How to say “this” in Chinese
this, the given; originally
“This” in Chinese is 本, běn: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
本 is read běn. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
How to write it
木 “tree” with a stroke at the root.
Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “本”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 本. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 我想买两本书wǒxiǎngmǎiliǎngběnshūI want to buy two books.
- 这本书多少钱？zhèběnshūduōshaoqiánHow much is this book?
- 桌子上有三本书。zhuōzishangyǒusānběnshūThere are three books on the table.
- 请打开课本，看第十五页。qǐngdǎkāikèběn,kàndìshíwǔyèPlease open your textbook to page fifteen.
- 这本课本有两百页zhèběnkèběnyǒuliǎngbǎiyèThis textbook has two hundred pages.
- 这本 书跟历史有关zhèběnshūgēnlìshǐyǒuguānThis book is related to history.
More characters by topic — happiness, luck, strength, nature — on the page “Chinese characters with meanings”.
More words from the lesson “By yourself or for someone”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “this” in Chinese?
“This” in Chinese is 本, pinyin běn.
What does 本 mean?
本 (běn) means “this, the given; originally”.
How do you write 本?
本 is 1 character. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 本?
本 is read běn. Tones: běn — third tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“this” in the lesson “By yourself or for someone”
This word is from the topic “More precise, more specific” of HSK 5. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.
Start for free