HSC Chinese Beginners (NSW) key terms

First-person singular pronoun meaning 'I' or 'me'. Used by the speaker to refer to themselves in statements about name, age, family, school and daily routine.

Second-person singular pronoun meaning 'you'. Used when speaking directly to one person, for example asking about their name, health, family or hobbies.

Third-person singular pronoun meaning 'he' or 'him'. Refers to a male person already mentioned, such as a brother, friend or teacher.

Verb meaning 'to be called' or 'to call'. Used to give names, as in asking someone's name or stating your own name and a sibling's name.

Noun meaning 'name'. Refers to a person's full name, usually given and family name together, and commonly appears when people first meet.

Noun and verb meaning 'surname' or 'to have the surname'. Used to state or ask a family name, which in Chinese comes before the given name.

Question phrase meaning 'how many years old'. Used to ask a child's age, with the answer given as a number plus the character for year.

Measure word for years of age. Follows a number to state someone's age, for example in sentences about a younger brother or a classmate.

Noun meaning 'home' or 'family'. Used both for the physical house and for family members, and appears in phrases about going home or having a family of four.

Noun meaning 'family members'. Refers collectively to the people in one's household, such as parents, siblings and grandparents, and is used when describing who lives at home.

Noun meaning 'father' or 'dad'. A common family term used when introducing parents, describing a parent's job, or saying what a father likes to do.

Noun meaning 'mother' or 'mum'. Used in introductions, descriptions of family and everyday talk about a parent's work, cooking or hobbies.

Verb meaning 'to have' or 'there is'. Used to state possession and existence, such as having brothers and sisters or a pet at home.

Verb phrase meaning 'not have' or 'there is not'. The negative form of 'to have', used to say someone lacks siblings, a pet, or free time.

Verb meaning 'to like'. Used to express preferences about food, subjects, sports, music and activities, and often followed by a noun or another verb.

Noun meaning 'hobby' or 'interest'. Refers to activities done for enjoyment, such as reading, swimming or listening to music, and often appears in self-introductions.

Noun and verb meaning 'sport' or 'to exercise'. Covers physical activities such as running, basketball and swimming, and is a frequent topic in talk about free time.

Noun meaning 'school'. Refers to the place where students study, and is used when describing location, size, subjects and daily travel to class.

Noun meaning 'student' or 'pupil'. Used to state a person's role at school or university, often in answer to questions about occupation.

Noun meaning 'teacher'. Used for the person who teaches a class, and appears when describing subjects taught, a teacher's personality or respect for them.

Noun meaning 'Chinese language'. Refers to the language studied in this course, and is used in talk about lessons, homework, difficulty and future plans.

Verb and noun meaning 'to study' or 'learning'. Used for the activity of gaining knowledge, such as studying Chinese, and often paired with a subject or place.

Noun meaning 'homework' or 'assignment'. Refers to school tasks done outside class, and appears in talk about amount, difficulty and when it is finished.

Noun and verb meaning 'exam' or 'to sit an exam'. Used when discussing test dates, preparation, results and feelings of worry or confidence.

Noun meaning 'time'. Used to talk about schedules, free time and how long an activity takes, often in phrases about having or not having time.

Measure word for clock time, meaning 'o'clock' or 'hour point'. Follows a number to state when something happens, such as a class starting at eight.

Time noun meaning 'morning'. Refers to the early part of the day, and is used to describe routines such as getting up, eating breakfast and going to school.

Verb meaning 'to eat'. Used with food nouns and meals, for example eating breakfast, lunch or dinner, and in questions about what someone likes to eat.

Noun meaning 'meal' or 'cooked rice'. Used in the names of meals and in talk about eating out, cooking at home and favourite foods.

Noun meaning 'dish' or 'vegetable'. Refers to a prepared food item on a menu or table, and appears when ordering food or describing what someone can cook.

Verb meaning 'to drink'. Used with drinks such as water, tea and milk, and often appears in questions about what someone would like to drink.

Noun meaning 'tea'. A common drink in Chinese-speaking communities, used when offering drinks, ordering in a restaurant or describing customs.

Verb meaning 'to buy'. Used in shopping situations, such as buying food, clothes or gifts, and in talk about prices and where to shop.

Noun meaning 'money'. Used when discussing prices, pocket money, paying and saving, and appears in questions about how much something costs.

Question word meaning 'how many' or 'how much'. Used to ask about quantity or price, for example asking the cost of an item or the number of people.

Verb meaning 'to speak' or 'to say'. Used for talking about languages and communication, such as saying someone speaks Chinese or asking what was said.

Verb meaning 'to listen' or 'to hear'. Central to the listening skill tested in the exam, and used in talk about music, instructions and understanding others.

Verb meaning 'to look at', 'to watch' or 'to read'. Used with objects such as television, books, films and doctors, and appears in reading tasks.

Verb meaning 'to write'. Used for producing characters, letters, messages and notes, and important for the writing section where students compose texts in Chinese.