چینی
cīnī/t͡ʃiː.niː/feminine
The English word "chinese" can be translated into Urdu as چینی (cīnī).
چینی can be used as an adjective to describe anything related to China, its people, its culture or its language. It can also function as a noun to refer to a person from China or someone of Chinese descent. To specifically refer to the Chinese language in a formal context, it is common to use the phrase چینی زبان.
Meaning: the standard language of China (name)
Which one should you use?
While چینی is a common way to describe things related to China, the formal term صینی is specifically used when the focus is on the Chinese people, their nationality or their ethnicity.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The form چینی is marked as feminine.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /tʃiː.niː/. The romanization is cīnī.
Did you know?
- In Urdu, the word چینی is also the common word for 'sugar'.
- In Urdu literature, the word چینی is often used to describe things that are white, sweet, or delicate, owing to its association with sugar and fine porcelain.
- Urdu writers sometimes use صینی to avoid the ambiguity of چینی when they want to ensure the reader does not think they are talking about sugar.
Examples in context
- اسے اپنی ابو کی امریکہ میں لکھی ہوئی چینی کتابیں پڑھنے کا شوق ہے۔He likes to read the Chinese books his father wrote in the United States.This sentence shows how to use چینی to describe books.Tatoeba #1580441 by nabeel_tahir, translation #1442348 by Eldad
- چینی کھاناChinese food
- چینی ریستورانChinese restaurant
- وہ چینی زبان سیکھ رہی ہے۔woh cheeni zaban seekh rahi hai.She is learning the Chinese language.
- کیا آپ کو چینی کھانا پسند ہے؟kya aap ko cheeni khana pasand hai?Do you like Chinese food?
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing their university courses.
- عمر Omarزینب، آپ کا اگلا کورس کون سا ہے؟Zainab, aap ka agla course kaun sa hai?Zainab, which one is your next course?
- زینب Zainabمیں چینی زبان کی کلاس لے رہی ہوں۔Main cheeni zaban ki class le rahi hoon.I am taking a Chinese language class.
- عمر Omarیہ تو بہت مشکل زبان ہے۔Yeh to bohat mushkil zaban hai.That is a very difficult language.
- زینب Zainabہاں، لیکن یہ بہت دلچسپ ہے۔Haan, lekin yeh bohat dilchasp hai.Yes, but it is very interesting.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “chinese” translations and entries چینی, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
