This list gathers 80 Chinese words that start with the letter D, running alphabetically from “Dà” to “Duōxiè”. Most are everyday terms you’ll hear in casual conversation, covering verbs, adjectives, and nouns tied to daily life, work, travel, and technology. Learners use words like these to build practical vocabulary for speaking, reading signs, and following simple conversations in Mandarin.
Chinese words are units of meaning built from one or more characters, and many combine simpler characters into new concepts, such as “diànnǎo” (computer), which literally means “electric brain.” Mandarin also relies heavily on tones, so the same syllable can carry different meanings depending on pitch. This mix of visual logic and tonal sound is part of what makes the language so distinctive.
Below you’ll find the table with each word, its English translation, Mandarin spelling, example usage, and description.
Word: the Chinese word itself, written in its standard pinyin form so you can see exactly how it’s spelled and recognize it in text.
English translation: a short, direct translation that tells you what the word means in everyday English, without extra explanation.
Mandarin spelling: the word written in Chinese characters, letting you see its actual script form alongside the pinyin version.
Example usage: a full sentence showing the word in context, with an English translation, so you can see how it’s actually used in speech.
Description: a brief note on how and when you’d use the word, including any cultural context or common phrases it appears in.
Chinese words
| Word | English translation | Mandarin spelling | Example usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dà | Big / large | 大 | Zhège fángzi hěn dà. (This house is big.) |
| Dǎ | To hit / to play | 打 | Wǒ xǐhuān dǎ lánqiú. (I like to play basketball.) |
| Dǎgōng | To work a job | 打工 | Tā zài Běijīng dǎgōng. (He works a job in Beijing.) |
| Dǎsuàn | To plan / to intend | 打算 | Wǒ dǎsuàn qù Zhōngguó lǚxíng. (I plan to travel to China.) |
| Dǎzhé | Discount | 打折 | Zhè jiàn yīfu dǎzhé le. (This piece of clothing is discounted.) |
| Dǎ diànhuà | To make a phone call | 打电话 | Wǒ gěi nǐ dǎ diànhuà. (I’ll give you a call.) |
| Dài | To bring / to wear | 带 | Bié wàngjì dài yǔsǎn. (Don’t forget to bring an umbrella.) |
| Dàibiǎo | Representative / to represent | 代表 | Tā dàibiǎo gōngsī fāyán. (He represents the company in the speech.) |
| Dàifu | Doctor | 大夫 | Dàifu shuō wǒ méi shì. (The doctor said I’m fine.) |
| Dàn | Egg | 蛋 | Wǒ zǎoshang chī yí ge dàn. (I eat an egg in the morning.) |
| Dàngāo | Cake | 蛋糕 | Shēngrì yào chī dàngāo. (You eat cake on a birthday.) |
| Dāng | To serve as / when | 当 | Tā xiǎng dāng lǎoshī. (She wants to become a teacher.) |
| Dāngdì | Local | 当地 | Chī diǎn dāngdì cài ba. (Let’s eat some local food.) |
| Dāngrán | Of course | 当然 | Dāngrán kěyǐ! (Of course you can!) |
| Dāngshí | At that time | 当时 | Dāngshí wǒ hái hěn niánqīng. (At that time I was still young.) |
| Dànshì | But | 但是 | Wǒ hěn lèi, dànshì hěn kāixīn. (I’m tired, but happy.) |
| Dào | To arrive | 到 | Huǒchē dào le. (The train has arrived.) |
| Dǎo | Island | 岛 | Hǎinán shì yí ge dǎo. (Hainan is an island.) |
| Dàodǐ | After all / on earth | 到底 | Nǐ dàodǐ xiǎng zěnme yàng? (What do you actually want?) |
| Dǎoyǎn | Director | 导演 | Zhè bù diànyǐng de dǎoyǎn hěn yǒumíng. (This movie’s director is very famous.) |
| Dǎoyóu | Tour guide | 导游 | Dǎoyóu dàijiā qù cānguān bówùguǎn. (The tour guide led everyone to visit the museum.) |
| Dàolù | Road | 道路 | Zhè tiáo dàolù hěn kuān. (This road is very wide.) |
| Dàoqiàn | To apologize | 道歉 | Tā xiàng wǒ dàoqiàn le. (He apologized to me.) |
| Dǎoshī | Mentor / advisor | 导师 | Wǒ de dàoshī hěn yánlì. (My advisor is very strict.) |
