Recently updated on December 14th, 2022 at 08:14 pm
Words of Chinese origin have entered the English language and many European languages. Most of these were loanwords from Chinese itself, a term covering those members of the Chinese branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family. However, Chinese words have also entered indirectly via other languages, particularly Korean, Japanese and Vietnamese, that have all used Chinese characters at some point and contain a large number of Chinese loanwords.
| English Word | Origin of Word | Traditional Chinese Word | Phonetic Transliteration | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bok choy | Cantonese | 白菜 | baak coi | A Chinese cabbage: lit. ‘white vegetable’ |
| Brainwash | Literal translation | 洗腦 | xǐnǎo | A calque of Chinese 洗腦 (where 洗 literally means “wash”, while 腦 means “brain”, hence brainwash), a term and psychological concept first used by the People’s Volunteer Army during the Korean War. It may refer to a forcible indoctrination to induce someone to give up basic political, social, or religious beliefs and attitudes and to accept contrasting regimented ideas; or persuasion by propaganda or salesmanship. The term “brainwashing” came into the mainstream English language after Western media sources first utilized the term to describe the attitudes of POWs returning from the Korean War. |
| Char | Cantonese | 茶 | cha | Colloquial English word for ‘tea’ |
| Char siu | Cantonese | 叉燒 | cha siu | lit. fork roasted |
| Cheongsam | Cantonese | 長衫（旗袍） | cheung saam | lit. long clothes. Popular in the 19th and early 20th centuries. |
| Ch’i or “qi” | Mandarin | 氣 | qì | Energy of an object or person, literally air or spirit. (This word is correctly represented in Wade–Giles romanization by “ch’i,” but the rough breathing mark (replaced by an apostrophe in most texts) has disappeared in colloquial English.) |
| Chin chin, or chin-chin | Mandarin | 請 | qǐng | An exclamation used to express good wishes before drinking, lit. “please; to invite”. While occasionally used in American English, chin-chin is an informal and outdated British English usage, for instance, the TV sitcom As Time Goes By. |
| China | Mandarin | 秦 or 晉 | qín | Via Latin Sina, Persian چین Cin, and Sanskrit चीन Chinas; ultimately from the name of the Qin 秦 or Jin 晉 |
| Chop chop | Cantonese | 速速 | chuk chuk | lit. hurry, urgent |
| Chopsticks | Pidgin | 筷子 | Kuai zi | from Chinese Pidgin English chop chop. |
| Chop suey | Cantonese | 雜碎 | jaap seui | lit. mixed pieces |
| Chow | Cantonese | 炒 | chaau | From “chao” which means cook, perhaps based on Cantonese. Lit. stir fry (cooking) |
| Chow chow | Cantonese | any of a breed of heavy-coated blocky dogs of Chinese origin | ||
| Chow mein | Cantonese (Taishanese) | 炒麵 | chau mein | lit. stir fried noodle, when the first Chinese immigrants from Taishan came to the United States. |
| Confucius | Jesuit Latinization | 孔夫子 | kǒngfūzǐ | Latinized form of ‘Master Kong’ |
| Coolie | 苦力 | kǔlì | ||
| Cumshaw | Hokkien (Amoy) | 感謝 | kám siā | feeling gratitude |
| Dim sum and Dim sim | Cantonese | 點心 | dim sam | lit. touches the heart, generally meaning “desserts” |
| Fan-tan | Cantonese | 番攤 | faan taan | lit. (take) turns scattering |
| Feng shui | Mandarin | 風水 | fēngshuǐ | from feng, wind and shui, water; (slang) Denotes an object or scene which is aesthetically balanced (generally used in construction or design) |
| Foo dog | Mandarin | 佛 | fó | Combination of ‘佛’ (literally ‘Buddha’) and dog due to the statues resembling dogs. Refers to statues of lions that serve as guardians of Buddhist temples. |
| Ginkgo | Sino-Japanese | 銀杏 | mistransliteration of ginkyō or ginnan in Japanese | |
| Ginseng | Hokkien | 人參 | jîn sim | Name of the plant. Some say the word came via Japanese (same kanji), although 人参 now means ‘carrot’ in Japanese; ginseng is 朝鮮人參 (‘Korean carrot’). |
| Go | Sino-Japanese | 圍棋 | igo | Japanese name (囲碁) of the Chinese board game. Chinese 圍棋, Mandarin: Weiqi. |
| Guanxi | Mandarin | 關係 | guānxi | Refers to connections or relationships in Chinese culture. It is occasionally a reference to nepotism or cronyism among Chinese businesses and bureaucracies. |
| Gung-ho | Mandarin | 工合 | gōnghé | Short for 工業合作社 |
