月 - Month

Today's Chinese word of the day is 月 which means month.

In Mandarin 月 is pronounced Yuè and also means moon.
這個月結束了 Zhège yuè jiéshùle - This month is over

年 - Year

Yesterday's Chinese word of the day is 年 which means year.

In Mandarin 年 is pronounced Nián.
新年快樂 Xīnnián kuàilè - Happy new year.

舊 - Old

Today's Chinese word of the day is 舊 which means old.

In Mandarin 舊 is pronounced Jiù.
我的舊書是紅色的 Wǒ de jiùshū shì hóngsè de - My old book is red

新 - New

Today's Chinese word of the day is 新 which means new.

In Mandarin 新 is pronounced Xīn.
新東西很有趣 Xīn dōngxi hěn yǒuqù - New stuff is so fun.

筷子 - Chopsticks

Today's (late) Chinese word of the day is 筷子 which means chopsticks.

In Mandarin 筷子 is pronounced Kuàizi.
As I ate my Panda Express this evening I thought I better make this the word of the day.
我可以有一些筷子 Wǒ kěyǐ yǒu yīxiē kuàizi - May I have some chopsticks.

返回 - Return

Today's Chinese word of the day is 返回 which means to return.

In Mandarin 返回 is pronounced fǎnhuí.
我可以返回這個 Wǒ kěyǐ fǎnhuí zhège - May I return this?

聖誕節 - Christmas

Today's Chinese word of the day is 聖誕節 which means Christmas.

In Mandarin 聖誕節 is pronounced Shèngdàn jié.
聖誕節快樂 Shèngdàn jié kuàilè - Merry Christmas

聖誕前夕 - Christmas eve

Yesterday's Chinese word of the day was 聖誕前夕 which means Christmas Eve.

In Mandarin 聖誕前夕 is pronounced shèngdàn qiánxī.
昨天是聖誕前夕 Zuótiān shì shèngdàn qiánxī - Yesterday was Christmas Eve.

快樂 - Happy

Today's Chinese word of the day is 快樂 which means happy.

In Mandarin 快樂 is pronounced Kuàilè.
祝你生日快樂 Zhù nǐ shēngrì kuàilè - Happy birthday to you

本星期 - This week

Today's Chinese word of the day is 本星期 which means this week.

In Mandarin 本星期 is pronounced Běn xīngqí.
本星期我們慶祝 Běn xīngqí wǒmen qìngzhù - This week we celebrate.

上個星期 - Last week

Today's Chinese word of the day is 上個星期 which means last week.

In Mandarin 上個星期 is pronounced Shàng gè xīngqí.
上個星期我們完成購物 Shàng gè xīngqí wǒmen wánchéng gòuwù - Last week we finished shopping.

下個星期 - Next week

Today's Chinese word of the day is 下個星期 which means next week.

In Mandarin 下個星期 is pronounced Xià gè xīngqí.
下個星期我們會去家庭 Xià gè xīngqí wǒmen huì qù jiātíng - Next week we will visit family

明天 - Tomorrow

Today's Chinese word of the day is 明天 which means tomorrow.

In Mandarin 明天 is pronounced Míngtiān.
明天會比今天好 Míngtiān huì bǐ jīntiān hǎo - Tomorrow will be better than today.

今天 - Today

Today's Chinese word of the day is 今天 which means today.

In Mandarin 今天 is pronounced Jīntiān.
今天我沒有忘記寫 Jīntiān wǒ méiyǒu wàngjì xiě - Today I didn't forget to write

昨天 - Yesterday

Yesterday's Chinese word of the day is 昨天 which means yesterday.

In Mandarin 昨天 is pronounced Zuótiān.
昨天我忘了寫 Zuótiān wǒ wàngle xiě - Yesterday I forgot to write

十二月 - December

Today's Chinese word of the day is 十二月 which means December.

In Mandarin 十二月 is pronounced Shí'èr yuè and literally means twelve month.
十二月是這麼冷 Shí'èr yuè shì zhème lěng - December is so cold

假日 - Holiday

Today's Chinese word of the day is 假日 which means holiday.

In Mandarin 假日 is pronounced Jiàrì.
我喜歡和我的家人度假 Wǒ xǐhuan hé wǒ de jiārén dùjià - I enjoy spending holidays with my family.

聚會 - Party/gathering

Today's Chinese word of the day is 聚會 which means party or gathering.

In Mandarin 聚會 is pronounced jùhuì.
我喜歡去冬天聚會 Wǒ xǐhuān qù dōngtiān jùhuì - I like to go to winter parties.

家庭 - Family

Today's Chinese word of the day is 家庭 which means family.

In Mandarin 家庭 is pronounced Jiātíng.
我喜歡在冬天看到我的整個家庭 Wǒ xǐhuān zài dōngtiān kàn dào wǒ de zhěnggè jiātíng - I like to see my whole family in the winter

雲彩 - Cloud

Today's Chinese word of the day is 雲彩 which means cloud.

In Mandarin 雲彩 is pronounced Yúncai.
今天的雲彩是黑暗的 Jīntiān de yúncai shì hēi'àn de - The clouds are dark today.

雪橇 - sled

Today's Chinese word of the day is 雪橇 which means sled.

