How to say “original” in Chinese
original, former
“Original” in Chinese is 原, yuán: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
原 is read yuán. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
How to write it
A spring beneath a cliff 厂 — the source. It hints at the sound of 愿 yuàn.
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 “原”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 原. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 我忘了你的生日，请原谅我。wǒwànglenǐdeshēngrì,qǐngyuánliàngwǒI forgot your birthday, please forgive me.
- 请原谅我我误会你了qǐngyuánliàngwǒ,wǒwùhuìnǐlePlease forgive me, I misunderstood you.
- 原来是你！yuánláishìnǐSo it's you!
- 原来你也在这儿yuánláinǐyězàizhèrSo you're here too!
- 原来是这样yuánláishìzhèyàngOh, so that's it!
- 你知道他迟到的原因吗nǐzhīdàotāchídàodeyuányīnmaDo you know why he was late?
More characters by topic — happiness, luck, strength, nature — on the page “Chinese characters with meanings”.
More words from the lesson “In short”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “original” in Chinese?
“Original” in Chinese is 原, pinyin yuán.
What does 原 mean?
原 (yuán) means “original, former”.
How do you write 原?
原 is 1 character. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 原?
原 is read yuán. Tones: yuán — second tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“original” in the lesson “In short”
This word is from the topic “Linking ideas” 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