How to say “origin” in Chinese
origin; originate
“Origin” in Chinese is 起源, qǐ yuán: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
起源 is read qǐ yuán: 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
On the left, 走 “walk”.
On the left, 氵 “water”; on the right, 原 yuán “source” gives both meaning and reading.
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 “起源”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 起源. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 茶起源于中国。cháqǐyuányúZhōngguóTea originated in China.
- 学者们一直在研究文明的起源xuézhěmenyìzhízàiyánjiūwénmíngdeqǐyuánScholars have long been studying the origins of civilization.
More words from the lesson “Origins: where it all began”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “origin” in Chinese?
“Origin” in Chinese is 起源, pinyin qǐyuán.
What does 起源 mean?
起源 (qǐyuán) means “origin; originate”.
How do you write 起源?
起源 is 2 characters: 起 (qǐ) — rise, get up; 源 (yuán) — source. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 起源?
起源 is read qǐyuán. Tones: qǐ — third tone, yuán — second tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“origin” in the lesson “Origins: where it all began”
This word is from the topic “China’s history and traditions” 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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