This list brings together 41 Chinese words that start with the letter “N,” running alphabetically from “Nǐ” to “Nóngyè.” You’ll find everyday pronouns and greetings alongside family terms, weather words, and vocabulary tied to farming and the lunar calendar. Together they cover the kind of practical, high-frequency language you’d use in daily conversation, from asking “where” something is to describing the weather or talking about your family.

Chinese words are units of meaning built from characters, each carrying its own pronunciation, tone, and often a visual clue to what it represents. Many of the words here, like “nián” (year) and “nónglì” (lunar calendar), connect directly to Chinese festivals and traditions, including the Lunar New Year. Tones matter a lot in Mandarin, so the same syllable can mean something completely different depending on how it’s pronounced.

Below you’ll find the table with the Word, English Translation, Mandarin Spelling, Example Usage, and Description for each entry.

Word: the romanized, pinyin version of each Chinese word, showing you how to pronounce it with the correct tone marks.

English Translation: the closest everyday English equivalent, giving you a quick sense of what the word means without extra explanation.

Mandarin Spelling: the word written in Chinese characters, so you can recognize it in text or match it to what you hear.

Example Usage: a full sentence showing the word in context, helping you see how it fits naturally into real conversation.

Description: a short explanation of the word’s meaning, use, or background, giving you extra context beyond a simple translation.

Chinese words

WordEnglish TranslationMandarin SpellingExample Usage
NǐYou你你是谁？(Nǐ shì shéi?)
NínYou (polite)您您好，请坐。(Nín hǎo, qǐng zuò.)
NǐmenYou (plural)你们你们好！(Nǐmen hǎo!)
Nǐ hǎoHello你好你好，很高兴认识你。(Nǐ hǎo, hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ.)
NàThat那那是我的书。(Nà shì wǒ de shū.)
NàgeThat one那个我要那个。(Wǒ yào nàge.)
NǎgeWhich one哪个你要哪个？(Nǐ yào nǎge?)
NǎlǐWhere哪里你住在哪里？(Nǐ zhù zài nǎlǐ?)
NǎrWhere (colloquial)哪儿你去哪儿？(Nǐ qù nǎr?)
NèiróngContent内容这本书的内容很有趣。(Zhè běn shū de nèiróng hěn yǒuqù.)
NèiyīUnderwear内衣他在买内衣。(Tā zài mǎi nèiyī.)
NánSouth南南方 (nánfāng – the south)
NánfāngSouthern region南方南方天气比较热。(Nánfāng tiānqì bǐjiào rè.)
NánrénMan男人那个男人很高。(Nàge nánrén hěn gāo.)
NánháiziBoy男孩子那个男孩子在踢球。(Nàge nánháizi zài tī qiú.)
NányǒuBoyfriend男友她的男友很帅。(Tā de nányǒu hěn shuài.)
NánguòSad难过我今天很难过。(Wǒ jīntiān hěn nánguò.)
NándàoCould it be that难道难道你不知道吗？(Nándào nǐ bù zhīdào ma?)
NánDifficult难这个问题很难。(Zhège wèntí hěn nán.)
NiánYear年新年快乐！(Xīnnián kuàilè!)
NiánjíGrade (school)年级我是三年级的学生。(Wǒ shì sān niánjí de xuéshēng.)
NiánqīngYoung年轻他看起来很年轻。(Tā kànqǐlái hěn niánqīng.)
NiánlíngAge年龄你的年龄是多少？(Nǐ de niánlíng shì duōshǎo?)
NiánhuìAnnual meeting年会公司下周开年会。(Gōngsī xià zhōu kāi niánhuì.)
NiǎoBird鸟树上有一只鸟。(Shù shàng yǒu yī zhī niǎo.)
NiúCow/Ox牛农场里有很多牛。(Nóngchǎng lǐ yǒu hěn duō niú.)
NiúnǎiMilk牛奶我每天喝牛奶。(Wǒ měitiān hē niúnǎi.)
NiúzǎikùJeans牛仔裤他穿着一条牛仔裤。(Tā chuānzhe yī tiáo niúzǎikù.)
Nǚ’érDaughter女儿她有一个女儿。(Tā yǒu yī gè nǚ’ér.)
NǚrénWoman女人那个女人很聪明。(Nàge nǚrén hěn cōngmíng.)
NǚháiziGirl女孩子那个女孩子在唱歌。(Nàge nǚháizi zài chànggē.)
NǚshìMadam/Ms.女士女士们，先生们。(Nǚshìmen, xiānshēngmen.)
NuǎnhuoWarm暖和今天天气很暖和。(Jīntiān tiānqì hěn nuǎnhuo.)
NuǎnqìHeating暖气房间里的暖气坏了。(Fángjiān lǐ de nuǎnqì huàile.)
NǔlìHardworking努力他学习很努力。(Tā xuéxí hěn nǔlì.)
NàixīnPatience耐心老师对学生很有耐心。(Lǎoshī duì xuéshēng hěn yǒu nàixīn.)
NàozhōngAlarm clock闹钟我的闹钟响了。(Wǒ de nàozhōng xiǎngle.)
NéngCan能我能帮你吗？(Wǒ néng bāng nǐ ma?)
NónglìLunar calendar农历农历新年是春节。(Nónglì xīnnián shì chūnjié.)
NóngmínFarmer农民农民在种地。(Nóngmín zài zhòng dì.)
NóngyèAgriculture农业农业是国家的重要产业。(Nóngyè shì guójiā de zhòngyào chǎnyè.)

