Chinese

American  

[chahy-neez, -nees] / tʃaɪˈniz, -ˈnis /

noun

1. the standard language of China, based on the speech of Beijing; Mandarin.

2. a group of languages of the Sino-Tibetan family, including standard Chinese and most of the other languages of China. Chin., Chin

3. any of the Chinese languages, which vary among themselves to the point of mutual unintelligibility.

4. Chinese food.

   We usually order Chinese from a place across the street.

5. Often Offensive. a native or descendant of a native of China.

---

adjective

1. of or relating to China, its inhabitants, or one of their languages.

2. noting or pertaining to the partly logographic, partly phonetic script used for the writing of Chinese, Japanese, and other languages, consisting of thousands of brushstroke characters written in vertical columns from right to left.

Chinese British  

/ tʃaɪˈniːz /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of China, its people, or their languages

---

noun

1. a native or inhabitant of China or a descendant of one

2. any of the languages of China belonging to the Sino-Tibetan family, sometimes regarded as dialects of one language. They share a single writing system that is not phonetic but ideographic. A phonetic system using the Roman alphabet was officially adopted by the Chinese government in 1966 See also Mandarin Chinese Pekingese Cantonese

Sensitive Note

In the past, the word Chinese has been used as a noun to describe a person or people (the CEO is a Chinese ). This usage is dated and almost always considered offensive today. The adjective Chinese is found in a few set phrases ( Chinese copy, Chinese fire drill, Chinese money, and Chinese tour ) in which it represents inferiority—implying that something is less good, useful, or effective, or that it is not authentic. In other set phrases ( Chinese checkers, Chinese tag ), the word represents that something is exotic or unusual. These uses are usually considered offensive.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• pseudo-Chinese
  adjective
• non-Chinese
  adjective
• anti-Chinese
  adjective
• pro-Chinese
  adjective

Inflected Forms

noun

• Chinese
  plural

Etymology

Origin of Chinese

First recorded in 1570–80; Chin(a) + -ese

Example Sentences

The Chinese embassy in the US told the BBC that the list is "discriminatory" and said firms from China have strictly complied with the laws of host countries.

From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026

The Department of Defense's list aims to alert American organisations to the risks of doing business with the Chinese firms, but their inclusion does not mean they are immediately banned.

From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026

New additions this year include a range of Chinese consumer and tech companies, including electric carmaker BYD, pharmaceutical firm WuXi AppTec and humanoid robotics company Unitree.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026

The Defense Department has faced legal challenges for the process it uses to designate Chinese companies as military entities.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026

I pressed the two twenty-dollar bills for the Chinese food on the table into a neat stack so they were one right on top of the other.

From Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff