Meaning of 普通话
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- Putonghua; standard Mandarin
How to use 普通话
普通话 is the standard spoken language of mainland China, used in schools, media, and between people from different regions. It usually goes with verbs like 说 (shuō) or 讲 (jiǎng). Example: 你会说普通话吗？(Nǐ huì shuō pǔtōnghuà ma?) Can you speak Mandarin?
Break it into 普通 (pǔtōng, common, ordinary) plus 话 (huà, speech). Putonghua is literally "common speech," the language everyone across China shares.
Common mistake: Learners often write 普 with the wrong bottom part. It ends in 日, so do not confuse it with 谱 (pǔ, musical score), which adds the speech radical 讠 on the left. Also keep 通 in first tone (tōng), not fourth.
普通话 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
普 pǔ · widespread · 12 strokes
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通 tōng · to go through · 10 strokes
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话 huà · dialect · 8 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 普通话.
| 电话 | diànhuà | telephone; phone call |
| 说话 | shuōhuà | to speak; to say |
| 打电话 | dǎ diànhuà | to make a telephone call |
| 的话 | dehuà | if (coming after a conditional clause) |
| 通过 | tōngguò | to pass through; to get through; to adopt (a resolution); to pass (legislation) |
| 通知 | tōngzhī | to notify; to inform |
| 普通 | pǔtōng | common; ordinary |
| 讲话 | jiǎnghuà | a speech; to speak |
| 笑话 | xiàohua | joke; jest; to laugh at; to mock |
| 对话 | duìhuà | to talk (with sb); dialogue; conversation |
| 交通 | jiāotōng | to be connected; traffic |
| 笑话儿 | xiàohuar | erhua form of 笑話|笑话[xiao4 hua5] |
Questions about 普通话
What does 普通话 mean?
普通话 (pǔtōnghuà) means "Putonghua; standard Mandarin" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 普通话?
普通话 is made of 3 characters: 普 (12 strokes), 通 (10 strokes), 话 (8 strokes). That is 30 strokes in total.
Is 普通话 an HSK word?
Yes. 普通话 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 普通话 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 普通话 is written 普通話.
What is the difference between 普通话 and 中文?
中文 (Zhōngwén) means the Chinese language in general, including writing. 普通话 refers specifically to the standard spoken form. You study 中文, and you speak 普通话.
Is 普通话 the same as 国语 or 华语?
They all refer to standard Mandarin. 普通话 is the usual term in mainland China, 国语 (guóyǔ) is common in Taiwan, and 华语 (huáyǔ) is used in places like Singapore and Malaysia.