In Mandarin 雪橇 is pronounced Xuěqiāo.
昨天下了這麼多，我騎我的雪橇工作 Zuótiān xiàle zhème duō, wǒ qí wǒ de xuěqiāo gōngzuò - Yesterday it snowed so much I rode my sled to work.

雨 - Rain

Today's Chinese word of the day is 雨 which means rain.

In Mandarin 雨 is pronounced Yǔ.
雨讓我傷心 Yǔ ràng wǒ shāngxīn - Rain makes me sad

雪 - Snow

Today's Chinese word of the day is 雪 which means snow.

In Mandarin 雪 is pronounced Xuě.
我喜歡在雪地裡玩 Wǒ xǐhuān zài xuě dì lǐ wán - I like to play in the snow

和平 - Peace

Today's Chinese word of the day is 和平 which means peace.

In Mandarin 和平 is pronounced Hépíng.
我需要在家裡有一些和平 Wǒ xūyào zài jiālǐ yǒu yīxiē hépíng - I need some peace at home.

喝水 - Drink water

Today's Chinese word of the day is 喝水 which means drink water.

In Mandarin 喝水 is pronounced Hē shuǐ.
一定要在冬天喝水 Yīdìng yào zài dōngtiān hē shuǐ - Be sure to drink water in the winter

冰 - Ice

Today's Chinese word of the day is 冰 which means ice.

In Mandarin 冰 is pronounced Bīng.
我可以喝冰在我的飲料嗎？ Wǒ kěyǐ hē bīng zài wǒ de yǐnliào ma? - Can I have ice in my drink please?

冬天 - Winter

Today's Chinese word of the day is 冬天 which means winter.

In Mandarin 冬天 is pronounced Dōngtiān.
冬天很冷 Dōngtiān hěn lěng - Winter is cold

長褲 - Pants

Today's Chinese word of the day is 長褲 which means long pants.

In Mandarin 長褲 is pronounced Cháng kù.
我只在冬天穿長褲 Wǒ zhǐ zài dōngtiān chuān cháng kù - I only wear long pants in the winter.

As was pointed out to me yesterday the more common way to say pants is 褲子 which is pronounced kùzi.

毛衣 - Sweater

Today's Chinese word of the day is 毛衣 which means sweater.

In Mandarin 毛衣 is pronounced Máoyī.
我的毛衣是溫暖，但是醜陋 Wǒ de máoyī shì wēnnuǎn, dànshì chǒulòu - My sweater is warm but it is ugly.

襪子 - Socks

Today's Chinese word of the day is 襪子 which means socks.

In Mandarin 襪子 is pronounced Wàzi.
我只在冬天穿襪子 Wǒ zhǐ zài dōngtiān chuān wàzi - I only wear socks in the winter.

冬帽 - Winter hat

Today's Chinese word of the day is 冬帽 which means a winter hat.

In Mandarin 冬帽 is pronounced dōng mào.
我會穿我的冬帽，因為它很冷 Wǒ huì chuān wǒ de dōng mào, yīnwèi tā hěn lěng - I'll wear my winder hat because it's so cold.

靴子 - boots

Today's Chinese word of the day is 靴子 which means boots.

In Mandarin 靴子 is pronounced Xuēzi.
我在雪地裡穿靴子 Wǒ zài xuě dì lǐ chuān xuēzi - I wear boots in the snow.

手套 - Gloves

Today's Chinese word of the day is 手套 which means gloves.

In Mandarin 手套 is pronounced Shǒutào.
我需要我的手套 Wǒ xūyào wǒ de shǒutào - I need my gloves

外套 - Coat

Today's Chinese word of the day is 外套 which means coat.

In Mandarin 外套 is pronounced Wàitào.
我会穿我的外套 Wǒ huì chuān wǒ de wàitào - I will wear my coat.

溫暖 - Warm

Today's Chinese word of the day is 温暖 which means warm.

In Mandarin 温暖 is pronounced Wēnnuǎn.

週末 - Weekend

Today's Chinese word of the day is 週末 which means weekend.

In Mandarin 週末 is pronounced Zhōumò.
這個週末會很有趣 Zhège zhōumò huì hěn yǒuqù - This weekend will be interesting.

剩菜 - leftovers

Today's Chinese word of the day is 剩菜 which means leftovers.

In Mandarin 剩菜 is pronounced Shèng cài.

感谢 - Grattitude

Today's Chinese word of the day is 感谢 which means grattitude or thanks.

In Mandarin 感谢 is pronounced Gǎnxiè.
我很感謝你 Wǒ hěn gǎnxiè nǐ - I am thankful for you.

晚上 - Night time/evening

Today's Chinese word of the day is 晚上 which means night time or evening.

In Mandarin 晚上 is pronounced wǎnshàng.
我們在晚上9點睡覺 Wǒmen zài wǎnshàng 9 diǎn shuìjiào - We go to sleep at 9pm.

中午 - Noon

Today's Chinese word of the day is 中午 which means noon.

In Mandarin 中午 is pronounced Zhōngwǔ.
中 zhōng means middle. 午 wǔ means mid day.

早上 - Morning

Today's Chinese word of the day is 早上 which means morning.

