41 Chinese Homophones To Help You Understand & Speak Chinese With Ease

When you start learning Chinese, you may feel daunted by its distinctive writing system, or the tones. But something that might not instantly worry you is the language’s relative lack of sounds.

However, when compared with languages like English, Chinese has fewer possible phonemes (in other words, sounds) – which is essentially why it developed tones (although there is something of the chicken and the egg in this statement!).

The result of this is that there are a large number of Chinese homophones. Both true homophones that have the same sound and the same tone and near homophones that have the same sound but a different tone.

This can make it difficult for you to remember the tones. It also sometimes creates some confusion as to the meaning of what’s being said. So to help, in this post, I list some of the most common Chinese homophones to help you overcome these problems.

Single Character Chinese Homophones

With its four tones, Chinese has a huge number of single-character homophones. However, for beginners, there's a more limited number that you need to master from the start, so let’s have a look at some of the most important.

1. 买 măi and 卖 mài

In tonal languages, pairs of words always seem to exist that are almost perversely similar-sounding for vocabulary items with such different meanings (for example, in Thai, the words for “near” and “far” sound almost identical to the untrained ear).

In Chinese, perhaps the best example of this is 买 măi and 卖 mài, meaning “buy” and “sell” respectively – these two opposite words are identical in pronunciation apart from the tone.

To the beginner, this might seem as though it’s been deliberately designed to make the language as confusing as possible. But it’s not so bad once you get used to it.

买 măi is pronounced with a third tone, one that starts at the middle of your normal vocal range and then drops down before rising again to where you started. 卖 mài, on the other hand, starts at the top of your comfortable vocal range and drops, sounding quite different.

2. 妈 mā, 麻 má, 马 mă, 骂 mà and 吗 ma

The five versions of the phoneme ma are the most commonly used example for demonstrating the four tones (plus the neutral tone) of Chinese.

Amusingly, 妈 mā means “mother” while 马 mă means “horse”, so these are obviously two you don’t want to mix up!

麻 má is a character meaning “hemp” while 骂 mà means “to swear” or “to curse”. So these two are low-frequency words that you don't need to worry about as a beginner. However, 吗 ma with no tone is the question particle, making it one of the first words in Chinese you’ll learn.

3. 有 yŏu, 又 yòu and 右 yòu

Another of the first words you’ll learn in Chinese is 有 yŏu, meaning “to have”. This is a common phoneme in Chinese, and many other characters are pronounced you with different tones.

Two high-frequency you words to be aware of from the beginning are 又 yòu and 右 yòu, both pronounced with a fourth tone. The first of these means “again” while the second means “right” (as in the opposite of left).

4. 好 hăo and 号 hào

If the first thing you learn in Chinese is “hello”, 好 hăo (good) will be the second character you meet since it appears in 你好 nĭ hăo (hello), an expression that, word for word, translates as “you good”.

However, 好 hăo shouldn’t be confused with 号 hào, which is pronounced with a falling tone and means “number” or “mark” among other things.

5. 够 gòu and 狗 gŏu

够 gòu means “enough” and is an extremely useful word to know. But don’t confuse it with 狗 gŏu because that means “dog”.

6. 雨 yŭ and 鱼 yú

These two characters both have watery associations but make sure you don’t mix them up. 雨 yŭ means “rain” while 鱼 yú means “fish”.

7. 本 bĕn and 笨 bèn

本 bĕn is the measure word for books while 笨 bèn means “stupid” – so this is one that could potentially land you in trouble if you don’t pronounce it correctly.

8. 菜 cài, 才 cái and 猜 cāi

菜 cài means “dish” or “vegetables”, 才 cái means “only” and 猜 cāi means “to guess” – the first two in particular are high-frequency words, so you’ll need to make sure you remember the correct tones.

9. 就 jiù, 酒 jiŭ, 旧 jiù and九 jiŭ

就 jiù is an important word in Chinese with many meanings that can best be translated as “then”. It’s not to be confused with 酒 jiŭ, which means alcohol.

