chino
/ˈt͡ʃino/masculine
The Spanish word for Chinese is chino.
chino refers to the standard language of China. When you want to specifically refer to Chinese food, you use the phrase comida china.
Meaning: the standard language of China (name)
Which one should you use?
Use chino for a male or a masculine noun, and china for a female or a feminine noun. For a group of Chinese people or multiple masculine/mixed-gender objects, use the masculine plural chinos. For a group of Chinese women or multiple feminine objects, use the feminine plural chinas.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To refer to 'the Chinese' as a collective group or a people, use the masculine plural form with an article: los chinos.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈtʃino/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not capitalize the word chino in the middle of a sentence. Unlike English, nationalities and languages in Spanish are not capitalized unless they begin a sentence.
Did you know?
- While chino means 'Chinese', the phrase hacerse el chino can be used colloquially to mean 'to pretend not to understand' or 'to play dumb'.
- In some contexts, chino does not refer to China but comes from the Kichwa and Quechua word for 'servant girl'.
- In some Latin American regions, chino or china can be used as a term of endearment for a child or a young person.
Examples in context
- Liu Xiaobo es chino.Liu Xiaobo is Chinese.This sentence uses chino to identify a person's nationality.Tatoeba #1508792 by marcelostockle, translation #826728 by CN
- El profesor es chino.The teacher is Chinese.This sentence uses chino to describe a person's nationality.Tatoeba #1190131 by marcelostockle, translation #1098150 by cntrational
- Santa Claus es chino.Santa Claus is Chinese.Tatoeba #1329115 by marcelostockle, translation #1321239 by rul
- El embajador chino visitará el país esta semana.The Chinese ambassador will visit the country this week.
- La comerciante es una ciudadana china que trabaja en mi barrio.The shopkeeper is a Chinese citizen who works in my neighborhood.
- Mi vecino es chino pero nació y creció aquí en España.My neighbor is Chinese, but he was born and raised here in Spain.
- 220 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alejandro and Elena are discussing a new restaurant in town.
- Alejandro¿Te gusta el restaurante chino?Do you like the Chinese restaurant?
- ElenaSí, la comida es muy buena.Yes, the food is very good.
- AlejandroElena, ¿quieres pedir algo chino hoy?Elena, do you want to order something Chinese today?
- ElenaNo, prefiero comer algo mexicano.No, I prefer to eat something Mexican.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “chinese” translations and entries chino, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries chino, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