In Mandarin 早上 is pronounced Zǎoshang.
早 zǎo means morning and 上 shang means top. So morning is "top of the morning"

晚餐 - Dinner

Today's Chinese word of the day is 晚餐 which means dinner.

In Mandarin 晚餐 is pronounced Wǎncān.
來參加我們的晚餐明天 Lái cānjiā wǒmen de wǎncān míngtiān - Come join us for dinner tomorrow.

午餐 - Lunch

Today's Chinese word of the day is 午餐 which means lunch.

In Mandarin 午餐 is pronounced Wǔcān.
沒有免費午餐 Méiyǒu miǎnfèi wǔcān - There's no free lunch.

早餐 - Breakfast

Today's Chinese word of the day is 早餐 which means breakfast.

In Mandarin 早餐 is pronounced Zǎocān.
早 zǎo means morning. 餐 cān means meal.
我喜歡吃早餐 Wǒ xǐhuān chī zǎocān - I like to eat breakfast

火雞 - Turkey

Today's Chinese word of the day is 火雞 which means turkey.

In Mandarin 火雞 is pronounced Huǒ jī.
火 huǒ means fire, 雞 jī means chicken. Turkeys are fire chickens.

土豆 - Potato

Today's Chinese word of the day is 土豆 which means potato.

In Mandarin 土豆 is pronounced Tǔdòu.
土 tǔ means earth and 豆 dòu means bean. So potatoes are the beans of the earth.
讓我們煮一些土豆 Ràng wǒmen zhǔ yīxiē tǔdòu - Lets cook some potatoes

肉汁 - Gravy

Today's Chinese word of the day is 肉汁 which means gravy.

In Mandarin 肉汁 is pronounced Ròuzhī.
肉 Ròu means meat, and 汁 zhī means juice. So gravy is meat juice.
請通過肉汁 Qǐng tōngguò ròuzhī - Please pass the gravy.

南瓜餅 - Pumpkin pie

Today's Chinese word of the day is 南瓜餅 which means pumpkin pie.

In Mandarin 南瓜餅 is pronounced Nánguā bǐng.
我喜歡吃南瓜餅 Wǒ xǐhuān chī nánguā bǐng - I like to eat pumpkin pie.

蔓越莓 - Cranberry

Today's Chinese word of the day is 蔓越莓 which means cranberry.

In Mandarin 蔓越莓 is pronounced Màn yuè méi.
我愛蔓越莓汁 Wǒ ài màn yuè méi zhī - I love cranberry juice

星期六 - Saturday

Today's Chinese word of the day is 星期六 which means Saturday.

In Mandarin 星期六 is pronounced Xīngqíliù.
好的是星期六 Hǎo de shì xīngqíliù - Good, it's saturday.

星期五 - Friday

Today's Chinese word of the day is 星期五 which means Friday.

In Mandarin 星期五 is pronounced Xīngqíwǔ.
今天星期五 Jīntiān xīngqíwǔ - Today is friday.

星期四 - Thursday

Today's Chinese word of the day is 星期四 which means Thursday.

In Mandarin 星期四 is pronounced Xīngqísì and literally means day 4.
星期四是最好的 Xīngqísì shì zuì hǎo de - Thursdays are the best.

星期三 - Wednesday

Today's Chinese word of the day is 星期三 which means wednesday.

In Mandarin 星期三 is pronounced Xīngqísān.
好，我星期三去了 Hǎo, wǒ xīngqísān qùle - Good, I made it to wednesday.

星期二 - Tuesday

Today's Chinese word of the day is 星期二 which means Tuesday.

In Mandarin 星期二 is pronounced Xīngqí'èr.
Yes, in China Monday is the first day of the week, Tuesday the second, saturday the 6th etc. Only Sunday has a different name.
我永遠不會得到星期四的掛 Wǒ yǒngyuǎn bù huì dédào xīngqísì de guà means I'll never get the hang of Tuesdays.

星期一 - Monday

Today's Chinese word of the day is 星期一 which means Monday.

In Mandarin 星期一 is pronounced Xīngqí yī.
我討厭星期一 Wǒ tǎoyàn xīngqí yī - I hate mondays.

星期天 - Sunday

Today's Chinese word of the day is 星期天 which means Sunday.

In Mandarin 星期天 is pronounced Xīngqítiān.

冷 - Cold

Today's Chinese word of the day is 冷 which means cold.

In Mandarin 冷 is pronounced Lěng.
天氣變冷了 Tiānqì biàn lěngle - The weather is getting cold

樹葉 - Leaf

Today's Chinese word of the day is 樹葉 which means leaf.

In Mandarin 樹葉 is pronounced Shùyè.
樹 Shù means tree, 葉 yè means leaf or petal.
秋葉如此美麗 Qiūyè rúcǐ měilì - Autumn leaves are so beautiful

蘋果 - Apple

Today's Chinese word of the day is 蘋果 which means apple.

In Mandarin 蘋果 is pronounced Píngguǒ.
這些蘋果是美味的 Zhèxiē píngguǒ shì měiwèi de - These apples are delicious

十一月 - November

Today's Chinese word of the day is 十一月 which means November.