Jiu is a common phoneme in Chinese. For example, 旧 jiù is pronounced the same as 就 jiù but means “old” (for things, not people). 

九 jiŭ, on the other hand, is pronounced the same as 酒 jiŭ but means “nine”.

10. 汤 tāng, 糖 táng and 烫tàng

Be careful not to mix up 汤 tāng (soup) with 糖 táng, which means “sugar” or “sweets/candy”.

Some people also confuse the 烫 tàng (hot, scalding) in 麻辣烫 málàtàng (a type of Chinese street food) with 汤 tāng because they think it refers to the soup the food is cooked in rather than the scalding hot temperature.

11. 远 yuăn, 院 yuàn, 园 yuán and 元 yuán

A common phoneme in Chinese is yuan, and remembering the correct tones for this one always seems to give people problems!

远 yuăn with a third tone means “far” while 院 yuàn with a fourth tone means “courtyard” – you'll come across it in words like 医院 yīyuàn (hospital) and 电影院 diànyĭngyuàn (cinema).

Then there’s also 园 yuán, a character you’re most likely to first encounter in 公园 gōngyuán (park) as well as 元 yuán, the word used for Chinese currency.

12. 点 diăn, 店 diàn and 电 diàn

点 diăn (drop, spot) is an important word since, among other things, it’s used for telling the time (for example, 三点 sān diăn means “three o’clock”).

However, be sure not to confuse it with 店 diàn (a character referring to a shop or inn) which you might come across in 商店 shāngdiàn (shop) or 饭店 fàndiàn (restaurant or hotel).

电 diàn (electricity) is also pronounced with a fourth tone and is commonly encountered in words like 电脑 diànnăo (computer – literally “electric brain”) and 电话 diànhuà (telephone – literally “electric word”).

13. 书 shū, 树 shù and 数 shù/shŭ

Also not to be confused are 书 shū (book) and 树 shù (tree). 数 can be pronounced shù (meaning “number”) or shŭ (meaning “count”) and also shouldn't be confused. 

Polysyllabic Chinese Homophones

So far, we’ve only looked at single-character words. But there are also plenty of homophones in Chinese that consist of two or more characters. So let’s look at some of the most important examples now.

14. 或者 huòzhĕ and 活着 huózhe

One important pair to be aware of is 或者 huòzhĕ and 活着 huózhe. The first of these means “or” while the second means “alive” or “living”.

15. 睡觉 shuìjiào and 水饺 shuĭjiăo

Sometimes if you get the tones wrong, what you’re saying just won’t make sense. But other times, mispronouncing the tones can lead to comical results.

A good example of this is 睡觉 shuìjiào (to sleep) and 水饺 shuĭjiăo (boiled dumplings).

Imagine going to a dumpling seller and saying 我要睡觉 wŏ yào shuìjiào (I want to sleep) – if you do this, he’ll probably tell you to go to bed!

On the other hand, if you’re with your friends and are feeling sleepy, if you accidentally say 我要水饺 wŏ yào shuĭjiăo (I want boiled dumplings), don’t be surprised when someone brings you a plate of food instead of saying goodnight.

16. 汉语 hànyŭ and 韩语 hányŭ

Another striking example of how words with different meanings can be separated by nothing more than a single tone is 汉语 hànyŭ and 韩语 hányŭ.

As you can see, the first one is pronounced with a falling tone on the first syllable while the second has a rising tone.

The first means “Chinese (language)” while the second means “Korean (language).” So just by getting one tone wrong, people will think you’re talking about a completely different tongue!

17. 上海 shànghăi and 伤害 shānghài

上海 shànghăi is China’s biggest and arguably most cosmopolitan city while 伤害 shānghài means “to hurt”.

18. 老公 lăogōng and 劳工 láogōng

Here’s another amusing homophone. 老公 lăogōng is a familiar word for “husband” while 劳工 láogōng means “labourer”. And some 妻管严 qīguănyán (hen-pecked husbands) might wryly note that they don’t see much difference between the two!

19. 上午 shàngwŭ and 商务 shāngwù

These two words may sound similar, but their meanings are quite different. 上午 shàngwŭ means “morning” but 商务 shāngwù means “commerce” or “business”.

