&#8221; in English:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\u5feb\u70b9\u5566\uff0c\u6211\u4eec\u8981\u8fdf\u5230\u4e86\uff01 <br \/>\n(<em>Ku\u00e0i di\u01cen la, w\u01d2men y\u00e0o ch\u00ed d\u00e0o le!)<\/em> <br \/>\nHurry up, we&#8217;re going to be late!<\/p>\n<p>It can also convey a sense of urgency, completion or casualness, depending on the context:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\u4f60\u600e\u4e48\u8fd8\u5728\u90a3\u513f\u770b\u624b\u673a\u5566\uff1f <br \/>\n(<em>N\u01d0 z\u011bnme h\u00e1i z\u00e0i n\u00e0r k\u00e0n sh\u01d2uj\u012b la?)<\/em> <br \/>\nWhy are you still there playing with your phone?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\u6211\u7ec8\u4e8e\u505a\u5b8c\u4f5c\u4e1a\u5566\uff01 <br \/>\n<em>(<\/em><em>W\u01d2 zh\u014dngy\u00fa zu\u00f2 w\u00e1n zu\u00f2y\u00e8 la!)<\/em> <br \/>\nI finally finished my homework!<\/p>\n<h2>\u4ec0\u4e48 <em>(sh\u00e9nme)<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>\u4ec0\u4e48 is primarily used as an interrogative pronoun meaning &#8220;what.&#8221; While it&#8217;s not typically used as a filler word like some other particles we&#8217;ve discussed, it can still be used in a similar manner to fill pauses or indicate uncertainty in speech.<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s how you might use it:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\u6211\u89c9\u5f97&#8230;\u4ec0\u4e48&#8230;\u53ef\u80fd\u662f\u56e0\u4e3a\u5929\u6c14\u5427\u3002 <br \/>\n<em>(<\/em><em>W\u01d2 ju\u00e9de&#8230; sh\u00e9nme&#8230; k\u011bn\u00e9ng sh\u00ec y\u012bnw\u00e8i ti\u0101nq\u00ec ba.) <br \/>\n<\/em>I think&#8230; um&#8230; maybe it&#8217;s because of the weather.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\u4f60\u95ee\u6211&#8230;\u4ec0\u4e48&#8230;\u6211\u5fd8\u8bb0\u4e86\u3002 <br \/>\n<em>(<\/em><em>N\u01d0 w\u00e8n w\u01d2&#8230; sh\u00e9nme&#8230; w\u01d2 w\u00e0ngj\u00ec le.)<\/em> <br \/>\nYou asked me&#8230; um&#8230; I forgot.<\/p>\n<h2>\u4f60\u77e5\u9053\u5417\uff1f <em>(n\u01d0 zh\u012bd\u00e0o ma?)<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>This phrase is commonly used in conversation to seek confirmation or to emphasize a point, similar to how &#8220;you know&#8221; is used in English. For example:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\u8fd9\u4e2a\u5730\u65b9\u771f\u7684\u5f88\u6f02\u4eae\uff0c\u4f60\u77e5\u9053\u5417\uff1f <br \/>\n(<em>Zh\u00e8 ge d\u00ecfang zh\u0113n de h\u011bn pi\u00e0oliang, n\u01d0 zh\u012bd\u00e0o ma?)<\/em> <br \/>\nThis place is really beautiful, you know?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\u90a3\u4e2a\u7535\u5f71\u975e\u5e38\u611f\u4eba\uff0c\u4f60\u77e5\u9053\u5417\uff1f <br \/>\n<em>(<\/em><em>N\u00e0 ge di\u00e0ny\u01d0ng f\u0113ich\u00e1ng g\u01cenr\u00e9n, n\u01d0 zh\u012bd\u00e0o ma?)<\/em> <br \/>\nThat movie is very moving, you know?<\/p>\n<h2>\u5bf9\u5417\uff1f <em>(du\u00ec ma?)<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>Like \u4f60\u77e5\u9053\u5417, this phrase can also be overused. Normally, \u5bf9\u5417 means &#8220;right?&#8221; It&#8217;s for checking if the other person agrees, but sometimes native speakers will keep adding \u5bf9\u5417 to their sentences and then keep on talking:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\u8fd9\u90e8\u8fde\u7eed\u5267\u771f\u7684\u5f88\u68d2\uff0c\u5bf9\u5417\uff1f\u6211\u89c9\u5f97\u4e3b\u89d2\u6f14\u5f97\u597d\uff0c\u5bf9\u5417\uff1f\u660e\u5e74\u4ed6\u4eec\u4f1a\u62cd\u7eed\u96c6\uff0c\u5bf9\u5417\uff1f<br \/>\n(<em>Zh\u00e8 b\u00f9 li\u00e1nx\u00f9j\u00f9 zh\u0113n de h\u011bn b\u00e0ng, du\u00ec ma? W\u01d2 ju\u00e9de zh\u01d4ji\u01ceo y\u01cen de h\u01ceo, du\u00ec ma?) <br \/>\n<\/em>This TV series is really great, right? I think the lead actor did a good job, right?<\/p>\n<p>There&#8217;s also \u5bf9\u5427 <em>(du\u00ec ba)<\/em>, which has a more assured tone.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>\u90a3(\u4e48) <em>(n\u00e0me)<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>\u90a3 and \u90a3\u4e48 are similar to &#8220;then&#8221; in English, and they&#8217;re added at the start of the sentence:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\u90a3\uff0c\u4f60\u600e\u4e48\u8fd8\u4e0d\u53bb\u7761\u89c9\uff1f <br \/>\n<em>(N\u00e0, n\u01d0 z\u011bnme h\u00e1i b\u00f9 q\u00f9 shu\u00ecji\u00e0o?) <br \/>\n<\/em>So, why haven&#8217;t you gone to bed yet?<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Pauses happen naturally in conversations. Fill them like a native Chinese speaker with these common Chinese filler words!