Chinese

Introduce Where You Are from in Chinese?

In this article, I will show you how to introduce your nationality and where you live in Chinese. We will cover some basic vocabulary and grammar, so you can start using these phrases right away. Let’s get started!

A summary of the vocabulary (with both Bopomofo and Pinyin) is available at the end of the article.

Introducing your nationality in Chinese

Introducing your nationality in Chinese is a great way to start conversations and connect with people from different parts of the world. Follow this simple structure to tell people your nationality:

ๆˆ‘ + ๆ˜ฏ + [country] ไบบ – (ใ„จใ„›ห‡ + ใ„•ห‹ + [country] ใ„–ใ„ฃหŠ )

The character ไบบ means “person“. When it’s followed by the name of a country, it refers to a person from that country or their nationality.

For example:

ๆˆ‘ๆ˜ฏ็พŽๅœ‹ไบบ (ใ„จใ„›ห‡ ใ„•ห‹ ใ„‡ใ„Ÿห‡ ใ„ใ„จใ„›หŠ ใ„–ใ„ฃหŠ) – I am American.

ๆˆ‘ๆ˜ฏๅฐ็ฃไบบ (ใ„จใ„›ห‡ ใ„•ห‹ ใ„Šใ„žหŠ ใ„จใ„ข ใ„–ใ„ฃหŠ) – I am Taiwanese.

Note that you can also replace the country with a state or a city in you want to be more specific.

For example:

ๆˆ‘ๆ˜ฏๅŠ ๅทžไบบ (ใ„จใ„›ห‡ ใ„•ห‹ ใ„ใ„งใ„š ใ„“ใ„ก ใ„–ใ„ฃหŠ) – I am Californian.

ๆˆ‘ๆ˜ฏ็ด็ด„ไบบ (ใ„จใ„›ห‡ ใ„•ห‹ ใ„‹ใ„งใ„กห‡ ใ„ฉใ„ ใ„–ใ„ฃหŠ) – I am a New Yorker.

How to ask someone their nationality in Chinese?

If you want to ask someone about their nationality in Chinese, you can use this question:

ไฝ ๆ˜ฏๅ“ชๅœ‹ไบบ? (ใ„‹ใ„งห‡ ใ„•ห‹ ใ„‹ใ„šห‡ ใ„ใ„จใ„›หŠ ใ„–ใ„ฃหŠ ?)

This question literally means “Which country person are you?” and is a polite way to ask someone about their nationality.

Introducing where are you from in Chinese

In order to express where are you from (your origins) in Chinese, you can use the following sentence:

ๆˆ‘ + ไพ†่‡ช + [country/ place] – (ใ„จใ„›ห‡ + ใ„Œใ„žหŠ ใ„—ห‹ + [country/ place])

ไพ†่‡ช literally means โ€œcome fromโ€. It is used to express your country or city of origin.

For example:

ๆˆ‘ไพ†่‡ชๆณ•ๅœ‹ (ใ„จใ„›ห‡ ใ„Œใ„žหŠ ใ„—ห‹ ใ„ˆใ„šห‡ ใ„ใ„จใ„›หŠ) – I am from France.

ๆˆ‘ไพ†่‡ชๅฐๅŒ— (ใ„จใ„›ห‡ ใ„Œใ„žหŠ ใ„—ห‹ ใ„Šใ„žหŠ ใ„…ใ„Ÿห‡) – I am from Taipei.

This sentence structure can also be used to introduce your nationality, but it emphasizes your place of origin. If you were born in a different country than your nationality, you can use this sentence to express that.

For example:

ๆˆ‘ๆ˜ฏ็พŽๅœ‹ไบบ๏ผŒไฝ†ๆ˜ฏๆˆ‘ไพ†่‡ชๆณ•ๅœ‹ (ใ„จใ„›ห‡ ใ„•ห‹ ใ„‡ใ„Ÿห‡ ใ„ใ„จใ„›หŠ ใ„–ใ„ฃหŠ ๏ผŒ ใ„‰ใ„ขห‹ ใ„•ห‹ ใ„จใ„›ห‡ ใ„Œใ„žหŠ ใ„—ห‹ ใ„ˆใ„šห‡ ใ„ใ„จใ„›หŠ) – I am American, but I am originally from France.

Introducing where you live in Chinese

If you want to introduce where you live to someone, you can use the following common phrase:

ๆˆ‘ + ไฝ + ๅœจ + [place] – (ใ„จใ„›ห‡ + ใ„“ใ„จห‹ + ใ„—ใ„žห‹ + [place])

The character ไฝ means “to live,” while ๅœจ is a preposition that means “in,” “at,” or “on.”

Here are a few examples:

ๆˆ‘ไฝๅœจๅฐไธญ (ใ„จใ„›ห‡ ใ„“ใ„จห‹ ใ„—ใ„žห‹ ใ„Šใ„žหŠ ใ„“ใ„จใ„ฅ) – I live in Taichung.

ๆˆ‘ไฝๅœจ็พŽๅœ‹ (ใ„จใ„›ห‡ ใ„“ใ„จห‹ ใ„—ใ„žห‹ ใ„‡ใ„Ÿห‡ ใ„ใ„จใ„›หŠ) – I live in the US.

How to ask someone where they live in Chinese?

If you want to ask someone where they live, you can use the following question:

ไฝ ไฝๅœจๅ“ช่ฃก? (ใ„‹ใ„งห‡ ใ„“ใ„จห‹ ใ„—ใ„žห‹ ใ„‹ใ„šห‡ ใ„Œใ„งห‡ ?)

The Chinese term ๅ“ช่ฃก means “where.” The question literally translates to “You live where?โ€

List of countries in Chinese

Here is a short list of common countries in Chinese, including their Bopomofo, Pinyin, and Chinese characters:


list of countries in chinese

Summary of the vocabulary


Chinese CharactersBopomofoPinyinEnglish
ไบบใ„–ใ„ฃหŠrรฉnPerson
ๅ“ชใ„‹ใ„šห‡nวŽWhich
ไพ†่‡ชใ„Œใ„žหŠ ใ„—ห‹lรกi zรฌCome from
ไฝ†ๆ˜ฏใ„‰ใ„ขห‹ ใ„•ห‹dร n shรฌBut
ไฝใ„“ใ„จห‹zhรนTo live
ๅœจใ„—ใ„žห‹zร iIn, at, on
ๅ“ช่ฃกใ„‹ใ„šห‡ ใ„Œใ„งห‡nวŽ lวWhere

By stating your nationality and where you live, you can immediately establish a connection with your Taiwanese or Chinese counterparts and spark conversations about your background and experiences.

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