In Mandarin 十一月 is pronounced Shíyī yuè.
Yes those are the characters for eleven, then moon. In Chinese, months are moons and which month is indicated by a number.
十一月是秋天的最後一個月 Shíyī yuè shì qiūtiān de zuìhòu yīgè yuè - November is the last month of autumn.

秋天 - Fall/Autumn

Today's Chinese word of the day is 秋天 which means fall or autumn.

In Mandarin 秋天 is pronounced Qiūtiān.
我最喜歡的季節是秋天 Wǒ zuì xǐhuān de jìjié shì qiūtiān - My favorite season is fall

萬聖節快樂 - Happy Halloween

Today's Chinese word of the day is 萬聖節快樂 which means happy halloween.

In Mandarin 萬聖節快樂 is pronounced Wànshèngjié kuàilè.

夜 - night

Today's Chinese word of the day is 夜 which means night.

In Mandarin 夜 is pronounced yè.
這是黑暗的夜晚 Zhè shì hēi'àn de yèwǎn means It's a dark night.

糖果- Candy

Today's Chinese word of the day is 糖果 which means candy.

In Mandarin 糖果 is pronounced Tángguǒ.
糖 Táng means sugar or sweet 果 guǒ means fruit. So candy is sweet fruit.
我想要糖果 Wǒ xiǎng yào tángguǒ means I want candy.

火 - Fire

Today's Chinese word of the day is 火 which means fire.

In Mandarin 火 is pronounced Huǒ.
那房子是火 Nà fángzi shì huǒ - That house is on fire!

月亮- Moon

Today's Chinese word of the day is 月亮 which means moon.

In Mandarin 月亮 is pronounced yuèliàng.
今晚的月亮很明亮 Jīn wǎn de yuèliàng hěn míngliàng - Tonights moon is very bright.

貓 - Cat

Today's Chinese word of the day is 貓 which means cat.

In Mandarin 貓 is pronounced Māo, which is also the sound a cat makes in Chinese culture.
那隻黑貓太可怕了 Nà zhī hēi māo tài kěpàle - That black cat is too scary.

公墓 - Cemetery

Today's Chinese word of the day is 公墓 which means cemetery.

In Mandarin 公墓 is pronounced Gōngmù.
我不會在黑暗後去公墓 Wǒ bù huì zài hēi'àn hòu qù Gōngmù - I won't go to the cemetery after dark.

鬼屋 - Haunted house

Today's Chinese word of the day is 鬼屋 which means haunted house.

In Mandarin 鬼屋 is pronounced Guǐwū.
鬼 Guǐ is ghost and 屋 wū is house or room.
我不會進入那個鬼屋 Wǒ bù huì jìnrù nàgè guǐwū means I will not go in that haunted house.

迷信 - Superstition

Today's Chinese word of the day is 迷信 which means superstition.

In Mandarin 迷信 is pronounced Míxìn.
迷 Mí means fan or lost and 信 xìn means belief.

天使 - Angel

Today's Chinese word of the day is 天使 which means Angel.

In Mandarin 天使 is pronounced Tiānshǐ.
天 Tiān means heaven 使 shǐ means envoy.
你看起來像天使 Nǐ kàn qǐlái xiàng tiānshǐ - You look like an angel.

稻草人 - Scarecrow

Today's Chinese word of the day is 稻草人 which means scarecrow.

In Mandarin 稻草人 is pronounced Dàocǎorén.
稻 Dào is rice or paddy, 草 cǎo is grass or straw and 人 rén is man.
那個稻草人不可怕 Nàgè dàocǎorén bù kěpà - That scarecrow isn't scary.

狼人 - Werewolf

Today's Chinese word of the day is 狼人 which means Werewolf.

In Mandarin 狼人 is pronounced Lángrén.
狼 Láng means wolf, and 人 rén means person.
我不是狼人，我只需要刮鬍子 Wǒ bùshì lángrén, wǒ zhǐ xūyào guā húzi means I'm not a werewolf, I just need to shave.

Happy Halloween.

蜘蛛 - Spider

Today's Chinese word of the day is 蜘蛛 which means spider.

In Mandarin 蜘蛛 is pronounced Zhīzhū.
那隻蜘蛛吃了所有的蒼蠅 Nà zhī zhīzhū chīle suǒyǒu de cāngyíng - That spider ate all the flies

生活 - Life

Today's Chinese word of the day is 生活 which means life.

In Mandarin 生活 is pronounced Shēnghuó.
我愛我的生活 Wǒ ài wǒ de shēnghuó means I love my life.

死亡 - Death

Today's Chinese word of the day is 死亡 which means death.

In Mandarin 死亡 is pronounced Sǐwáng.
Because 死 Sǐ and 四 Sì sound the same (but have a different tone) The number four is unlucky in Chinese culture. Even to the point that many buildings don't have a fourth floor but skip from 3rd to 5th.
我不怕死亡 Wǒ bùpà sǐwáng means I don't fear death.

骨架 - Skeleton

Today's Chinese word of the day is 骨架 which means skeleton.

In Mandarin 骨架 is pronounced Gǔjià.
骨 Gǔ is bone, 架 jià is frame. So skeleton is a frame of bones.
你像骨架一樣瘦 Nǐ xiàng gǔjià yīyàng shòu - You are as thin as a skeleton.

精神 - Spirit

Today's Chinese word of the day is 精神 which means spirit.

