How to say “girlfriend” in Chinese
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Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.
Word by word
Tone tip
女 uses the ü vowel: round your lips as for 'oo' while saying 'ee'. It's written nǚ with the two dots because plain 'nu' is a different syllable. Dip on 女, rise on 朋, then a neutral 友.
In a sentence
Wǒ nǚpéngyou shì zhōngguó rén.
My girlfriend is Chinese.
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Start freeFrequently asked questions
How do you say "girlfriend" in Chinese?+
"girlfriend" in Mandarin Chinese is 女朋友, pronounced nǚpéngyou. 女 uses the ü vowel: round your lips as for 'oo' while saying 'ee'. It's written nǚ with the two dots because plain 'nu' is a different syllable. Dip on 女, rise on 朋, then a neutral 友.
What does 女朋友 mean literally?+
女朋友 breaks down as 女 (nǚ) = female, 朋友 (péngyou) = friend. Together it means "girlfriend".
How do I get the tones right in nǚpéngyou?+
女 uses the ü vowel: round your lips as for 'oo' while saying 'ee'. It's written nǚ with the two dots because plain 'nu' is a different syllable. Dip on 女, rise on 朋, then a neutral 友.
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