| Dàxué | University | 大学 | Tā zài dàxué xué jīngjì. (She studies economics at university.) |
| Dàyī | Overcoat | 大衣 | Dōngtiān yào chuān dàyī. (You need to wear an overcoat in winter.) |
| Dàshēng | Loudly | 大声 | Qǐng dàshēng shuōhuà. (Please speak loudly.) |
| Dàgài | Probably | 大概 | Tā dàgài liù diǎn dào. (He’ll probably arrive at six.) |
| Dàjiā | Everyone | 大家 | Dàjiā hǎo! (Hello, everyone!) |
| Dé | To get / to obtain | 得 | Tā dé le dì yī míng. (He got first place.) |
| Déguó | Germany | 德国 | Wǒ qùnián qùguò Déguó. (I went to Germany last year.) |
| Dēng | Lamp / light | 灯 | Qǐng bǎ dēng guān le. (Please turn off the light.) |
| Dēngjī | To board a plane | 登机 | Xiànzài kāishǐ dēngjī. (Boarding is starting now.) |
| Dēnglù | To log in | 登录 | Qǐng shūrù mìmǎ dēnglù. (Please enter your password to log in.) |
| Děng | To wait | 等 | Qǐng zài zhèlǐ děng wǒ. (Please wait for me here.) |
| Dī | Low | 低 | Wēndù hěn dī. (The temperature is very low.) |
| Dìdao | Authentic / genuine | 地道 | Zhè jiā de Sìchuān cài hěn dìdao. (This restaurant’s Sichuan food is authentic.) |
| Dìdi | Younger brother | 弟弟 | Wǒ dìdi bǐ wǒ xiǎo liǎng suì. (My younger brother is two years younger than me.) |
| Dìfang | Place | 地方 | Zhè shì ge hěn měi de dìfang. (This is a very beautiful place.) |
| Dìng | To book / to fix | 定 | Wǒ dìng le yí ge fángjiān. (I booked a room.) |
| Dìqiú | Earth (the planet) | 地球 | Dìqiú shì wǒmen de jiā. (Earth is our home.) |
| Dìtú | Map | 地图 | Wǒ xūyào yì zhāng dìtú. (I need a map.) |
| Dìzhèn | Earthquake | 地震 | Zuótiān wǎnshàng fāshēng dìzhèn le. (An earthquake happened last night.) |
| Dìzhǐ | Address | 地址 | Qǐng gěi wǒ nǐ de dìzhǐ. (Please give me your address.) |
| Diǎn | O’clock / point | 点 | Xiànzài shì sān diǎn. (It’s three o’clock now.) |
| Diǎnxīn | Dim sum / snack | 点心 | Zhōumò wǒmen qù chī diǎnxīn. (On the weekend we go eat dim sum.) |
| Diàn | Shop / store | 店 | Zhè jiā diàn mài shūfa. (This shop sells books.) |
| Diànhuà | Telephone | 电话 | Wǒ de diànhuà huài le. (My phone is broken.) |
| Diànnǎo | Computer | 电脑 | Wǒ měitiān yòng diànnǎo gōngzuò. (I use a computer to work every day.) |
| Diànshì | Television | 电视 | Wǎnshàng wǒmen kàn diànshì. (In the evening we watch TV.) |
| Diànyǐng | Movie | 电影 | Zhōumò qù kàn diànyǐng ba. (Let’s go watch a movie this weekend.) |
| Diū | To lose / to throw away | 丢 | Wǒ diū le wǒ de yàoshi. (I lost my keys.) |
| Dōng | East | 东 | Tàiyáng cóng dōngbiān shēngqǐ. (The sun rises from the east.) |
| Dōngtiān | Winter | 冬天 | Dōngtiān hěn lěng. (Winter is very cold.) |
| Dōngxi | Thing / object | 东西 | Zhè shì shénme dōngxi? (What is this thing?) |
| Dǒng | To understand | 懂 | Wǒ bù dǒng nǐ de yìsi. (I don’t understand what you mean.) |
| Dòng | Hole / cave | 洞 | Shāntóu shàng yǒu yí ge dòng. (There’s a cave on the mountainside.) |
| Dòng | To move | 动 | Bié dòng! (Don’t move!) |
| Dòngwù | Animal | 动物 | Wǒ xǐhuān qù dòngwùyuán. (I like going to the zoo.) |
| Dòu | Bean | 豆 | Zhè shì huáng dòu. (This is a soybean.) |
| Dòufu | Tofu | 豆腐 | Wǒ zuì xǐhuān chī màpó dòufu. (My favorite dish is mapo tofu.) |
| Dòu | To tease / funny | 逗 | Zhè ge xiǎogǒu hěn dòu. (This puppy is very funny/cute.) |
| Dú | To read | 读 | Wǒ měitiān dú shū. (I read books every day.) |
| Dúlì | Independence | 独立 | Tā xiǎng dúlì shēnghuó. (She wants to live independently.) |
| Dúshū | To study | 读书 | Tā zài túshūguǎn dúshū. (He’s studying in the library.) |
| Dútè | Unique | 独特 | Tā de fēnggé hěn dútè. (Her style is very unique.) |
| Dù | Degree | 度 | Jīntiān sānshí dù. (It’s thirty degrees today.) |
| Dùjià | To vacation | 度假 | Wǒmen qù hǎibiān dùjià. (We’re going on vacation by the sea.) |
| Dùzi | Stomach / belly | 肚子 | Wǒ dùzi è le. (My stomach is hungry.) |