In Mandarin 精神 is pronounced Jīngshén.
精 Jīng means essence. 神 shén means God.
So in Chinese spirit is the essence of God.

南瓜 - Pumpkin

Today's Chinese word of the day is 南瓜 which means pumpkin.

In Mandarin 南瓜 is pronounced Nánguā.
南 Nán means south, 瓜 guā means melon.
I'm not sure why pumpkins are the melons of the south in chinese, maybe they grow more in southern China?

蝙蝠 - Bat

Today's Chinese word of the day is 蝙蝠.

In Mandarin 蝙蝠 is pronounced Biānfú.
蝙蝠在月亮下飛行 Biānfú zài yuèliàng xià fēixíng means the bat flew under the moon.
月亮 yuèliàng is moon.
飛行 fēixíng is fly.

巫婆 - Witch

Today's Chinese word of the day is 巫婆 which means Witch.

In Mandarin 巫婆 is pronounced Wūpó.
那個女巫把我變成了一個蠑螈 Nàgè nǚwū bǎ wǒ biànchéngle yīgè róng yuán means That witch turned me into a newt.
那個 Nàgè means that (useful when pointing at what you would like to buy at a market).
變成了 biànchéngle the first character is change the second character is become, the last character makes it past tense.

怪物 - Monster

Today's Chinese word of the day is 怪物 which means monster.

In Mandarin 怪物 is pronounced Guàiwù.
The first character 怪 Guài means strange. The second character 物 wù means thing.
什麼是那個怪物 Shénme shì nàgè guàiwù means What is that monster?

殭屍 - Zombie

Today's Chinese word of the day is 殭屍 which means zombie.

In Mandarin 殭屍 is pronounced Jiāngshī.
你看起來像一個殭屍 Nǐ kàn qǐlái xiàng yīgè jiāngshī means You look like a zombie.

餓鬼 - Ghoul

Today's Chinese word of the day is 餓鬼 which means ghoul.

In Mandarin 餓鬼 is pronounced È guǐ.
The first character 餓 È means hungry. The second character 鬼 guǐ means ghost.
So ghoul is literally a hungry ghost.
餓死了 Èsǐle means I'm starving. The second character there means death, so it's literally I'm hungry to death.

吸血鬼 - Vampire

Today's Chinese word of the day is 吸血鬼 which means vampire.

In Mandarin 吸血鬼 is pronounced Xīxuèguǐ.
The first character 吸 Xī means suck. The second character 血 xuè means blood. And the third 鬼 guǐ means ghost.
爱德华是一个很好的吸血鬼 Àidéhuá shì yīgè hěn hǎo de xīxuèguǐ means "Edward was a good vampire."

鬼 - Ghost

Today's Chinese word of the day is 鬼 which means ghost.

In Mandarin 鬼 is pronounced Guǐ.
Notice that 鬼 Guǐ is the second character of devil. It will also be part of other words this month.

害怕 - Scared

Today's Chinese word of the day is 害怕 which means scared.

In Mandarin 害怕 is pronounced Hàipà.
我害怕的魔鬼 Wǒ hàipà de móguǐ - I'm scared of the devil (or gremlins...).

魔鬼 - Devil

Today's Chinese word of the day is 魔鬼 which means devil.

In Mandarin 魔鬼is pronounced Móguǐ.
I thought I would take a change of direction for October and focus on some words with a bit of a scary theme.
Also, does anyone remember Gremlins? Móguǐ is what the creatures are called in Chinese on the Gremlins movie.

過來 - Come here

Today's Chinese word of the day is 過來 which means come here.

In Mandarin 過來 is pronounced Guòlái.
請過來 Qǐng guòlái means please come here.

前面 - In front

Today's Chinese word of the day is 前面 which means in front.

In Mandarin 前面 is pronounced qiánmiàn.
The first character 前 qián means in front. the second character 面 miàn means surface.
我在你前面 Wǒ zài nǐ qiánmiàn means I'm in front of you. So if you're leading in the dark...

後面 - Behind

Today's Chinese word of the day is 後面 which means behind.

In Mandarin 後面 is pronounced Hòumiàn.
The first character 後 Hòu means behind. the second character 面 miàn means surface.
面 miàn can be used with above/below/right/left also.
我在你後面 Wǒ zài nǐ hòumiàn means I'm behind you. So if you're in the dark...

右 - Right

Today's Chinese word of the day is 右 which means right (the direction, not the opposite of wrong).

In Mandarin 右 is pronounced Yòu.
在右邊 Zài Yòubiān means on the right.
Now if you are on your friend's right in the dark...
我在你的右邊 Wǒ zài nǐ de Yòubiān - I'm on your right. Unless of course you aren't... in which case go read yesterday's word again.

左 - Left

Today's Chinese word of the day is 左 which means left (the direction, not the past tense of go).

In Mandarin 左is pronounced Zuǒ.
在左邊 Zài zuǒbiān means on the left.
Next time you're in a dark place and your Chinese friend can't see you but can hear you you can answer:
我在你的左邊 Wǒ zài nǐ de zuǒbiān - I'm on your left. Unless of course you aren't... in which case fix that then say it.

看得懂嗎 - Can you read this?