<\/p>\n<p><span data-sheets-root=\"1\"><h2>And One More Thing...<\/h2>\r\n<p>\r\nIf you want to continue learning Chinese with interactive and authentic Chinese content, <a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">then you'll love FluentU<\/a>.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\nFluentU 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.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\nFluentU has a wide range of contemporary videos\u2014like dramas, TV shows, commercials and music videos.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_12840\" style=\"width: 330px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12840\" class=\" wp-image-12840 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Chinese-5.png\" alt=\"learn-mandarin-chinese-with-videos\" width=\"320\" height=\"568\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-12840\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/chinese\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">FluentU App Browse Screen<\/a><\/p><\/div>\r\n<p>\r\n<strong>FluentU brings these native Chinese videos within reach via interactive captions.<\/strong> 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.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_12843\" style=\"width: 330px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12843\" class=\"wp-image-12843 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Chinese-6.png\" alt=\"learn-mandarin-chinese-with-subtitled-song-and-music-videos\" width=\"320\" height=\"568\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-12843\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/chinese\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Interactive Transcripts on FluentU<\/a><\/p><\/div>\r\n<p>\r\nFluentU's <strong>Learn Mode<\/strong> 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.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_12844\" style=\"width: 330px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12844\" class=\"wp-image-12844 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Chinese-7.png\" alt=\"practice-mandarin-chinese-with-adaptive-quizzes\" width=\"320\" height=\"568\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-12844\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/chinese\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">FluentU Has Quizzes for Every Video<\/a><\/p><\/div>\r\n<p>\r\nThe 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\u2019s time to review what you\u2019ve learned. <strong> You have a 100% personalized experience. <\/strong>\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\nStart using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. <a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)<\/a>\r\n<\/p> <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Just like &#8220;um&#8221; and &#8220;uh&#8221; in English, Chinese also has its own filler words. Learn the Chinese filler words below properly, and you&#8217;ll sound much more natural in Chinese, especially&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":152,"featured_media":251118,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"slim_seo":{"title":"13 Common Chinese Filler Words | FluentU Chinese Blog","description":"Use these Chinese filler words to say \"um\" and \"uh\" the Chinese way. Fill the silences in conversations like a native Chinese speaker and learn how to use the most common filler words, including \u90a3\u4e2a (n\u00e0 ge), \u55ef (\u0113n) and \u5c31\u662f (ji\u00f9 sh\u00ec). Each filler word on on the list comes with audio pronunciation and realistic examples!"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[724,725],"tags":[],"coauthors":[169],"class_list":["post-182134","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chinese","category-chinese-vocabulary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/182134","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/152"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=182134"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/182134\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":242905,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/182134\/revisions\/242905"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/251118"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=182134"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=182134"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=182134"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=182134"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}