| Duǎn | Short | 短 | Zhè tiáo qúnzi hěn duǎn. (This skirt is very short.) |
| Duǎnxìn | Text message | 短信 | Wǒ gěi nǐ fā le yì tiáo duǎnxìn. (I sent you a text message.) |
| Duān | To carry / end | 端 | Tā duān zhe yì wǎn tāng. (She’s carrying a bowl of soup.) |
| Duì | Correct / team | 对 | Nǐ shuō de duì. (What you said is correct.) |
| Duìbuqǐ | Sorry | 对不起 | Duìbuqǐ, wǒ chídào le. (Sorry, I’m late.) |
| Duìhuà | Dialogue | 对话 | Zhè shì yí duàn duìhuà. (This is a piece of dialogue.) |
| Duìmiàn | Opposite side | 对面 | Yínháng jiù zài mǎlù duìmiàn. (The bank is right across the street.) |
| Duìhuàn | To exchange (currency) | 兑换 | Wǒ xiǎng duìhuàn Měiyuán. (I want to exchange US dollars.) |
| Duō | Many / much | 多 | Zhèlǐ yǒu hěn duō rén. (There are many people here.) |
| Duōshao | How much / how many | 多少 | Zhè ge duōshao qián? (How much is this?) |
| Duōxiè | Many thanks | 多谢 | Duōxiè nǐ de bāngzhù. (Many thanks for your help.) |
Descriptions
Dà
One of the first adjectives learners meet, used constantly to describe size, scale, or importance in everyday speech.
Dǎ
A flexible verb meaning “to hit” or “to play,” combined with dozens of nouns to form common everyday phrases.
Dǎgōng
A casual term for doing paid work, especially part-time or manual labor, popular among students and migrant workers.
Dǎsuàn
Used to express an intention or plan for the near future, similar to saying “I’m planning to” in English.
Dǎzhé
A shopping term describing a price reduction, frequently seen on store signs during sales.
Dǎ diànhuà
A basic communication phrase combining “hit” with “telephone,” used whenever someone calls another person.
Dài
A common verb covering both carrying an item along and wearing accessories like hats or glasses.
Dàibiǎo
Refers to a person who acts on behalf of a group, or the act of symbolizing or standing in for something.
Dàifu
A colloquial, especially northern Chinese, word for a medical doctor, used interchangeably with the more formal term.
Dàn
A simple noun for egg, appearing in countless food compounds like fried eggs or egg tarts.
Dàngāo
A borrowed-concept word for Western-style cake, a staple at birthdays and celebrations across China.
Dāng
Means “to act as” a role, or “when” in time clauses, making it a versatile grammatical workhorse.
Dāngdì
Describes something native to a specific area, often paired with food, customs, or people.
Dāngrán
A common adverb affirming certainty or agreement, roughly equivalent to “of course” or “naturally.”
Dāngshí
Refers back to a specific past moment being discussed, common in stories and historical narration.
Dànshì
A standard conjunction for introducing contrast, one of the most frequently used connector words in Mandarin.
Dào
A core verb of motion meaning “to arrive” or “to reach,” also used as a resultative complement after other verbs.
Dǎo
A geographic term for a piece of land surrounded by water, found in many place names like Taiwan.
Dàodǐ
An emphatic phrase used in questions to press for a real, final answer, similar to “on earth” in English.
Dǎoyǎn
Refers to the person who oversees a film, play, or show, guiding its artistic and creative direction.
Dǎoyóu
A professional who leads and informs travelers, essential to group tours and sightseeing trips.
Dàolù
A general term for a road or path, used literally for streets and figuratively for a course in life.
Dàoqiàn
The formal act of expressing regret for a mistake, more serious in tone than a casual “sorry.”
Dǎoshī
Commonly used for academic supervisors or professional mentors who guide a student’s or employee’s development.
Dàxué
The standard word for a higher-education institution, formed from “big” and “study.”
Dàyī
A heavy outer coat worn for warmth, a wardrobe essential during the colder months.
