How to say “native language” in Chinese
native language
“Native language” in Chinese is 母语, mǔ yǔ: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
母语 is read mǔ yǔ: 2 syllables. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
Two third tones in a row: the first one is said as a second tone, but it is still written as a third.
How to write it
Originally a drawing of a woman with breasts: the two dots inside. The same sign appears in 每 and 海.
On the left, 讠 “speech”.
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 “母语”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 母语. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 汉语不是我的母语。HànyǔbúshìwǒdemǔyǔChinese isn't my native language.
- 你的母语是汉语吗？nǐdemǔyǔshìHànyǔmaIs your native language Chinese?
- 他的母语是一种南方方言tādemǔyǔshìyìzhǒngnánfāngfāngyánHis native language is a southern dialect.
More words from the lesson “Dialects, tones, chengyu”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “native language” in Chinese?
“Native language” in Chinese is 母语, pinyin mǔyǔ.
What does 母语 mean?
母语 (mǔyǔ) means “native language”.
How do you write 母语?
母语 is 2 characters: 母 (mǔ) — mother; 语 (yǔ) — language, speech. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 母语?
母语 is read mǔyǔ. Tones: mǔ — third tone, yǔ — third tone. The page has an audio recording.
“native language” in the lesson “Dialects, tones, chengyu”
This word is from the topic “Texts and art” of HSK 6. 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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