| Gweilo | Cantonese | 鬼佬 | gwáilóu | Common Cantonese slur term for Westerners. In the absence of modifiers, it refers to white people and has a history of racially deprecatory and pejorative use, although it has been argued that it has since acquired a more neutral connotation. |
| Gyoza | Sino-Japanese | 餃子 | gyōza | from Chinese 餃子 (Mandarin: Jiaozi), stuffed dumpling. Gyoza in English refers to the fried dumpling style (as opposed to water boiled). |
| Hanfu | Mandarin | 漢服 | hànfú | lit. Han clothing. Traditional Chinese clothes; it includes several varieties for both men and women. |
| Har gow | Cantonese | 蝦餃 | ha gaau | lit. shrimp dumpling |
| Hoisin (sauce) | Cantonese | 海鮮 | hoi sin | lit. seafood |
| Junzi | Mandarin | 君子 | chün tzu | lit. person of high stature; preferred translation ‘respectable person’ |
| Kanji | Sino-Japanese | 漢字 | Japanese name for Chinese characters. Chinese: Hànzì. | |
| Kaolin | Mandarin | 高嶺 | gāolǐng | lit. high mountain peak, the name of a village or suburb of Jingde Town, in Jiangxi Province, that was the site of a mine from which kaolin clay (高嶺土 gāo lǐng tǔ) was taken to make the fine porcelain produced in Jingde. |
| Keemun | Cantonese | 祁門 | kei mun | tea from Qimen in China |
| Ketchup | Hokkien (Amoy) | 茄汁 | In the 17th century, the Chinese mixed a concoction of pickled fish and spices and called it (in the Amoy dialect) kôe-chiap or kê-chiap (鮭汁) meaning the brine of pickled fish (鮭, salmon; 汁, juice) or shellfish. By the early 18th century, the sauce had made it to the Malay states (present day Malaysia and Singapore), where it was later discovered by English explorers. That word then gradually evolved into the English word “ketchup”, and was taken to the American colonies by English settlers. | |
| Koan | Sino-Japanese | 公案 | kōan | From Chinese 公案 (Mandarin gōng’àn), lit. public record |
| Kowtow | Cantonese | 叩頭 | kau tau | lit. knock head |
| Kumquat or cumquat | Cantonese | 柑橘 | gam gwat | Name for tangerines |
| Kung fu | Cantonese | 功夫 | gung fu | the English term to collectively describe Chinese martial arts, lit. efforts |
| Lo mein | Cantonese | 撈麵 | lou min | literally scooped noodle |
| Longan | Cantonese | 龍眼 | lung ngaan | name of the fruit, literally “Dragon’s eye” |
| Long time no see | Mandarin | 好久不見 | Hǎo Jiǔ Bù Jiàn | a common greeting literally translated |
| Loquat | Cantonese | 蘆橘 | lou gwat | old name of the fruit |
| Lychee | Cantonese | 荔枝 | lai ji | name of the fruit |
| Mao-tai or moutai | Mandarin | 茅台酒 | máotái jiǔ | liquor from Maotai (Guizhou province) |
| Mahjong | Cantonese | 麻將 | ma jeung | lit. the mahjong game |
| Monsoon | Cantonese | 滿水 | mun seoi | lit. full of water |
| Mu shu | Mandarin | 木須 | mùxū | lit. wood shredded pork |
| Nankeen | Mandarin | 南京 | Nán Jīng | Durable cotton, buff-colored cloth originally made in the city Nanjing (Nánjīng, previously romanized as Nanking). |
| No can do | Literal translation | 唔可以 (Cantonese); 不可以 (Mandarin) | m4 ho2yi5, or Bù kěyǐ | Literal translation of no [3] Though more likely a literal translation from mandarin 不能做 bù néng zùo, literally “no can do”. |
| Nunchaku | Hokkien (Taiwan/Fujian) | 雙節棍 / 兩節棍 | nng-chat-kun | Via Okinawan Japanese, lit. double jointed sticks |
| Oolong | Hokkien (Amoy) | 烏龍 | oo liong | lit. dark dragon |
| Pai gow | Cantonese | 排九 | paai gau | a gambling game |
| Paper tiger | Literal translation | 纸老虎 | zhǐlǎohǔ | “Paper tiger” is a literal English translation of the Chinese phrase zhǐlǎohǔ (纸老虎／紙老虎). The term refers to something or someone that claims or appears to be powerful or threatening, but is actually ineffectual and unable to withstand challenge. The expression became well known internationally as a slogan used by Mao Zedong, leader of the People’s Republic of China, against his political opponents, particularly the U.S. government. |
| Pekin | Cantonese | 北京 | bak ging | Cantonese name for Beijing |
| Pidgin | Mandarin | 皮钦语 | pí qīn yǔ | a language used for communication between people not sharing a common language, made in an effort to communicate better |
| Pinyin | Mandarin | 拼音 | pīnyīn | lit. put together sounds; spelled-out sounds. |
| Pekoe | Hokkien (Amoy) | 白毫 | pe̍khô | lit. white downy hair |
| Pongee | Cantonese | 本機 | lit. our own loom, homespun, and so a kind of thin silk | |
