List of loanwords in Chinese
Loanwords have entered written and spoken Chinese from many sources, including ancient peoples whose descendants now speak Chinese. In addition to phonetic differences, varieties of Chinese such as Cantonese and Shanghainese often have distinct words and phrases left from their original languages which they continue to use in daily life and sometimes even in Mandarin. As a result of long-term direct relationships with northern peoples, starting from the pre-Christ period, there are many exchanges of words. In addition, there were times when northern tribes dominated China. Similarly, northern dialects include relatively greater numbers of loanwords from nearby languages such as Turkic, Mongolian, and Manchu.
Throughout China, Buddhism has also introduced words from Sanskrit and Pali. More recently, foreign invasion and trade since the First and Second Opium Wars of the mid-nineteenth century has led to prolonged contact with English, French, and Japanese. Although politically-minded language reform under the Republic and People's Republic of China have generally preferred to use calques and neologisms in place of loanwords, a growing number particularly from American English have become current in modern Chinese. On the mainland, transcription into Chinese characters in official media and publications is directed by the Proper Names and Translation Service of the Xinhua News Agency and its reference work Names of the World's Peoples.
Since Hong Kong was under British control until 1997, Hong Kong Cantonese borrowed many words from English such as 巴士, 的士, 芝士, and 麥當勞/麦当劳, and such loanwords have been adopted into Mandarin, despite them sounding much less similar to the English words the Cantonese versions.
Foreign businesses and products are usually free to choose their own transliterations and typically select ones with positive connotations and phonetic similarity to their products: for example, 宜家 is "proper home". Owing to antonomasia and genericization, these can then enter general Chinese usage: for example Coca-Cola's 可口可乐 has led to 可乐 becoming the common Chinese noun for all colas.
Since the Kuomintang retreated to Taiwan after the Chinese Civil War, relations between the Republic of China and the People's Republic of China had been hostile, thus communication between Taiwan and mainland China became limited. For that reason, many loanwords and proper names became quite different from each other. For example, "cheese" in mainland China is 芝士 zhīshì, while cheese in Taiwan is 起司 qĭsī.
Sanskrit
Persian
English
Chinese words of English origin have become more common in mainland China during its reform and opening and resultant increased contact with the West. Note that some of the words below originated in other languages but may have arrived in Chinese via English. English acronyms are sometimes borrowed into Chinese without any transcription into Chinese characters; for example "IT", "PPT", "GDP", "APP", "KTV", or "DVD". A rarer occurrence is the blending of the Latin alphabet with Chinese characters, as in "卡拉OK", “T恤”, "IP卡". In some instances, the loanwords exists side by side with neologisms that translate the meaning of the concept into existing Chinese morphemes. For instance, while the loanword for 'penicillin' is 盘尼西林, a neologism that 'translates' the word was later coined, 青霉素, which means 'blue/green mold extract/essence'. In contemporary Chinese, neologisms using native Chinese morphemes tend to be favored over loanwords that are transliterations. In the case of penicillin, the term 青霉素 is used almost exclusively, while 盘尼西林 is viewed as an early 20th century relic. Similarly, 'science' is now known as 科学 'subject/specialty study' rather than 赛因斯, though it should be pointed out that the characters 科学 were actually coined in the late 19th century by the Japanese as a kanji compound.In the chart below, loanwords in Taiwan will be written in traditional characters and loanwords in mainland China will be written in simplified characters.
