80 Loan Words (Borrowed Words) in Mandarin Chinese

Hey there, Mandarin learners! Let’s talk about something really cool – loan words in Chinese. You know, those words that have been borrowed from other languages and integrated into the Chinese language? It’s like a cultural exchange program, but for vocabulary!

Get ready to check out some of the most commonly used loan words in Chinese. Impress your Chinese-speaking friends by dropping these linguistic gems into your next conversation.

Food and Beverages:

• “Chocolate” – 巧克力 (qiǎo kè lì)
• “Coffee” – 咖啡 (kā fēi)
• “Curry” – 咖哩 (gā li)
• “Bacon” – 培根 (péi gēn)
• “Toast” – 吐司 (tǔsī)
• “Lemon” – 柠檬 (níng méng)
• “Sandwich” – 三明治 (sān míng zhì)
• “Salad” – 沙拉 (shā lā)
• “Pudding” – 布丁 (bù dīng)
• “Salmon” – 三文鱼 (sān wén yú)
• “Sprite” – 雪碧 (xuě bì)
• “Pepsi” – 百事 (bǎi shì)
• “Brandy” – 白兰地 (bái lán dì)
• “Whiskey” – 威士忌 (wēi shì jì)

Brands:

• “Adidas” – 阿迪达斯 (ā dí dá sī)
• “Sephora” – 丝芙兰 (sī fú lán)
• “Nike” – 耐克 (nài kè)
• “Benz” – 奔驰 (bēn chí)
• “Pampers” – 帮宝适 (bāng bǎo shì)
• “Disney” – 迪士尼 (dí shì ní)
• “Marvel” – 漫威 (màn wēi)
• “Broadway” – 百老汇 (bǎi lǎo huì)
• “Google” – 谷歌 (gǔ gē)
• “Airbnb” – 爱彼迎 (Ài bǐ yíng)
• “Boeing” – 波音 (bō yīn)
• “IKEA” – 宜家 (yí jiā)
• “Walmart” – 沃尔玛 (wò ěr mǎ)
• “McDonald’s” – 麦当劳 (mài dāng láo)
• “Bar” – 吧 (bā)

Sports and Leisure:

• “Motorcycle” – 摩托车 (mótuōchē)
• “Bowling” – 保龄球 (bǎo líng qiú)
• “Golf” – 高尔夫 (gāo ěr fū)
• “Marathon” – 马拉松 (mǎ lā sōng)
• “Salon” – 沙龙 (shā lóng)
• “Rally” – 拉力赛 (lā lì sài)
• “Bar” – 吧 (bā)
• “Poker” – 扑克 (pū kè)
• “Show” – 秀 (xiù)
• “Party” – 派对 (pài duì)
• “Cartoon” – 卡通 (kǎ tōng)
• “Ballet” – 芭蕾 (bā léi)
• “Punk” – 朋客 (péng kè)
• “Carnival” – 嘉年华 (jiā nián huá)
• “Olympic” – 奥林匹克 (ào lín pǐ kè)
• “Calorie” – 卡路里 (kǎ lù lǐ)

Technology and Science:

• “Blog” – 博客 (bó kè)
• “Hacker” – 黑客 (hēi kè)
• “Engine” – 引擎 (yǐn qíng)
• “Radar” – 雷达 (léi dá)
• “Aspirin” – 阿司匹林 (ā sī pǐ lín)
• “Vitamin” – 维他命 (wéi tā mìng)
• “Gene” – 基因 (jī yīn)

Others:

• “Cool” – 酷 (kù)
• “Sofa” – 沙发 (shā fā)
• “Shock” – 休克 (xiū kè)
• “Humour” – 幽默 (yōu mò)
• “Fans” – 粉丝 (fěn sī)
• “Model” – 模特 (mó tè)
• “Hormone” – 荷尔蒙 (hé ěr mèng)
• “Mini” – 迷你 (mí nǐ)
• “Copy” – 拷贝 (kǎo bèi)
• “Bullying” – 霸凌 (bà líng)
• “Logic” – 逻辑 (luó jí)
• “Karat” – 克拉 (kè lā)
• “Bikini” – 比基尼 (bǐ jī ní)
• “Sauna” – 桑拿 (sāng ná)
• “Tank” – 坦克 (tǎn kè)
• “Bye-bye” – 拜拜 (bái bái)
• “Hello” – 哈喽 (hā lou)
• “Hi” – 嗨 (hāi)

It’s pretty rad how languages can borrow words from each other and make them their own. Whether it’s filling a need for a new concept or just embracing diversity, loan words have found their place in Chinese. They add this cool, global kind of flair to the language.