Meaning of 英文
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- English (language)
How to use 英文
英文 is used for English in general, and it is especially common when talking about written English, text, or names. You will see it on signs, menus, and forms. Example: 这本书是英文的。(Zhè běn shū shì Yīngwén de.) This book is in English.
英 (Yīng) is short for 英国 (Yīngguó), England or Britain, and 文 (wén) means writing or language. Put them together and you get the language of England: English.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 英文 (Yīngwén) and 英语 (Yīngyǔ) and think one is wrong. Both mean English, but 英语 is the usual word for English as a school subject or spoken skill, as in 英语课 (Yīngyǔ kè), English class.
英文 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.
英 yīng · petal · 8 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
文 wén · language · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Related words
Words that share a character with 英文.
| 中文 | Zhōngwén | Chinese language |
| 课文 | kèwén | text |
| 英语 | Yīngyǔ | English (language) |
| 作文 | zuòwén | to write an essay; composition (student essay) |
| 文件 | wénjiàn | document; file |
| 文化 | wénhuà | culture; civilization |
| 文章 | wénzhāng | article; essay |
| 文明 | wénmíng | civilized; civilization |
| 文字 | wénzì | character; script |
| 文学 | wénxué | literature |
| 外文 | wàiwén | foreign language (written) |
| 论文 | lùnwén | paper; treatise |
Questions about 英文
What does 英文 mean?
英文 (Yīngwén) means "English (language)" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 英文?
英文 is made of 2 characters: 英 (8 strokes), 文 (4 strokes). That is 12 strokes in total.
Is 英文 an HSK word?
Yes. 英文 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 英文 and 英语?
In daily speech they are often interchangeable. 文 leans toward writing and text, so 英文名字 (Yīngwén míngzi), English name, sounds natural. 语 leans toward speech and study, so 说英语 (shuō Yīngyǔ), to speak English, is very common.
How do I say I speak English in Chinese?
You can say 我会说英文 (Wǒ huì shuō Yīngwén) or 我会说英语 (Wǒ huì shuō Yīngyǔ). Both are correct and both are widely understood. The same pattern works for 中文 (Zhōngwén), Chinese.