| English | Pinyin | Chinese | Category | Notes |
| Amen | āmen | Religion | ||
| ammonia | āmóníyà | Science | ||
| amoeba | āmǐbā | Science | ||
| amoxicillin | āmòxīlín | Science | ||
| ampere | ānpéi | Science | ||
| amphetamine | ānfēitāmìng | Science | ||
| ampoule | ānbù | Science | ||
| antitrust | fǎntuōlāsī | Business and law | ||
| aspartame | āsībātián | Food and drink | ||
| Aspirin | āsīpílín | Science | ||
| Baccarat | Bǎijiālè | Arts and entertainment | ||
| bacon | péigēn | Food and drink | ||
| bagel | bèiguǒ | Food and drink | ||
| ballet | bālěi | Arts and entertainment | ||
| bandage | bēngdài | Health | ||
| banjo | bānzhuóqín | Arts and entertainment | ||
| bar | bā | |||
| Baroque | bāluókè | Arts and entertainment | ||
| basketball | lánqiú | 篮球 | Arts and entertainment | |
| bass | bèisī | Arts and entertainment | ||
| bassoon | bāsōng | Arts and entertainment | ||
| bazooka | bāzǔkǎ | Weapons | ||
| beer | píjiǔ | Food and drink | ||
| bikini | bǐjīní | Clothing | ||
| bingo | bīnguǒ | Arts and entertainment | ||
| bit | bǐtè | Science | ||
| blog | bókè | Computing | ||
| blues | bùlǔsī | Arts and entertainment | ||
| bolero | bōláiluó | Arts and entertainment | ||
| bourgeois | bù'ěrqiáoyà | Politics | ||
| brandy | báilándì | Food and drink | ||
| brownie | bùlǎngní | Food and drink | ||
| bullying | bàlíng | |||
| bungee jumping | bèngjí | Arts and entertainment | ||
| bus | bāshì | Transportation | ||
| bàibài | ||||
| caffeine | kāfēiyīn | Food and drink | ||
| calorie | kǎlùlǐ | Science | ||
| cancan | kāngkāngwǔ | Arts and entertainment | ||
| cannon | jiānóngpào | Weapons | ||
| carat | kèlā | Science | ||
| carbine | kǎbīnqiāng | Weapons | ||
| card | kăpiàn | |||
| carnival | jiāniánhuá | Arts and entertainment | ||
| cartel | kǎtè'ěr | |||
| cartoon | kǎtōng | Arts and entertainment | rarely used in mainland China | |
| cashmere | kāishìmǐ | |||
| celluloid | sàilùluò | Science | ||
| cha-cha | qiàqiàwǔ | Arts and entertainment | ||
| Champagne | xiāngbīn | Food and drink | ||
| cheese | qǐsī/qishì/zhīshì | Food and drink | First two loanwords used in Taiwan, last used in mainland China | |
| cherry | chēlízi | Food and drink | rarely used in mainland China | |
| chiffon | xuěfǎng | Food and drink | ||
| chocolate | qiǎokèlì | Food and drink | ||
| cider | xīdá | Food and drink | ||
| cigar | xuějiā | |||
| clone | kèlóng | Science | ||
| coca | kějiā | Food and drink | ||
| cocaine | kěkǎyīn | Science | ||
| cocktail | jīwěijiǔ | Food and drink | ||
| cocoa | kěkě | Food and drink | ||
| codeine | kědàiyīn | Science | ||
| coffee or café | kāfēi | Food and drink | ||
| cookie | qǔqí | Food and drink | ||
| cool | kù | |||
| copy | kǎobèi | |||
| couch or sofa | shāfā | Housing | ||
| coup d'état | kǔdiédǎ | Politics | ||
| craton | kèlātōng | |||
| cream | jìlián, qílín | Food and drink | ||
