Learn Mandarin Chinese Cheat Sheet 2026

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

1. How do you say 'wife' in Mandarin Chinese? → 妻子 (qīzi)
2. What is the traditional Chinese New Year activity of giving red envelopes (红包, hóngbāo) meant to convey? → Good luck and blessings, especially to children and unmarried people
3. How do you say 'I don't understand' in Mandarin? → Wǒ tīng bù dǒng (我听不懂)
4. In pinyin, what tone mark is placed over the vowel when a syllable has multiple vowels? → On the vowel 'a' or 'e' if present, then 'o', then the final vowel
5. What are the two main forms of written Chinese used today? → Traditional and Simplified Chinese
6. What does the character '日 (rì)' mean? → Sun/Day
7. Which Mandarin phrase is used to express agreement, meaning 'OK' or 'Alright'? → Hǎo de
8. Which particle marks the direct object in Mandarin when it is moved before the verb? → 把 (bǎ)
9. How do you say 'Thank you' in Mandarin? → Xièxie (谢谢)
10. What does '工作' (gōngzuò) mean? → Work/Job
11. What does '对不起' (duìbuqǐ) mean in Mandarin? → Excuse me / I'm sorry
12. What is the traditional Chinese lunar calendar used for today? → Determining the dates of traditional festivals and auspicious days
13. In Mandarin, how do you pronounce "you"? → Nǐ （你）
14. What is the HSK (汉语水平考试)? → The official Mandarin proficiency test for non-native speakers
15. Which word means 'money' in Mandarin? → 钱 (qián)
16. What does the radical '氵' (three dots on the left) typically indicate about a character's meaning? → The character relates to water
17. What is the traditional Chinese philosophy of 阴阳 (yīn yáng) based on? → The balance of opposing but complementary forces
18. What does '今天' (jīntiān) mean? → Today
19. Which pinyin syllable contains the retroflex final '-r' that gives a 'rhotacized' quality to Beijing Mandarin? → er
20. Please select the appropriate word. China → 中国
21. How do you say 'I want to go to the airport' in Mandarin? → Wǒ xiǎng qù jīchǎng (我想去机场)
22. Vesak Day is the occasion for → Buddha's birthday, enlightenment and nirvana.
23. What does 'Duìbuqǐ (对不起)' mean? → I'm sorry / I apologize
24. Which of these words is an antonym of '买' (mǎi, to buy) in Mandarin? → 卖 (mài)
25. What is meant by a 'logographic' writing system? → Each symbol represents a word or morpheme
26. What is the Mandarin word for the number 10,000? → wàn
27. What does the Mandarin phrase 'Nǐ chī le ma?' mean in English? → Have you eaten?
28. How do you say 'Thank you' in Mandarin? → Xièxiè
29. Pick the most accurate rendering of each phrase or sentence. What grade are you in? → 你上几年级？
30. What is the Mandarin word for 'mother'? → 妈妈 (māma)