| Pu’er or puerh | Mandarin | 普洱 | pǔ’ěr | Type of tea, named after a city in China |
| Qi | Mandarin | 氣 | qì | air |
| Qipao | Mandarin | 旗袍 | qípáo | lit. Manchurian dress. Manchurian ethnic female clothing |
| Ramen | Sino-Japanese | 拉麵 | rāmen (lāmiàn) | The word for Japanese noodle (Japanese ラーメン, rāmen) uses the sound from the Chinese pronunciation of the characters, which means pulled noodle. Ramen refers to a particular style flavored to Japanese taste and is somewhat different from Chinese lamian. |
| Rickshaw | Sino-Japanese | 人力車 | rénlìchē | A Japanese neologism, jinrikisha (c. 1887) composed of Chinese elements 人 (rén/jin) “human,” 力 (lì/riki) “power,” and 車 (chē/sha) “vehicle.” |
| Sampan | Cantonese | 舢舨 | saan baan | the name of such vessel. |
| Shanghai | Mandarin | 上海 | shànghǎi | city of Shanghai, used as slang, meaning: to put someone aboard a ship by trickery or intoxication; to put someone in a bad situation or press someone into work by trickery. From an old practice of using this method to acquire sailors for voyages to Shanghai. |
| Shantung | Mandarin | 山東 | shāndōng | “shantung” (or sometimes “Shantung”) is a wild silk fabric made from the silk of wild silkworms and is usually undyed. |
| Shaolin | Mandarin | 少林 | shàolín | One of the most important Kungfu clans. |
| Shar Pei | Cantonese | 沙皮 | sa pei | lit. sand skin. |
| Shih Tzu | Taiwanese Mandarin | 獅子狗 | shih tzu kou | lit. lion child dog (Chinese lion) |
| Shogun | Sino-Japanese | 將軍 | lit. general (of) military. The full title in Japanese was Seii Taishōgun (征夷大将軍), “generalissimo who overcomes the barbarians” | |
| Siu mai | Cantonese | 燒賣 | siu maai | pork dumplings, lit. to cook and sell |
| Sifu | Cantonese | 師傅 | si fu | master. |
| Souchong | Cantonese | 小種茶 | siu jung cha | lit. small kind tea |
| Soy | Sino-Japanese | 醬油 | Japanese pronunciation of shoyu | |
| Tai Chi | Mandarin | 太極 | tàijí | T’ai chi “Great Ultimate” or T’ai Chi Ch’üan, usually miswritten as Tai Chi Chuan, a form of physical discipline, from Mandarin 太極拳, lit, “Great Ultimate (fist =) Fighting.” |
| Tai-Pan | Cantonese | 大班 | daai baan | lit. big rank (similar to big shot) |
| Tangram | Compound word | 唐 | tang | from Tang + English gram |
| Tao/Dao and Taoism/Daoism | Mandarin | 道 | dào | Hybrid word from “way; path” and -ism suffix |
| Tea | Hokkien | 茶 | tê | Most European languages called te/tea where tea came from Amoy port. Many others call it cha the Mandarin pronunciation where tea came via the Silk Road. |
| Tofu | Sino-Japanese | 豆腐 | The Japanese pronunciation tōfu from Mandarin pronunciation dòufu. | |
| Tong | Cantonese | 堂 | tong | |
| Tung oil | Cantonese | 桐油 | tung yau | oil extracted from nuts of the tong tree |
| Tycoon | Sino-Japanese | 大君 | lit. great nobleman | |
| Typhoon | Hokkien (Taiwanese) or Cantonese or Mandarin | 颱風 | thai-hong (usu. hong-thai in Taiwanese now); toi fung (Cantonese) | lit. The wind that comes from Taiwan. not to be confused with the monster: typhon. |
| Wok | Cantonese | 鑊 | wok | lit. boiler or cauldron |
| Wonton | Cantonese | 雲吞 | wan tan | homophonous word in Cantonese of the original term “餛飩” wan tan, húntún lit. ‘cloud swallow’ as a description of its shape |
| Wushu | Mandarin | 武術 | wǔshù | lit. martial arts |
| Wuxia | Mandarin | 武俠 | wǔxiá | lit. martial arts and chivalrous |
| Yamen | Mandarin | 衙門 | yámén | lit. court |
| Yen | Cantonese | 癮 | yan | Craving: lit. addiction (to opium) |
| Yen (Japanese currency) | Sino-Japanese | 圓 | en | from Chinese 圓, lit. round, name of currency unit |
| Yin Yang | Mandarin | 陰陽 | yīnyáng | ‘Yin’ meaning feminine, dark and ‘Yang’ meaning masculine and bright |
| Yuanfen | Mandarin or Vietnamese | 緣分 | lit. fateful coincidence; similar to karma although interactive instead of individual and similar to predestination without the divine implications. | |
| Zen | Sino-Japanese | 禪 | chán | from Chinese 禪, originally from Sanskrit ध्यान Dhyāna / Pali झन jhāna. |
By Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_English_words_of_Chinese_origin
Translation Manager
Eva has 6 years of experience working as a News Editor and 5 years as a freelance copywriter. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English from the Guangdong University of Foreign Studies and a master’s degree in applied Linguistics from the University of Melbourne.