How to say “I miss you” 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
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Three third tones in a row. In natural speech the middle 想 rises (wǒ xiáng nǐ) because it groups with 你; only the final 你 keeps its full dip. 想 also means 'to think' or 'to want', so 我想你 is an everyday 'I've been thinking of you'. Add 很 (hěn) for 'I miss you a lot'.
In a sentence
Wǒ hěn xiǎng nǐ, nǐ shénme shíhou huílái?
I miss you a lot, when are you coming back?
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Start freeFrequently asked questions
How do you say "I miss you" in Chinese?+
"I miss you" in Mandarin Chinese is 我想你, pronounced wǒ xiǎng nǐ. Three third tones in a row. In natural speech the middle 想 rises (wǒ xiáng nǐ) because it groups with 你; only the final 你 keeps its full dip. 想 also means 'to think' or 'to want', so 我想你 is an everyday 'I've been thinking of you'. Add 很 (hěn) for 'I miss you a lot'.
What does 我想你 mean literally?+
我想你 breaks down as 我 (wǒ) = I, 想 (xiǎng) = to think of / miss, 你 (nǐ) = you. Together it means "I miss you".
How do I get the tones right in wǒ xiǎng nǐ?+
Three third tones in a row. In natural speech the middle 想 rises (wǒ xiáng nǐ) because it groups with 你; only the final 你 keeps its full dip. 想 also means 'to think' or 'to want', so 我想你 is an everyday 'I've been thinking of you'. Add 很 (hěn) for 'I miss you a lot'.
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