民族 (mín zú) — nationality; ethnic group in Mandarin

mín​ zú
“nationality; ethnic group”

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#601 most common word · HSK 4 · CEFR B2

Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.

Tone breakdown

民族 is pronounced mín zú. Tap any syllable’s row to hear the whole word.

mín
second tone (rising, ˊ)
zú
second tone (rising, ˊ)

In a sentence

Zhōng guó yǒu hěn duō mín zú.

China has many ethnic groups.

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Frequently asked questions

What does 民族 mean?+

民族 (mín zú) means "nationality; ethnic group" in Mandarin Chinese.

How do you pronounce 民族?+

民族 is pronounced mín zú. It uses the tone 2 (rising). Tap the character on this page to hear native audio.

How common is 民族 in Mandarin?+

民族 is the #601 most frequent word in spoken Mandarin, so it is one of the first words worth learning.

Where 民族 fits

HSK 4 · CEFR B2
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Every HSK 4 word with tone-coloured pinyin and audio.

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Browse more on the Mandarin vocabulary hub, or read how to learn Mandarin tones.