How to pronounce Chinese
Say it like chy-NEEZ. Chinese has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the second one (NEEZ).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce Chinese. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- chy
- NEEZ
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Chinese pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- chyKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the "i" in time.
- NEEZSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ee" in see.
American vs British pronunciation of Chinese
American and British speakers say Chinese in essentially the same way: /tʃaɪˈniz/ in the US and /tʃaɪˈniːz/ in the UK.
British respelling: chy-NEEZ.
What does Chinese mean?
- of or pertaining to China or its peoples or cultures“Chinese food”
- of or relating to or characteristic of the island republic on Taiwan or its residents or their language“the Taiwanese capital is Taipeh”
- any of the Sino-Tibetan languages spoken in China; regarded as dialects of a single language (even though they are mutually unintelligible) because they share an ideographic writing system
- a native or inhabitant of Communist China or of Nationalist China
Words that rhyme with Chinese
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of Chinese.
Questions about saying Chinese
How do you pronounce Chinese?
Say chy-NEEZ. The American pronunciation is /tʃaɪˈniz/. In British English it is /tʃaɪˈniːz/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in Chinese?
Chinese has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the second one (NEEZ). Broken into parts: chy · NEEZ.
Do Americans and Brits say Chinese the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /tʃaɪˈniz/ and the British form is /tʃaɪˈniːz/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.