When it comes to learning Mandarin as a foreign language, occasionally coming across a word that sounds like English can be either a relief, or more confusing. Some of these words are borrowed from English, and here we have six Chinese words about transportation and food which sound a lot like their English equivalents.
Transportation
Bus 巴士 bā shì
Usually people use bā shì instead of 公共汽车 (gōng gòng qì chē) when they’re talking about school buses, coach buses for tour groups, or city buses.
Example:
I take bus everyday.
我每天坐巴士。wǒ měitiān zuò bāshì.
Taxi 的士 dī shì
I don’t hear this word used that much in northern China, but it is used in some parts of southern China. Also among Singapore Chinese, they call a taxi déshì. When people want to say “get/hail a taxi”, they say “dǎ dī” (打的).
Example:
Let’s take a taxi to the office today.
我们今天打的去办公室吧。Wǒmén jīntiān dǎdī qù bàngōngshì ba.
Motorbike 摩托车 mótuōchē
Motorbikes are common in China, and “motor” in Chinese is pronounced mótuō.
Example:
I’ll buy a motorbike.
我要买一辆摩托车。Wǒ yào mǎi yíliàng mótuōchē.
Food
Pizza 披萨 pī sà
Sometimes you might also hear people call it bǐ sà; both are right.
Example:
I want to order pizza for my lunch.
我午餐想吃披萨。Wǒ wǔcān xiǎngchī pīsà.
Salad 沙拉 shā lā
Organic produce has become increasingly popular in China in recent years. Salad is one of the most popular organic items.
Example:
I like salad.
我喜欢沙拉。Wǒ xǐhuān shā lā.
Chocolate 巧克力 qiǎokelì
People also call it zhūgǔlì, Cantonese usually uses the characters 朱古力.
Example:
Chocolate is my favorite snack.
巧克力是我的最爱。Qiǎokèlì shì wǒde zuìài.
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