Descriptions

Nǐ
The Mandarin pronoun used to address one person informally, equivalent to “you” in English.
Nín
A respectful, formal version of “you,” used with elders, strangers, or in professional settings.
Nǐmen
The plural form of “you,” used when addressing more than one person.
Nǐ hǎo
The most common Mandarin greeting, literally meaning “you good,” used at any time of day.
Nà
A demonstrative pronoun pointing to something farther from the speaker, the opposite of “this” (这).
Nàge
A common way to say “that one,” often used casually in spoken Mandarin, sometimes as a filler word.
Nǎge
A question word asking someone to choose among options, meaning “which one.”
Nǎlǐ
An interrogative meaning “where,” also used modestly to deflect a compliment.
Nǎr
A Beijing-flavored, colloquial variant of “where,” common in northern spoken Mandarin.
Nèiróng
Refers to the substance or material contained within something, like a book, message, or course.
Nèiyī
A general term for undergarments worn beneath outer clothing.
Nán
One of the four cardinal directions, referring to south.
Nánfāng
A general term for the southern part of a country, often associated with warmer climates in China.
Nánrén
A general noun for an adult male person.
Nánháizi
A common term for a young male child or boy.
Nányǒu
A short form of “boyfriend,” used for a romantic male partner.
Nánguò
An adjective describing sadness or emotional pain, literally “hard to get through.”
Nándào
An adverb used to form rhetorical questions that express surprise or disbelief.
Nán
A common adjective meaning “difficult” or “hard,” used across countless everyday phrases.
Nián
The basic Mandarin word for “year,” also central to the name of the Lunar New Year.
Niánjí
Refers to a student’s grade or year level in school.
Niánqīng
An adjective describing someone as young or youthful in age or appearance.
Niánlíng
A formal noun referring to a person’s age in years.
Niánhuì
A yearly gathering held by a company or organization, often a celebratory event.
Niǎo
The general Mandarin word for any bird species.
Niú
A term for cattle, including cows, oxen, and bulls, and the second animal in the Chinese zodiac.
Niúnǎi
The standard word for cow’s milk, a common breakfast drink in China.
Niúzǎikù
Literally “cowboy pants,” the everyday Mandarin term for denim jeans.
Nǚ’ér
The word for a person’s female child.
Nǚrén
A general noun for an adult female person.
Nǚháizi
A common term for a young female child or girl.
Nǚshì
A polite, formal term of address for a woman, similar to “madam” or “ma’am.”
Nuǎnhuo
A cozy, everyday adjective describing pleasant warmth, often used for weather.
Nuǎnqì
Refers to indoor heating systems, such as radiators, common in northern Chinese homes.
Nǔlì
A word expressing diligence or putting strong effort toward a goal.
Nàixīn
A noun describing the quality of being patient, especially with others.
Nàozhōng
A clock designed to sound an alarm at a set time to wake someone up.
Néng
A modal verb expressing ability or possibility, similar to “can” in English.
Nónglì
The traditional Chinese lunar calendar, used to determine festivals like the Spring Festival.
Nóngmín
A person who works the land, growing crops or raising livestock.
Nóngyè
The broad field of farming, including crop cultivation and animal husbandry.
If you think there is a missing term, let us know using the contact form.