| crêpe | kělìbǐng | Food and drink | ||
| croissant | kěsòng | Food and drink | ||
| cumin | kūmíng | Food and drink | ||
| curry | gālí | Food and drink | ||
| cyanide | shān'āi | Science | ||
| Dacron | díquèliáng | Science | ||
| daddy | diēdì | |||
| didgeridoo | díjílǐdùguǎn | Arts and entertainment | ||
| disco | dísīkě | Arts and entertainment | ||
| domino | duōmǐnuò | Arts and entertainment | ||
| drive-thru | déláisù | Food and drink | ||
| einsteinium | ài/āi | 鑀 / 锿 | Science | first loanword used in Taiwan, second used in mainland China |
| Eucalyptus | yóujiālì | Botany | ||
| eureka | yóulǐkǎ | |||
| fantasy | fàntèxī | Arts and entertainment | ||
| fascism | fǎxīsī | Politics | ||
| fillet | fēilì | Food and drink | ||
| geek | jíkè | Computing | ||
| ghetto | gédōu | |||
| go-kart | gāokǎchē | Arts and entertainment | ||
| golf | gāoěrfū | Arts and entertainment | ||
| guitar | jítā | Arts and entertainment | ||
| Gypsy | Jípǔsài | Culture and society | ||
| hacker | hēikè | Computing | ||
| hallelujah | hālìlùyà | Religion | ||
| hamburger | hànbǎobāo | Food and drink | ||
| hello | hālóu | |||
| heroin | hǎiluòyīn | Narcotics | ||
| hippie | xīpí | Culture and society | ||
| honey | hāní | Slang | ||
| hot dog | règǒu | 热狗 | Food and drink | translation |
| ice cream | bīngqílín | 冰淇淋 | Food and drink | |
| jacket | jiākè | 夹克 | Clothing | |
| jazz | juéshìwǔ | 爵士舞 | Arts and entertainment | |
| Jeep | jípǔchē | 吉普车 | Transportation / organizations | |
| jitterbug | jítèbā | 吉特巴 | ||
| ketamine | kètāmìng | 克他命 | Science | |
| khaki | kǎqí | 卡其 | Clothing | |
| koala | kǎolā | 考拉 | Animals | |
| lace | lěisī | 蕾丝 | Clothing | |
| lacquer | làkè | 腊克 | ||
| laser | léishè | 镭射 | Science | |
| latte | nátiě | 拿铁 | Food and drink | |
| lemon | níngméng | 柠檬 | Food and drink | |
| limbo | língbōwǔ | 凌波舞 | Arts and entertainment | |
| liquor | lìkǒujiǔ | 利口酒 | Food and drink | |
| logic | luóji | 逻辑 | Science | |
| lottery | lètòu | 乐透 | Arts and entertainment | |
| mankini | nánjīní | 男基尼 | Clothing | |
| marathon | mǎlāsōng | 马拉松 | Arts and entertainment | |
| margarine | màiqílín | 麦淇淋 | Food and drink | |
| marker | mǎkèbǐ | 马克笔 | ||
| massage | mǎshājī | 马杀鸡 | rarely used in mainland China | |
| meme | míyīn | 迷因 | Arts and entertainment | |
| microphone | màikèfēng | 麦克风 | Science | |
| milkshake | nǎixī | 奶昔 | Food and drink | |
| model | mótèr | 模特儿 | Arts and entertainment | |
| modern | módēng | 摩登 | ||
| mohair | mǎhǎimáo | 马海毛 | ||
| mommy | māmi | 妈咪 | ||
| montage | méngtàiqí | 蒙太奇 | Arts and entertainment | |
| mosaic | mǎsàikè | 马赛克 | ||
| motif | mǔtǐ, mú | 母体，模 | Arts and entertainment | |
| motor | mótuō | 摩托 | Transportation | |
| mousse | mùsī | 慕斯 | Food and drink | |
| mozzarella | mòzālǐlā, mǎsūlǐlā | 莫扎里拉，马苏里拉 | Food and drink | |
| muffin | mǎfēn | 玛芬 | Food and drink | |
| mug | mǎkèbēi | 马克杯 | ||
