Learn Chinese Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield Learn Chinese facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. In Chinese, how do you say "I love you"? → 我爱你 (Wǒ ài nǐ)
2. What is the traditional food eaten during the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival? → Mooncakes
3. What is '面条' (miàntiáo)? → Noodles
4. How do you express '2' when counting objects informally in Chinese? → 两 (liǎng)
5. What is a 'radical' (部首, bùshǒu) in Chinese characters? → A component used to classify and look up characters in a dictionary
6. What is the Mandarin term for 'double' or 'twice as much'? → 两倍 (liǎng bèi)
7. Which tone mark represents the second (rising) tone in Mandarin pinyin? → á
8. What does '辣' (là) describe in the context of Chinese food? → Spicy/Hot
9. Can you identify the meaning of "你好吗" (Nǐ hǎo ma)? → how are you?
10. What does the Chinese slang term 666 (liù liù liù) mean? → Awesome
11. What is '饺子' (jiǎozi)? → Dumplings
12. Can you identify the meaning of "我很好" (Wǒ hěn hǎo)? → I am very good
13. What is the Mandarin word for the number 10,000? → 万 (wàn)
14. How do you say 'half' in Mandarin Chinese? → 半 (bàn)
15. What is the name of the website where you can practice and learn Chinese? → NihaoCafe
16. What are the traditional dumplings called that are eaten during Chinese New Year? → Jiaozi (饺子)
17. What exactly does "不" (Bù) stand for? → not
18. Which pinyin letter combination makes the 'sh' sound as in 'shoe'? → sh
19. How is the syllable '不 (bù, not)' pronounced when followed by a fourth-tone syllable? → It changes to second tone
20. In Mandarin, what word do you use before a number to indicate subtraction or 'less than'? → 减 (jiǎn)
21. What does '外卖' (wàimài) refer to in modern Chinese? → Takeout/food delivery
22. What does the character 日 (rì) mean? → Sun/Day
23. What dish is '北京烤鸭' (Běijīng kǎoyā)? → Beijing roast duck
24. What is the approximate number of characters a person needs to know to read a Chinese newspaper? → 2,000–3,000
25. What does the particle 了 (le) indicate in Mandarin? → Completed action or change of state
26. What does 在 (zài) indicate when placed before a verb? → An ongoing/progressive action
27. Can you identify the meaning of "你不好" (Nǐ bù hǎo)? → you are bad(not good)
28. What does the pinyin letter 'x' represent in Mandarin pronunciation? → A sound like English 'sh' but softer
29. What does the phrase "我不好" (Wǒ bù hǎo) mean? → I am not good
30. What is the significance of the number nine (九, jiǔ) in Chinese culture? → It is auspicious because it sounds like 'long-lasting'