Expand Your Vocabulary: 25 Essential Mandarin-English Cognates

By now, your little learners may have enjoyed several KaiBan adventures with Auntie KiKi and Little Dragon. They might have started using Mandarin vocabulary to speak different phrases or identify various household items. They’re well on their way to becoming bilingual—or even multilingual!

Learning a new language can be challenging and requires significant effort. However, the KaiBan team has some tips to make the process easier. Between difficult lessons, try introducing your child to cognates. These words, which sound similar in both Mandarin and English, can help bridge the gap and make learning more fun and accessible.

The answer is YES, and we’ve created a list of 25 English cognates for Mandarine. KaiBan aims to partner with parents to identify linguistic common ground while learning the Chinese language. As you and your youngsters explore our content, we want to introduce you to Chinese Hanzi characters and words that might be familiar in your native language.

After reviewing the words and phrases, along with their accompanying Mandarin characters from our list of 15 Basic Chinese Words or Phrases for Beginners, your students might feel a bit intimidated or overwhelmed. To help them strengthen their interest in learning a new language, introduce them to cognates. These words are easier to translate and provide a confidence boost to early learners.

Familiarizing your child with these Chinese cognates is a great way to build confidence in their ability to learn a new language. For more advanced or inquisitive learners, KaiBan has assembled a list of words that are seemingly coincidentally similar but not quite cognates. While the pronunciations of these words are starkly different across languages, they carry striking similarities.

• Secretary / Mìshū (秘书): in both languages, the beginning word (the root word) found within them is “secret” (秘 (mì) in Mandarin). It is said that they both carry the root word “secret” as a result of the discretion that is an important characteristic of the role in both cultures.

• Bow & Bow / Gōng & Gōng (弓 & 躬): In English, the verb ‘to bow’ and the noun ‘bow’ (that you shoot arrows with) are homographs, meaning they are spelled the same but carry different meanings or pronunciations. In Mandarin, the two words are homophones, meaning they sound the same but carry different meanings. However, what grows more interesting about these pairs is that the verb “to bow,” when written in Hanzi (躬) contains the same Hanzi representation of the noun “bow” (弓) that you use to shoot arrows. This similarity in calligraphy is believed to be credited to the shape one’s body takes on when performing the act of bowing. It is similar to the shape of a bow used in archery.

• Swallow or Swallow / Yàn & Yàn (燕 & 嚥): In both English and Mandarin, these words are homophones. One signifying a breed of bird and the other, the act of taking in an item soon to be digested. The only difference across either language is in the Hanzi representation of the two words… The verb “swallow” in Mandarin includes the Hanzi character for mouth (口).

• By / Bèi (被): This word pairing switches things up quite a bit… The two words do not translate to mean the same thing, but they are pronounced similarly. In English, “by” is a preposition signifying location or authorship. In Mandarin, this pronunciation translates to the English word, quilt or blanket.

This new list of vocabulary can pose as a beginner’s level challenge to test your children’s language skills as they grow more comfortable learning Mandarin. They also help to reinforce language arts knowledge and skills–thereby strengthening their command of their native language, as well. This is a natural by-product of learning a second language and a much-needed refresher as they venture into new languages. 

The KaiBan team understands that learning a new language is challenging enough, so we have also assembled a few suggestions on how to make learning these new words entertaining. Below are some tips on how to share these words with your little learner:

• Words of the Day: This practice has worked for countless teachers seeking to educate their classes on new vocabulary words. It is also an amazing method of learning a second language. Parents can select a word from the vocabulary list and teach it to their little learners. Then try to use it as frequently as possible for the whole day.
• Talk, Translate, Taste: This one might be a bit fun and could also be a way to introduce new flavors and foods to your little one! For the “Talk” portion of the game, one of you must speak a word in either language from the list. Then, the other has to translate it. If the translator guesses correctly, then they get to taste the food identified by the word! Challenge: Get it wrong and the “talker” takes a bite.
• Similar or Different: Another game where your youngster can guess if the pair of vocabulary words is a homograph, homonym, or homophone. With each correct guess, reward them with something exciting and encouraging. Make the challenge harder by providing only one word and pushing your student to speak the English or Mandarin translation to you. Take the game another step further by challenging them to write it for bonus points and prizes!
• Word Trivia / Scavenger Hunt: Turn everyday words like “Ketchup” (Qié zhī) into challenges during which your child has to find the item in the house that the vocabulary word represents.

We would also love to learn creative ways that you might be implementing Mandarin language lessons at home. Share your techniques in the comment section of this blog post, and we will share them and credit you in our next one!

If you are looking for additional resources on how to facilitate your child’s success on this journey, sign up for our mailing list, and KaiBan can send more fun activities, insights, and updates on our content.