20. 杯子 bēizi and 被子 bèizi

If you’re not used to Chinese tones, a first (high) tone and a fourth (falling) tone can be easy to mishear. A good example of the confusion this might cause is 杯子 bēizi (cup, glass) and 被子 bèizi (quilt).

21. 水平 shuĭpíng and 水瓶 shuĭpĭng

These two words are only distinguished by a single tone. 水平 shuĭpíng means “level” (as in your level in a language, for example) while 水瓶 shuĭpĭng means “water bottle”. 

Incidentally, 水瓶座 shuĭpĭngzuò is the Chinese word for the Western Zodiac sign Aquarius.

22. 压力 yālì and 鸭梨 yālí

A pair of similar-sounding words with some scope for confusion is 压力 yālì (pressure, stress) and 鸭梨 yālí (a type of pear).

For example, if you want to say you are under lots of stress but say yālí hĕn dà (the pear is very big) instead of yālì hĕn dà (the pressure is very big), you’re likely to get a few odd looks.

23. 熊猫 xióngmāo and 胸毛 xiōngmáo

Another one that might give you a giggle and could possibly lead to some interesting misunderstandings – 熊猫 xióngmāo means “panda” while 胸毛 xiōngmáo with the opposite tones means “chest hair”.

Identical Pronunciation, Different Characters

Many words in Chinese are true homophones – they are pronounced in exactly the same way (including the tones) but are distinguished in writing since the characters are different.

This isn’t usually a problem since it’s almost always clear what the speaker means from the context. You’ve already seen several of these above, and here are a few more examples of some of the most common ones.

24. 在 zài and 再 zài

An extremely high-frequency word in Chinese is 在 zài – its main meaning is “to be at”, but it’s also used to mark continuous actions (as in 我在吃饭 wŏ zài chī fàn – “I’m eating”).

再 zài, on the other hand, means “again” and also appears in the word 再见 zàijiàn (goodbye – literally “again see”). It’s almost as high frequency as 在 zài and is pronounced in exactly the same way.

25. 加 jiā and 家 jiā

Two more high-frequency words are 加 jiā (to add) and 家 jiā (home). Again, these words have no difference in terms of pronunciation, so you need to pay attention to the context to tell them apart.

家 jiā is a word meaning “home” that encompasses the physical building but also carries the implication of the people who live there and a sense of belonging. This is why “home” is a better translation than “house”.

加 jiā, by contrast, means “to add”, and you’ll also come across it in the peculiar Chinese expression 加油 jiā yóu. This literally translates as “add oil” – you can say it to someone to offer them encouragement or you can shout it at your sports team to urge them on.

26. 要 yào, 药 yào and 咬 yăo

要 yào, primarily meaning “to want”, is likely to be among the first words you meet in Chinese. And you need to make sure you don’t mix it up with other relatively high-frequency words with similar pronunciation.

One example is 药 yào, meaning “medicine”. It's also pronounced with a fourth tone, and only the context will allow you to determine which of the two the speaker means – although when written, the characters are different.

咬 yăo, on the other hand, is pronounced the same but with a different tone – this word means “to bite”.

27. 做 zuò, 坐 zuò and 作 zuò

做 zuò (to do) and 坐 zuò (to sit) are pronounced identically, but the context will almost always make it clear which is being used. 

作 zuò is another common character with the same pronunciation. It's usually encountered in polysyllabic words such as 工作 gōngzuò (work) or 作业 zuòyè (homework), so the meaning is always easy to understand.

28. 要是 yàoshi and 钥匙 yàoshi

Two relatively high-frequency words with identical pronunciation are 要是 yàoshi (if) and 钥匙 yàoshi (key). Here, the only way to tell them apart is by using the context of the conversation. Although in practice, it will always be obvious which one is meant.

Superstitions And Blessings

The Chinese are fully aware that lots of their words sound very similar. And this feature of the language and the resulting wordplays it creates has an important role in Chinese culture.

