印度人
yìndùrén
In Chinese, the English phrase "indian" is translated as 印度人 (yìndùrén).
印度人 is used to refer to a person from India. When you want to use "Indian" as an adjective for objects or concepts, such as "Indian food" or "Indian culture", you should use the name of the country, 印度, followed by the noun.
Meaning: of India (adj)
What does it mean word for word?
The term 印度人 is composed of 印度 (India) and 人 (person/people).
Which one should you use?
It is important to distinguish between different types of "Indian" in Chinese. Use 印度人 specifically for someone from the country of India, but use 印第安人, 印第安 or 美洲印第安人 when referring to Native Americans (the aboriginal people of the Americas) to avoid confusion.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To use "Indian" as an adjective for things, do not add the character for person (人). Instead, use the country name 印度 followed by the noun.
How do you pronounce it?
yìndùrén
What mistakes should you avoid?
The term 印度佬 is a slang term for an Indian guy or dude.
Did you know?
- In ancient Chinese texts, India was often referred to as 天竺, a name that is still found in historical literature and Buddhist scriptures.
- The character 印 on its own can mean 'seal' or 'stamp' in Chinese. This creates a visual coincidence where the word for India begins with a very common character used in daily office work.
- The slang term 印度佬 carries a derogatory and disrespectful tone. Adding the character 佬 to the end of a nationality is often used to belittle or dehumanize the person being described.
Examples in context
- 我不是印度人。I'm not Indian.Tatoeba #2254178 by KerenDeng, translation #8306318 by shekitten
- Muiriel 是印度人。Muiriel is an Indian.Tatoeba #658039 by U2FS, translation #425300 by CN
- 他是印度人。He is Indian.
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about a new coworker.
- 浩然 Haoran新同事是印度人吗？Xīn tóngshì shì Yìndù rén ma?Is the new colleague Indian?
- 雨婷 Yuting是的，他是印度人。Shì de, tā shì Yìndù rén.Yes, he is Indian.
- 浩然 Haoran他的英语说得很好。Tā de Yīngyǔ shuō de hěn hǎo.His English is very good.
- 雨婷 Yuting我也觉得他很聪明。Wǒ yě juéde tā hěn cōngmíng.I also think he is very smart.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
