кита́йский
kitájskijmasculine
Chinese in Russian, meaning the language, is кита́йский (kitájskij) or in full кита́йский язы́к. If unsure, use кита́йский.
Meaning: the standard language of China (name)
Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| кита́йский | kitájskij | masculine |
| кита́йский язы́к | kitájskij jazýk | masculine |
Я изуча́ю кита́йский язы́к. means I am studying Chinese. To say in Chinese, use на кита́йском, as when you have a book in Chinese.
Which one should you use?
ха́ньский refers specifically to the Han ethnic group and their culture. Chinese food is кита́йская ку́хня.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
кита́йский is a masculine adjective, matching the masculine noun язы́к. It changes with its noun, as in кита́йская ку́хня. A Chinese man is a separate noun, seen in влюблена́ в кита́йца, in love with a Chinese man.
How do you pronounce it?
Following the romanization kitájskij, the stress falls on the second syllable.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Russian does not capitalize кита́йский unless it starts a sentence.
Did you know?
- The word кита́йский is derived from Китай, which historians believe may have come from the name of the Khitan people, a nomadic group that once ruled northern China.
- To say 'in Chinese', Russians use the preposition на, which is the same word used to describe an object being 'on' a surface.
- While кита́йский is used for the language and things from China, the word for a Chinese person differs by gender: a man is a кита́ец and a woman is a кита́йка.
Examples in context
- Я учу кита́йский в университете.Ya uchu kitayskiy v universitete.I am studying Chinese at the university.
- Его кита́йский почти идеальный.Yego kitayskiy pochti ideal'nyy.His Chinese is almost perfect.
- Этот кита́йский текст очень сложный.Etot kitayskiy tekst ochen' slozhnyy.This Chinese text is very difficult.
Example conversation
Sergey and Maria are discussing their language studies at a cafe.
- Сергей SergeyМария, ты учишь кита́йский?Mariya, ty uchish' kitayskiy?Maria, are you studying Chinese?
- Мария MariaДа, Сергей, это очень интересно.Da, Sergey, eto ochen' interesno.Yes, Sergey, it is very interesting.
- Сергей SergeyТвой кита́йский звучит очень хорошо.Tvoy kitayskiy zvuchit ochen' khorosho.Your Chinese sounds very good.
- Мария MariaСпасибо, я ещё только начинаю.Spasibo, ya yeshcho tol'ko nachinayu.Thank you, I am only just starting.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “chinese” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