Many Chinese superstitions as well as traditional blessings stem from puns and homophones. And here are a few traditional Chinese homophones every student of Chinese or anyone interested in Chinese culture should know.

29. 四 sì and 死 sĭ

In Chinese culture – and East Asian culture more widely – it’s important to realise that the number 4 is seen as being extremely unlucky. This comes from the fact that 四 sì (4) sounds very similar to 死 sĭ (to die).

It’s fair to say that the Chinese are traditionally very superstitious, and as a result, in hotels throughout China, you will rarely find a hotel with a fourth floor – in much the same way that many Western hotels eschew a 13^th floor.

30. 送钟 sòng zhŏng and 送终 sòng zhōng

In China, it’s considered extremely bad taste to give somebody a clock as a gift. 

This is because the expression 送钟 sòng zhŏng sounds a lot like 送终 sòng zhōng, which refers to attending to a dying parent or going to their funeral.

This may seem a bit morbid, but it’s a great example of how the Chinese are very sensitive to near homophones that remind them of unfortunate or undesirable events.

31. 扇 shàn, 伞 săn and 散 sàn/săn

Other gifts to avoid in China are fans (扇 shàn) and umbrellas (伞 săn).

This is because both words sound similar to 散, a character that can be pronounced as either sàn or săn.

With a fourth tone, it means “to break up, disperse” and with a third tone, it means “to fall apart, scatter”. These are not things you want to happen to your friendship, which is why fans and umbrellas are among the worst gifts you can choose in China.

This reminds me of a story a Chinese-speaking friend told me from her early days of learning Chinese.

She was picking up some souvenirs to take back with her after a trip to China. She was choosing a set of inexpensive but ornate fans to give to people back home when she noticed the uncomfortable look on her Chinese friend’s face.

Her friend tried to explain why fans were not a good choice of gift. But while she got the gist of what she was saying, between her limited Chinese at the time and her friend's broken English, she couldn’t quite catch the details.

My friend has since learnt why the presents she was buying caused her such consternation. And I hope sharing her story here might help others avoid committing similar cultural faux pas in the future!

32. 看书 kàn shū/带书 dài shū and 看输 kàn shū/带输 dài shū

Another Chinese superstition concerns books.

When you are engaged in some kind of activity that requires luck – buying shares, for example – you should neither read nor carry a book.

This is because 看书 kàn shū (read a book) and 带书 dài shū (carry a book) are pronounced the same as 看输 kàn shū and带输 dài shū. Since 输 shū means “to lose”, these expressions are considered unlucky.

33. 年年有鱼 nián nián yŏu yú and 年年有余 nián nián yŏu yú

Many positive superstitions and blessings in Chinese culture also come from homophones. And perhaps the most famous is 年年有鱼 nián nián yŏu yú, which can be translated as “may we have fish every year”.

It's a common blessing during the Spring Festival feast, a.k.a Chinese New Year, and is also the reason why fish is always served during this meal.

This is because the pronunciation is the same as 年年有余 nián nián yŏu yú, which means “may there be a surplus every year”, expressing a desire for bountiful harvests and plenty of food and wealth to go around.

34. 年糕 niángāo and 年高 niángāo

Along the same lines is a play on the words 年糕 niángāo (New Year’s cake) and 年高 niángāo (which literally means “year high” and translates as “venerable age”).

During Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) celebrations, people eat 年糕 niángāo while saying 年年高 nián nián gāo to wish each other a prosperous long life.

35. 福到了 fú dào le and  福倒了 fú dào le

Another of the classic Spring Festival-related wordplays comes from the two characters 到 dào and 倒 dào, both pronounced the same way.

The Chinese character 福 fú means “good fortune” or “blessing”, and it’s traditional to hang this character on the wall as part of the New Year’s decorations. But many people hang the character upside-down.

This is because 福倒了 fú dào le means “fu is upside-down” – this is pronounced identically to 福到了 fú dào le, meaning “good fortune has arrived”, which constitutes a blessing on the household.

36. 生菜 shēngcài and 生财 shēngcái

As well as fish, it’s also normal to eat some kind of raw vegetables during the New Year’s feast.