Today's Chinese word of the day is 看得懂嗎 which means Can you read this?

In Mandarin it is pronounced Kàn de dòng ma.
The first character is to see or read. The second character is a verbal compliment which changes the degree of the read character. The third character means understanding and the last character makes it a question.

Today I thought I'd share a new idea with you all. I came up with a T-Shirt design back in 2001 when I got home from Taiwan. I wrote it on a white t-shirt and used to wear it around campus while I was in college. I got a few chuckles from the chinese speakers I walked by.
If you would like to grab one of these to wear around, I put the design up on zazzle here. EDIT: Updated the de character since I had the wrong de there...

下 - Down/beneath

Today's Chinese word of the day is 下 which means down or beneath.

In Mandarin 下 is pronounced Xià.
As with yesterday's 上 shàng today's character has the short line below the longer horizontal to indicate down or lower position.

上 - Up

Today's Chinese word of the day is 上 which means up or above.

In Mandarin 上 is pronounced shàng.
This character means up because the short line is above the long horizontal line.

回 - Return

Today's Chines word of the day is 回 which means return.

In Mandarin 回 is pronounced huí.
我回家 Wǒ huí jiā means I return home.
你回學校 Nǐ huí xuéxiào means You go back to school.

去 - Go

Today's Chinese word of the day is 去 which means go.

In Mandarin 去 is pronounced qù.
我去學校 Wǒ qù xuéxiào means I go to school.
我去睡覺 Wǒ qù shuìjiào means I got to sleep.

加油 - Add oil

Today's Chinese word of the day is 加油 which means add oil.

In Mandarin 加油 is pronounced Jiāyóu.
This not being something commonly heard in english I thought I better explain. It literally means add oil, but by oil they mean gasoline. The phrase means keep going, keep up the good work, step on it, etc. It is commonly heard when friends part ways as an encouragement.

不客氣 - You're welcome

Today's Chinese word of the day is 不客氣 which means you're welcome.

In Mandarin 不客氣 is pronounced Bù kèqì.
So after you do something nice for your Chinese neighbor and they say 谢谢 Xièxiè, you should answer 不客氣 Bù kèqì

谢谢 - Thanks

Today's Chinese word of the day is 谢谢 which means thanks.

In Mandarin 谢谢 is pronounced Xièxiè.
谢谢你是我的朋友 Xièxiè nǐ shì wǒ de péngyǒu means thank you for being my friend.
谢谢你的帮助 Xièxiè nǐ de bāngzhù means thanks for your help.

女兒 - Daughter

Today's Chinese word of the day is 女兒 which means daughter.

In Mandarin 女兒 is pronounced Nǚ'ér.
Yes, in pinyin there is an umlaut. It is pronounced the same way it is pronounced in German from what I understand.
The first character 女 Nǚ means female, while the second character 兒 ér means child or son. So daughter is a female child/son.

兒子 - Son

Today's Chinese word of the day is 兒子 which means son.

In Mandarin 兒子 is pronounced Érzi.
盧克，你是我的兒子 Lú kè, nǐ shì wǒ de érzi - Luke, you are my son. (Ok, I should have used the real quote when I did Father, but this is good enough...)

學校 - School

Today's Chinese word of the day is 學校 which means school.

In Mandarin 學校 is pronounced xuéxiào.
Note for those not familiar with pinyin pronunciation the letter x in pinyin sounds similar to the sh sound except with the teeth apart.
我在學校 Wǒ zài xuéxiào - I'm at school.
我的學校是大 Wǒ de xuéxiào shì dà - My school is big.

By the way feel free to leave me comments or e-mail me topics or words you would like me to cover in the future. Otherwise I'll just keep picking random topics at my own whim :)

在家 - At home

Today's Chinese words of the day are 在家 which mean at home.

In Mandarin 在家 is pronounced zàijiā.
I couldn't think of whether to have 在 or 家 come first today, so I decided to just put them together. It's hard to say at without saying a place and it's hard to say a place without saying at.
我在家 Wǒ zàijiā means I'm at home.

小 - Small

Today's Chinese word of the day is 小 which means small.

In Mandarin 小 is pronounced xiǎo.
Interestingly in Chinese, combining big with small to make 大小 means size.

大 - Big

Today's Chinese word of the day is 大 which means big.

In Mandarin 大 is pronounced dà.
我很大 Wǒ hěn dà - I am very big.
中國很大 Zhōngguó hěn dà - China is big.

了 - Finished

Today's Chinese word of the day is 了 which means finished.

In Mandarin 了 is pronounced le.
This character is special in that it isn't a verb in itself but marks other verbs as being past tense.
Though Chinese doesn't have conjugation it is sometimes useful to say something happened rather than is happening. To do this you use the 了 character. Usually this is used at the end of a sentence such as 我吃了 wǒ chīle meaning I ate. Compare that to 我吃 wǒ chī which means I am eating.

幾 - How old

Today's Chinese word of the day is 幾 which means how old.

In Mandarin 幾 is pronounced jǐ.
你幾歲 - nǐ jǐ suì How old are you. Yesterday we learned how to say how old we are, this is the question that triggers it.

歲 - Years old

Today's Chinese word of the day is 歲 which means years old.