Dàshēng
An adverb combining “big” and “sound,” used to ask someone to raise their volume when speaking.
Dàgài
An adverb expressing an estimate or approximation, similar to “probably” or “roughly” in English.
Dàjiā
A friendly, inclusive term for “everybody,” frequently used to open speeches, classes, or group greetings.
Dé
A verb meaning to gain or achieve something, often seen in the context of winning or earning results.
Déguó
The Mandarin name for the country of Germany, built from a phonetic transliteration plus “country.”
Dēng
A general word for any light fixture, from desk lamps to streetlights.
Dēngjī
An airport term announcing that passengers may begin boarding their flight.
Dēnglù
A modern tech term for signing into an account, website, or device.
Děng
A basic verb for waiting, used constantly in daily requests and instructions.
Dī
An adjective describing something low in height, level, or intensity, the opposite of “gāo” (high).
Dìdao
Describes something as genuine or true to its origin, especially regional food, accents, or customs.
Dìdi
A family term for a younger male sibling, part of China’s detailed kinship vocabulary.
Dìfang
A general, everyday word for a location or spot, used in countless casual conversations.
Dìng
A verb meaning to reserve, settle, or fix something firmly, as in booking a hotel or setting a date.
Dìqiú
The Mandarin term for planet Earth, combining “ground” and “sphere.”
Dìtú
A standard noun for a map, whether printed, digital, or displayed on a wall.
Dìzhèn
A natural disaster term combining “earth” and “shake,” relevant given China’s seismic activity.
Dìzhǐ
A practical everyday word for a mailing or physical address.
Diǎn
A multipurpose word used to tell time, mark a point, or order food in a restaurant.
Diǎnxīn
Refers to small snack dishes, most famously the Cantonese dim sum tradition of bite-sized dishes served with tea.
Diàn
A simple noun for a shop or store, appearing in compounds like bookstore or hotel.
Diànhuà
Combines “electricity” and “speech” to mean telephone, one of the most common tech words in the language.
Diànnǎo
Literally “electric brain,” the everyday word for a computer.
Diànshì
Combines “electricity” and “vision” to form the standard word for television.
Diànyǐng
Literally “electric shadow,” the standard term for a film or movie.
Diū
A verb meaning to misplace something or to discard it, depending on context.
Dōng
A basic directional word for “east,” used constantly in navigation and place names.
Dōngtiān
The standard Mandarin word for the winter season.
Dōngxi
A catch-all noun for any object or item, one of the most frequently used words in casual speech.
Dǒng
A key verb for comprehension, used to say whether something makes sense to you.
Dòng
A noun for a hole, cave, or hollow opening in a surface.
Dòng
A basic verb of motion, also used in compounds like “animal” (dòngwù, literally “moving thing”).
Dòngwù
The general term for any animal, built from the characters for “moving” and “creature.”
Dòu
A basic noun for beans, the base ingredient in staples like tofu and soy sauce.
Dòufu
The Mandarin origin word for tofu, a soybean curd central to Chinese cuisine.
Dòu
Describes something amusing or playful, often used affectionately about pets or jokes.
Dú
A core verb for reading, whether books, signs, or text messages.
Dúlì
Describes self-reliance or political independence, used both for personal lifestyle and national sovereignty.
Dúshū
Literally “to read books,” a common expression for studying or attending school.
Dútè
An adjective describing something distinctive or one-of-a-kind.
Dù
A unit word used for temperature, angles, and other measurable degrees.
Dùjià
Refers to taking a holiday or vacation, often to a resort or scenic destination.
Dùzi
A common, informal word for the belly or stomach area, used often when talking about hunger or pain.
Duǎn
A basic adjective for length or duration, the opposite of “cháng” (long).
Duǎnxìn
Combines “short” and “message” to describe an SMS text message.
Duān
A verb for carrying something level and steady, and also a noun meaning the end or extremity of something.
Duì
A versatile word meaning “correct” as an adjective, or “team” or “pair” as a noun, depending on context.
Duìbuqǐ
One of the most common polite expressions in Mandarin, used to apologize for a mistake or inconvenience.
Duìhuà
Refers to a conversation or exchange between two or more people, spoken or written.
Duìmiàn
Describes something directly facing or across from a given point, often used in giving directions.
Duìhuàn
A financial term for exchanging one currency, or item, for another, common at banks and airports.
Duō
A fundamental quantity word meaning “many” or “much,” the opposite of “shǎo” (few).
Duōshao
A key question word for asking quantity or price, essential for shopping and bargaining.
Duōxiè
A slightly more emphatic way of saying “thank you,” often used in formal or heartfelt situations.