This is because 生菜 shēngcài (raw vegetables) sounds a lot like 生财 shēngcái, meaning “make money”, for which reason eating raw vegetables during Spring Festival is seen as auspicious.

37. 汤圆 tāngyuán and 团员 tuányuán

During the Lantern Festival, the celebration at the end of the Spring Festival period fifteen days after the first day of the lunar new year, it's traditional to eat 汤圆 tāngyuán, a kind of glutinous rice dumpling with a sweet filling.

This food is considered auspicious because the word sounds like 团员 tuányuán, meaning “reunite” (in the sense of a family reunion), which evokes the joy of the family being back together again for the festival.

38. 八 bā and 发 fā

Unlike 4, in Chinese culture 8 is considered extremely lucky. This is because 八 bā is thought to sound like 发 fā, which can mean “make money” – as in 恭喜发财 gōngxĭ fācái, the most common Spring Festival blessing that’s used to wish a prosperous New Year.

This is why when people give money to children in 红包 hóngbāo (red envelopes) during Spring Festival, 8 RMB, 88 RMB or even 888 RMB are popular sums.

If you're invited to a Chinese wedding, you're similarly expected to give a red envelope to the happy couple as a wedding present. And ensuring the sum consists of 8s will mean you are giving an auspicious amount.

Internet Speak

Here are a couple of interesting internet expressions derived from words that sound similar.

39. 88 bā bā

In internet speak, 88, pronounced bā bā, is used instead of 拜拜 bāibāi – which was in turn borrowed from English to mean “bye-bye”.

40. 3Q

One I particularly like, 3Q is used online instead of 谢谢 xièxie (thank you) because the pronunciation – sān Q – sounds like the English “thank you”.

And one more…

41. 长城 chángchéng

And finally, one more that I just wanted to include for fun more than anything.

In Chinese, the word for the Great Wall of China is 长城 chángchéng. It literally translates as “long wall”. But what's surprising is how similar the two characters sound – you really have to work on pronouncing it correctly.

And by the way, the thing about being able to see it from space is a complete myth. It’s only about as wide as a regular residential road, so there’s no way you’d be able to pick it out from orbit.

However, depending on the direction you’re coming from, you can easily spot parts of it snaking over the hills as you fly into Beijing, and that’s always fun!

How To Remember The Correct Tones

With all these Chinese homophones – and many more besides – you might be wondering how you’ll possibly be able to remember them all. 

However, the good news is that you’ll probably find that through practice and repetition, most of them will become so fixed in your brain that won’t ever forget them, just like for native speakers. You'll quickly grasp the difference between 买 măi (buy) and 卖 mài (sell), because these words are just so common.

The best way to get the practice that will stop you from confusing these homophones is to apply the StoryLearning method and read in Mandarin. As you read and listen to stories in Chinese, confusing homophones will quickly become second nature.

Practising and speaking out loud rather than in your head will play an important role in memorising the correct tones too.

Sometimes, though, for the ones you always seem to forget, it might be useful to try to make up little mnemonics to help you remember. 

For example, you might remember that 鱼 yú is second tone by picturing a fish rising to the surface of a pond to eat a bug. Or that 酒 jiŭ is third tone because if you drink too much alcohol, you have to be ready for both the lows and highs.

As with any mnemonic, it doesn’t matter how silly or nonsensical they are as long as they help you remember. Because then if you ever experience a moment of doubt, you can think about whatever story you made up about a character to remind you of the correct tone.

Chinese Homophones: Not As Difficult As It Might Seem

Although Chinese tones and the possibility of mixing up Chinese homophones can make the language seem extremely difficult, once you get started, you’ll find that things are actually a lot easier than you might think.

In terms of listening, the context will usually tell you which word is being used, even if you miss the tone.

And when you’re speaking, through regular practice, you’ll find you naturally master and remember most of the tones without too much trouble.

And if you still need some help with Chinese homophones (or any other aspect of the language), my Chinese Uncovered course will help you master them through the power of story. Click here for your free 7-day trial.