In Mandarin 歲 is pronounced suì.
It's not used with 是 shì but used by itself meaning am X years old.
For example 我三十六歲 Wǒ sān shí liù suì meaning I'm 36 years old.

吃飽 - Eating (to fullness)

Today's Chinese word of the day is 吃飽 which means eat to fullness.

In Mandarin 吃飽 is pronounced chī bǎo.
It doesn't sound very useful in English but is a common question in Chinese.
吃饱了嗎 Chī bǎo le ma means Have you eaten yet.
我吃饱了 Wǒ chī bǎole means I'm full.
The first character means eat, the second means full.

美國 - America (Beautiful country)

Today's Chinese word of the day is 美國 which means America.

In mandarin 美國 is pronounced měiguó. The first character means beautiful, while the second character means country.
As with 中国人 美國 means American (as in a person from America). Note the second character is slightly different. Those are actually the same character but yesterday I got lazy and put the simplified character instead of the traditional one. I'll try to remember to always use traditional characters from now on.

中国 - China

Today's Chinese word of the day is 中国 which means China.

In Mandarin 中国 is pronounced zhōngguó. Note for anyone not familiar with pinyin the zh is pronounced similarly to a J but with your tongue further back in your mouth.
The first character 中 zhōng means middle and the second character 国 guó means country. China's name for itself is middle country.
中国 can be used with 人 to make 中国人 zhōngguó rén meaning Chinese man or Chinese person.
我是中国人 Wǒ shì zhōngguó rén - I am a Chinese person.
我不是一個中國人 Wǒ bùshì yīgè zhōngguó rén - I am not a Chinese man.

七八九十 - Seven, eight, nine and ten

Today's chinese words of the day are 七八九十 which mean seven, eight, nine and ten respectively.

In mandarin 七八九十 are pronounced qī bā jiǔ shí.
To wrap up numbers I thought we should finish with the last four numbers. With these all numbers from 1 to 99 can be formed.
To say eleven you simply say 十一 shíyī "ten one". Twelve is 十二 shí'èr. And so on.
Fourty two is 四十二 sìshí'èr "four ten two".
With that you should be able to make all combinations to count from 1 to 99.

兩 - The other "two"

Today's Chinese word of the day is 兩 which means two.

In mandarin 兩 is pronounced liǎng.
Two is a bit different in chinese, there is 二 (Èr) which is used when counting as in 一二三 one, two three, yī èr sān and 兩 liǎng which is used when saying there are two of something.
兩個人 liǎng gè rén which means "two people".
兩個朋友 liǎng gè péngyǒu which means "two friends".

個 - Counting

Today's Chinese word of the day is 個 which is used with number words when counting.

In Mandarin 個 is pronounced gè.
一個人 yīgèrén means "one man".
我有三個朋友 wǒ yǒusān gè péngyǒu means "I have three friends".

四五六 - Four five six

Today's chinese words of the day are 四五六 which mean four, five, and six.

Discontinuing the pattern started yesterday with one, two, three. The rest of the numbers are not simply horizontal strokes in the amount of the number.
In mandarin 四五六 are pronounced sì wǔ liù.

一 二 三 - One two three

Today's Chinese words of the day are 一 二 三 which mean one, two and three.

In Mandarin they are pronounced yī'èr sān.

工作 - Work

Today's chinese word of the day is 工作 which means work.

In mandarin 工作 is pronounced gōngzuò.
我的工作是好的 Wǒ de gōngzuò shì hǎo de - My work is good.

朋友 - Friend

Today's chinese word of the day is 朋友 which means friend.

In mandarin 朋友 is pronounced péngyǒu.
你是我的朋友 Nǐ shì wǒ de péngyǒu - You are my friend.

很多 - A lot

Today's chinese word of the day is 很多 which means a lot.

In mandarin chinese 很多 is pronounced hěnduō.
我有很多東西 Wǒ yǒu hěnduō dōngxī - I have a lot of stuff.

The first character 很 hěn means very. The second character 多 duō means many.
很 hěn can be used with 好 hǎo to mean very good 很好 Hěn hǎo.
我很好 Wǒ hěn hǎo - I'm very good.

好 - Good

Today's chinese word of the day is 好 which means good.

In mandarin chinese 好 is pronounced hǎo. Similar to the english word "how".
我好 (Wǒ hǎo) means I'm good.

再見 - Goodbye

Today's chinese word of the day is 再見 which means goodbye.

In mandarin 再見 is pronounced zàijiàn.
Note in pinyin the letter z is pronounced like a d with a z.
The literal meaning of zàijiàn is again see, as in see you again.

你好 - Hello

Today's chinese word of the day is 你好 which means hello.

In mandarin 你好 is pronounced nǐ hǎo.
It literally means "you good?" and is used as a very common greeting.
As with "how are you doing?" in english, nobody really cares if you are good or not, but uses it only as a greeting. So don't take it as a chance to explain your woes or problems to someone.

下载 - Download

Today's chinese word of the day is 下载 which means download.

In mandarin chinese 下载 is pronounced xiàzài.
Do be careful if you are clicking on any links that say this though :)

人 - Person

Today's chinese word of the day is 人 which means person.