| mummy | mùnǎiyī | 木乃伊 | ||
| Nazi | Nàcuì | 纳粹 | Organizations / politics | |
| neon | níhóng | 霓虹 | ||
| nicotine | nígǔdīng | 尼古丁 | ||
| Nylon | nílóng | 尼龙 | ||
| ohm | ōumǔ | 欧姆 | Science | |
| Olympics | Àolínpǐkè | 奥林匹克 | Organizations | |
| opium | yāpiàn | 鸦片 | Narcotics | |
| parfait | bāfēi | 芭菲 | Food and drink | |
| parka | pàikè dàyī | 派克大衣 | Clothing | |
| party | pàiduì | 派对 | ||
| penicillin | pánníxīlín | 盘尼西林 | Science | rarely used in mainland China |
| Pharaoh | fǎlǎo | 法老 | ||
| pickup truck | píkǎ | 皮卡 | Transportation | |
| pizza | pīsà/bǐsà | 披萨／比萨 | Food and drink | |
| plutonium | bù/bù | 鈽 / 钚 | Science | |
| poker | pūkè | 扑克 | Arts and entertainment | |
| polka | bō'ěrkǎ | 波尔卡 | Arts and entertainment | |
| pudding | bùdīng | 布丁 | Food and drink | |
| pump | bèng | 泵 | ||
| punk | péngkè | 朋克 | Arts and entertainment | |
| rabbi | lābǐ | 拉比 | Religion | |
| radar | léidá | 雷达 | Science | |
| roller | luólā | 罗拉 | ||
| romance | luómànshǐ, làngmàn | 罗曼史，浪漫 | ||
| rum | lǎngmǔjiu | 朗姆酒 | Food and drink | |
| rumba | lúnbā | 伦巴 | Arts and entertainment | |
| salad | shālà, shalǜ | 沙拉，沙律 | Food and drink | |
| salmon | sānwényú | 三文鱼 | Food and drink | |
| salon | shālóng | 沙龙 | Health | |
| sandwich | sānmíngzhì | 三明治 | Food and drink | |
| sardine | shādīngyú | 沙丁鱼 | Food and drink | |
| sauna | sāngná | 桑拿 | Health | |
| saxophone | sàkèsī | 萨克斯，萨克斯风 | Arts and entertainment | |
| scooter | sùkèdá | 速克达 | Transportation | |
| shampoo | xiāngbō | 香波 | Health | |
| sherry | xuělìjiǔ | 雪利酒 | Food and drink | |
| shirt | T-xù | Ｔ恤 | Clothing | |
| sirloin | shālǎng | 沙朗 | Food and drink | |
| snooker | sīnuòkè | 斯诺克 | ||
| soda | sūdá | 苏打 | Food and drink | |
| strawberry | shìduōpílí | 士多啤梨 | Food and drink | |
| sundae | shèngdài, xīndì | 圣代，新地 | Food and drink | |
| ping-pong | pīngpāng | 乒乓 | Arts and entertainment | |
| talk show | tuōkǒuxiù | 脱口秀 | ||
| tango | tàngē | 探戈 | Arts and entertainment | |
| tank | tǎnkè | 坦克 | Transportation | |
| tannic acid | dānníngsuān | 单宁酸 | ||
| tarot | tǎluó | 塔罗 | ||
| Teflon | tèfùlóng | 特富龙 | ||
| telephone | délǜfēng | 德律风 | rarely used in mainland China | |
| ten-pin bowling | bǎolíngqiú | 保龄球 | Arts and entertainment | |
| TOEFL | tuōfú | 托福 | ||
| toffee | tàifēitáng | 太妃糖 | Food and drink | |
| tuna | tūnnáyú | 吞拿鱼 | Food and drink | |
| turquoise | tǔ'ěrqíshí | 土耳其石 | Color | |
| valve | fá | 阀 | Mechanics | |
| Vaseline | fánshìlín | 凡士林 | Health | |
| vitamin | wéitāmìng | 维他命 | Food and drink | |
| vodka | fútéjiā | 伏特加 | Food and drink | |
| waltz | huá'ěrzī | 华尔兹 | Arts and entertainment | |
| watt | wǎtè | 瓦特 | Science | |
| whisky | wēishìjì | 威士忌 | Food and drink | |
| yoga | yújiā | 瑜钾 | Arts and entertainment | |
| yogurt | yōugé | 优格 | Food and drink | |
| yo-yo | yōuyōuqiú | 悠悠球 | Arts and entertainment | |
| yuppie | yǎpíshì | 雅皮士 | Culture and society |