Tell people where you're from, ask theirs, and talk about languages — the perfect ice-breaker for any new Chinese-speaking friend.
🏳️ 15 Countries🗣 4 Languages💬 1 Dialogue⏱ ~12 min
💡 The Pattern
The Magic Formula — 哪国人 vs. 从哪里来
🎯 Two ways to ask "Where are you from?"
你是哪个国家的人？
Nǐ shì nǎ ge guójiā de rén?
Which country are you from? (natural phrasing)
🔊
你从哪里来？
Nǐ cóng nǎlǐ lái?
Where do you come from? (more general — could be city or country)
🔊
我是美国人
Wǒ shì Měiguó rén
I am American (Country + 人 = nationality)
🔊
我从美国来
Wǒ cóng Měiguó lái
I come from America
🔊
🧠
Quick rule #1 — Nationality: Add 人 (rén = person) after any country name. 日本 (Japan) → 日本人 (Japanese). 中国 (China) → 中国人 (Chinese). No conjugation — just add 人!
Quick rule #2 — Language: Add 语 (yǔ) or 文 (wén) after a country name for its language.
语 vs 文:语 emphasizes spoken language (preferred in Mainland China + formal news); 文 emphasizes writing/culture (preferred in HK/TW). Both forms are understood everywhere — Mainlanders tend to say 英语 / 日语 / 法语, while HK/TW commonly say 英文 / 日文 / 法文. The exception: 中文 is the universal term for "Chinese" everywhere (汉语 also works in formal contexts).
Special: 普通话 (Pǔtōnghuà) = "Mandarin (the spoken standard)" — used by gov't & schools. You'd say "他说普通话" (He speaks Mandarin).
🌏 Countries
Click any flag to hear the country name
💡
Did you know?美国 literally means "Beautiful Country" (美 = beautiful), 英国 means "Brave Country" (英 = hero), 德国 means "Virtue Country" (德 = virtue), 法国 means "Law Country" (法 = law). Each is a phonetic + meaningful translation!
🗣 Languages
Talk About Languages — 语言
📚 8 common languages — Mainland uses 语 (yǔ), HK/TW uses 文 (wén). Click each row to hear.
中文
Zhōngwén
Chinese (universal)
🔊
汉语
Hànyǔ
Chinese (formal, Mainland)
🔊
普通话
Pǔtōnghuà
Mandarin (spoken standard, gov't term)
🔊
英语 / 英文
Yīngyǔ / Yīngwén
English
🔊
日语 / 日文
Rìyǔ / Rìwén
Japanese
🔊
韩语 / 韩文
Hányǔ / Hánwén
Korean
🔊
法语 / 法文
Fǎyǔ / Fǎwén
French
🔊
德语 / 德文
Déyǔ / Déwén
German
🔊
西班牙语 / 西班牙文
Xībānyáyǔ / Xībānyáwén
Spanish
🔊
阿拉伯语 / 阿拉伯文
Ālābóyǔ / Ālābówén
Arabic
🔊
你会说什么语言？
Nǐ huì shuō shénme yǔyán?
What languages can you speak?
🔊
我会说英文和中文
Wǒ huì shuō Yīngwén hé Zhōngwén
I can speak English and Chinese
🔊
我会说中文
Wǒ huì shuō Zhōngwén
I can speak Chinese (会 = can)
🔊
💬 Dialogue
Meeting Someone From Another Country
Sit back and listen to the whole chat
🎯 Practice
Shadowing Drill — Try It Out Loud
🔁 Tap to repeat — get the rhythm of「我是 + country + 人」
Your Course Progress
Lesson 4 / 12 — You can now tell people where you're from! 🌍