In mandarin 人 is pronounced rén.
As with 我 你 他 and 她 (Wo, Ni, Ta, and Ta) 人 (ren) is combined with 們 (men) to make it plural meaning people 人們 (Rénmen).
人 is also a very common radical meaning it is how to find a character in a dictionary

朋友 - Friend

Today's Chinese word of the day is 朋友 which means Friend.

In Mandarin 朋友 is pronounced péngyǒu.
我是你的朋友 Wǒ shì nǐ de péngyǒu - I am your friend.

的 - Of

Today's chinese word of the day is 的 which means of.
In mandarin 的 is pronounced de. It is used to indicate ownership in addition to being the word of similar to 's in English
我的父親 (Wǒ de fùqīn) is My Father.
他們的東西 (Tāmen de Dōngxī) Their stuff.

母親 - Mother

Today's chinese word of the day is 母親 which means mother.

In mandarin 母親is pronounced Mǔqīn.
As with father there is an informal word for mother also, which is 媽媽 (māmā).

父親 - Father

Today's chinese word of the day is 父親 which means father.

In mandarin 父親 is pronounced fùqīn. Note in pinyin (using english letters to represent chinese pronunciation) the letter q is pronounced as a strong ch sound.

Another name for father is 爸爸 which is pronounced bàba and is a bit more informal. This form is more commonly used when speaking to young children. Similar to the english word daddy.

他 她 - He and She

Today's chinese words of the day are 他 and 她 which mean he and she.

In mandarin both of these words are pronounced the same way tā.
As with 我 (wo) and 你 (ni) the plural of 他 (ta) and 她 (ta) are 他們 (tamen) and 她們 (tamen) respectively both meaning they.

東西 - Stuff (east,west)

Today's chinese word of the day is 東西 which means stuff. The characters to make up stuff are the characters for east then west.

In mandarin 東西 is pronounced dōngxī.
我没有東西 (Wǒ méiyǒu dōngxī) I have no stuff.

有 - To have

Today's word of the day is 有 which means to have.

In mandarin 有 is pronounced yǒu.
As opposed to most other verbs in chinese, to negate 有 you use 沒 (méi) rather than 不. So méiyǒu not bùyǒu.

你 - You

Today's chinese word of the day is 你 which means you.

In mandarin 你 is pronounced ní.
Though chinese doesn't have conjugation of verbs it does have a plural form for 你 which is 你們 nǐmen which means you all. If you are speaking to one person you use 你 but if speaking to a group of people always use 你們.

不 - not

Todays word of the day is 不 which means not or no.
In mandarin it is pronounced bù.
不是 (búshì) - is not - can be heard by children arguing.
Its also often used to ask yes/no questions.
是不是白色的? (Shìbúshì báisède) Is it white?

我 - I/Me

Todays word of the day is one everyone should know (if not you do now) 我 which means I or me.

我 in mandarin is pronounced wǒ
When you hear someone speaking in mandarin you will hear this a few times. After all who talks without talking about themself every now and then?

愛 - Love

Today's word of the day is 愛 - Love

In mandarin 愛 is pronounced Ài. Sounds very similar to how american's pronounce the word eye.

If you see a chinese tattoo on someone it's pretty likely that this is one of the characters.
The phrase 我愛你們 (Wǒ ài nǐmen) - 'I love you all' sounds very similar to 'whiney men'.

是 - To be

Today let's take a break from colors and look at a very common word. 是 - To be.
是 is pronounced shì in mandarin. It sounds very similar to the english word 'sure'
Since mandarin has no conjugation of verbs, you'll use this word directly whenever you want to say something is, was, will be.
For example: 我是快了 - (Wo shi kuaile) - I am happy.
那是我只狗 - (Na shi wo zhi gou) - That is my dog.

紅色 - Red

Today's word of the day is 紅色 - Red.
In mandarin 紅色 is pronounced hóng sè

黄色 - Yellow

The weekend was busy, but back on track. Today's word of the day is 黄色 which means yellow.
黄 is also a very common surname. Incidentally so is 白.
黄色 in mandarin is pronounced huáng sè. As with the other colors the first character means yellow, the second character means color.

藍色 - Blue

Today's word of the day is 藍色 - Blue. My favorite color.
Blue in mandarin is pronounced lán sè.
As with the other colors lán means blue, while sè just means color.
I wonder if there are chinese words for all the colors women differentiate...

黑色 - Black

Today's word of the day is 黑色 - Black.
In mandarin it is pronounced hēisè.
Just like yesterday the first character is for the color black. The second is for the word color.

白色 - White

Today's word of the day is 白色 - White.
In mandarin you pronounce this as báisè.
Breaking it down, the first character 白 (bái) means white, the second character 色 (sè) means color.
白 (bái) is different than yesterday's 自 (zì) character because it has one less horizontal stroke.

One of the reason's I chose 白 (bái) today is to start a week of colors.

自動 - Automatic

Today's word of the day is 自動 which means automatic.
In mandarin it is pronounced zìdòng.
The reason I chose this today is that it is a useful phrase to recognize visually if you happen to play Super Mario Maker. Many japanese levels that are automatic have this in their name somewhere, so when playing you will know they are (most likely) automatic levels.
I plan to update this blog with a new chinese word every day, probably with some kind of theme each week. We'll see how it goes.