中国語
Chūgokugo[t͡ɕɨːɡo̞kɯ̟ɡo̞]
The phrase for "chinese language" in Japanese is 中国語 (Chūgokugo).
中国語 is used to refer to the standard language spoken in China.
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of 中国 (Chūgoku), meaning China and 語 (go), meaning language.
Which one should you use?
While 中国語 (Chūgokugo) refers to the language, 中国人 (Chūgokujin) refers to a Chinese person.
How does it change in a sentence?
The suffix -語 (go) is attached to the name of a country to indicate its language.
How do you pronounce it?
Chūgokugo
Did you know?
- While 中国語 refers to the modern spoken language, Japanese speakers use 漢文 (Kanbun) to refer to Classical Chinese literature read with special markers to adapt it to Japanese grammar.
- Because Japanese uses Kanji, the written form of 中国語 looks identical to the Chinese writing for the same concept, even though the pronunciation is entirely different.
- The character 国 in 中国 is the Japanese 'shinjitai' or simplified form, which differs slightly from the more complex traditional character 國 used in many other Chinese-speaking regions.
Examples in context
- 中国語を勉強しています。Chūgokugo o benkyō shite imasu.I am studying Chinese.
- 中国語は難しいですか？Chūgokugo wa muzukashii desu ka?Is Chinese difficult?
- 彼は中国語が話せます。Kare wa Chūgokugo ga hanasemasu.He can speak Chinese.
Example conversation
Yōta and Himari are talking about their hobbies.
- 陽太 Yota陽葵さんは、何か外国語を習っていますか？Himari-san wa, nanika gaikokugo o naratte imasu ka?Himari, are you learning any foreign languages?
- 陽葵 Himariはい、今中国語を習っています。Hai, ima Chūgokugo o naratte imasu.Yes, I'm learning Chinese right now.
- 陽太 Yotaすごいですね！中国語は難しいですか？Sugoi desu ne! Chūgokugo wa muzukashii desu ka?That's amazing! Is Chinese difficult?
- 陽葵 Himari漢字があるから、少し簡単です。Kanji ga aru kara, sukoshi kantan desu.It's a bit easier because it has kanji.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 中国語, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
