New (xīn 新)
[audio:http://chinesecharacteraday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Xin.mp3
新 is pronounced in the first tone.
New Year (xīn 新 niάn 年)
[audio:http://chinesecharacteraday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Xin_Nion.mp3|titles=Xin_Nion]
Nine = 9 = 九 jiǔ
[audio:http://chinesecharacteraday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/09_nine.mp3|titles=09_nine]
Now = 现 在 xiàn zi
[audio:http://chinesecharacteraday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Xian-Zi1.mp3|titles=Xian Zi]
Number = 数 shù 字 zì
[audio:http://chinesecharacteraday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/08_number.mp3|titles=08_number]
数 shù means to Count
[audio:http://chinesecharacteraday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/08_shu.mp3|titles=08_shu]
字 zì means Word.
[audio:http://chinesecharacteraday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/08_zi.mp3|titles=08_zi]
Thus 数字 means Counting Word or Number.
One day 一 日 yī rì
[audio:http://chinesecharacteraday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Yi_Ri.mp3|titles=Yi_Ri]
一 = one and is pronounced yī in the first tone.
[audio:http://chinesecharacteraday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Yi_3.mp3|titles=Yi_3]
日 = day and is pronounced rì in the fourth tone.
[audio:http://chinesecharacteraday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Ri.mp3|titles=Ri]
One-fifth 五 分 之 一 wǔ fēn zhī yī
[audio:http://chinesecharacteraday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Wu_Fen_Zhi_Yi.mp3|titles=Wu_Fen_Zhi_Yi]
五 = five. 五 is pronounced wǔ in the third tone.
[audio:http://chinesecharacteraday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Wu.mp3|titles=Wu]
分 = part or divide. 分 is pronounced fēn in the first tone.
[audio:http://chinesecharacteraday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Fen.mp3|titles=Fen]
之 = zhī means of and is pronounced in the first tone.
[audio:http://chinesecharacteraday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Zhi1.mp3|titles=Zhi]
一 = yī means one and is pronounced in the first tone.
[audio:http://chinesecharacteraday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Yi1.mp3|titles=Yi]
The four words 五 分 之 一 means one part out of five or one-fifth.
One-Hundred Seventeen = 117 = 一 百 十 七
[audio:http://chinesecharacteraday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/5-117.mp3|titles=5-117]
100 = One-hundred
一yī
[audio:http://chinesecharacteraday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/5-yi.mp3|titles=5-yi]
百baǐ
[audio:http://chinesecharacteraday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/5-bai.mp3|titles=5-bai]
17 = Seventeen
十shí
[audio:http://chinesecharacteraday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/5-shi.mp3|titles=5-shi]
七 qī
[audio:http://chinesecharacteraday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/5-qi.mp3|titles=5-qi]
Page (yè 页)
[audio:http://chinesecharacteraday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/01_ye.mp3|titles=01_ye]
Page 1 or first page is translated as 第 一 页。
[audio:http://chinesecharacteraday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/01_pageone.mp3|titles=01_pageone]
The word 第 dì is a prefix for ordinal numbers such as first, second, third, fourth etc. 一 means one. 页 means page.
People (reń 人)
[audio:http://chinesecharacteraday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Ren.mp3|titles=Ren]
人 is pronounced reń in the second tone. 人 resembles a line drawing of a man with his legs apart. 人means man, person, human being. If the word 们is added after a noun such as 人it makes that noun plural. Thus 人们 means people.
Population 人 口 rέn kǒu
[audio:http://chinesecharacteraday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Ren_Kou.mp3|titles=Ren_Kou]
人 rέn means man
[audio:http://chinesecharacteraday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Ren.mp3|titles=Ren]
口 kǒu means mouth
[audio:http://chinesecharacteraday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Kou.mp3|titles=Kou]
Printing (印 刷 yìn shūa)
[audio:http://chinesecharacteraday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Yin_Shua.mp3|titles=Yin_Shua]
印 yìn means to print, engrave, seal, stamp, chop. It is pronounced in the fourth tone.
刷 shūa means to brush, clean, daub, paste. It is pronounced in the first tone.
When the word 第 dì is placed before the number 一, the two words 第一 means First.
Rabbit (tù 兔)
[audio:http://chinesecharacteraday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Tu.mp3|titles=Tu]
兔 is pronounced in the fourth tone like the word two.
Rain = 雨 yǔ
[audio:http://chinesecharacteraday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/03-rain.mp3|titles=03-rain]
The character 雨 looks very much like rain drops seen through a window, don’t you think?
Royalty = 皇 huáng 族 zú
皇 族 means Imperial Clan
[audio:http://chinesecharacteraday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/10_royalty.mp3|titles=10_royalty]
皇 huáng means emperor or imperial
[audio:http://chinesecharacteraday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/10_huang.mp3|titles=10_huang]
族 zú means clan
[audio:http://chinesecharacteraday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/10_zu.mp3|titles=10_zu]
Say = 说 shuō
[audio:http://chinesecharacteraday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/07-say.mp3|titles=07-say]
also means speak or talk
Scales = 鳞 liń 片 piaǹ
[audio:http://chinesecharacteraday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/9-scales.mp3|titles=9-scales]
鳞liń = scale of a fish. Note the radical 鱼 yú which means fish on the left side of 鳞.
[audio:http://chinesecharacteraday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/9-lin.mp3|titles=9-lin]
片piaǹ = flat, thin piece.
[audio:http://chinesecharacteraday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/9-pian.mp3|titles=9-pian]
Second 第 二 dì èr
[audio:http://chinesecharacteraday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Di_Er.mp3|titles=Di_Er]
Chinese word for number two is 二 èr
[audio:http://chinesecharacteraday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Er.mp3|titles=Er]
When the word 第 dì
[audio:http://chinesecharacteraday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Di1.mp3|titles=Di] is placed before the number 一, the two words 第 二 means Second.
Second paragraph = 第 dì 二er̀ 段 duaǹ
[audio:http://chinesecharacteraday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/01-second-paragraph.mp3|titles=01-second paragraph]
第 dì 二er̀ = Second
[audio:http://chinesecharacteraday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/01-di-er.mp3|titles=01-di-er]
段 duaǹ = paragraph
[audio:http://chinesecharacteraday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/01-duan.mp3|titles=01-duan]
Seven = 七 qī
[audio:http://chinesecharacteraday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/8-seven.mp3|titles=8-seven]
Since the number 17 (seventeen) consists of ten plus seven, the Chinese translates it as 十 七.
Since the number 117 (one hundred and seventeen) consists of one一 hundred 百and ten 十 and seven 七, the Chinese translates it as 一 百 十 七.
Silk (sī 丝)
[audio:http://chinesecharacteraday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Si.mp3|titles=Si]
丝 is pronounced sī in the first tone. 丝 resembles coils of fine thread. 丝 means silk.
Six feet = 六尺 liù chǐ [audio:http://chinesecharacteraday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Liu-Chi.mp3|titles=Liu Chi]
Stream = 小 xiǎo 河 hé
[audio:http://chinesecharacteraday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/14-stream.mp3|titles=14-stream]
小xiǎo means small, little, minor
[audio:http://chinesecharacteraday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/14-xiao.mp3|titles=14-xiao]
河 hé means river. Note the three Dots radical to the left of 河
[audio:http://chinesecharacteraday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/14-he.mp3|titles=14-he]
Swim = 游 yóu
[audio:http://chinesecharacteraday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/12-swim.mp3|titles=12-swim]
(Note the three dots to the left of 游. A character with the `three dots’ radical usually indicate that the word has something to do with water.)