How Chinese is really said — not how the dictionary says it.
Learn Real Chinese · Not Dictionary Chinese
Say it like a native, not like a textbook.
Type any word, phrase, or “how do I say…”. See whether Chinese people actually say it, the natural version, and how it changes by situation.
Not a translator. It tells you what a native would actually say — and why.
The whole point
Dictionary Chinese ✗ → Real Chinese ✓
The word-for-word version is usually understood — and instantly marks you as a foreigner. Here’s the gap, with the trap that causes it.
You want to say: “Long time no see.”
Dictionary
很长时间没见
hěn cháng shí jiān méi jiàn
→
Real
好久不见
hǎo jiǔ bú jiàn
Watch out: nobody greets you with a full sentence. 好久不见 is the set phrase — it’s literally where the English “long time no see” came from.
You want to say: “How are you?”
Dictionary
你好吗？
nǐ hǎo ma
→
Real
最近怎么样
zuì jìn zěn me yàng
Watch out: 你好吗 isn’t wrong, but natives almost never greet this way — it sounds like a language tape. Real openers: 最近怎么样 or 吃了吗.
You want to say: “I’m exhausted.”
Dictionary
我很疲倦
wǒ hěn pí juàn
→
Real
我累死了
wǒ lèi sǐ le
Watch out: 疲倦 is bookish. 累死了 literally means “tired to death” — pure hyperbole, and exactly what people actually say.
✓ Native-reviewed
Featured entries are checked by a native speaker before they go live. Accuracy is the product.
✓ Tones & pinyin verified
Every reading includes correct tones — and the sandhi traps (不→bú, 一→yì/yí) learners miss.
✓ Real usage, not dictionary
Register, vibe, who-says-it-to-whom, and the literal-translation traps — not a word swap.
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