How to say “thing” in Chinese
thing
“Thing” in Chinese is 东西, dōng xi: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
东西 is read dōng xi: 2 syllables. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
How to write it
In 东西 “thing” it is read with the neutral tone.
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 “东西”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 东西. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 我去超市买东西。wǒqùchāoshìmǎidōngxiI'm going to the supermarket to do some shopping.
- 这家店的东西很便宜zhèjiādiàndedōngxihěnpiányiEverything in this shop is cheap.
- 你想买什么东西？nǐxiǎngmǎishénmedōngxiWhat do you want to buy?
- 我在网上买东西wǒzàiwǎngshangmǎidōngxiI buy things online.
- 这儿买东西很方便zhèrmǎidōngxihěnfāngbiànShopping here is convenient.
- 不要的东西都扔掉吧。búyàodedōngxidōurēngdiàobaThrow away everything you don't need.
More words from the lesson “At the store”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “thing” in Chinese?
“Thing” in Chinese is 东西, pinyin dōngxi.
What does 东西 mean?
东西 (dōngxi) means “thing”.
How do you write 东西?
东西 is 2 characters: 东 (dōng) — east; 西 (xī) — west. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 东西?
东西 is read dōngxi. Tones: dōng — first tone, xi — neutral tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“thing” in the lesson “At the store”
This word is from the topic “Food and shopping” of HSK 1. 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.
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