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Let's say that you're pretty confident with your Chinese word order and pronunciation. But you're still having trouble getting understood by Chinese people. This could be due to another issue: word choice!

Recently I noticed a friend of mine make this mistake and perhaps you too have done the same thing. Do you ever remember telling someone you were going to meet up in half an hour, and instead of saying 半小時 (bàn xiǎo shí), you said 一半小時 ('yí bàn xiǎoshí')? Since both 半 and 一半 mean half in Chinese, you might have thought they were interchangeable.

How to Tell Two Semantically Similar Chinese Words Apart

When you translate a vocabulary from one language into another, the chance of you getting several words that all share the same meaning is pretty high. For example, "to send" can be translated as 派 (pài), 送 (sòng), or 寄 (jì) in Chinese. However, these Chinese words do not have identical meanings. Below is a list of examples and rules that will help you distinguish the differences and use the right word.

1. 知道 (zhīdào) or 認識 (rènshì)

知道 conveys the meaning of to know of or to know about.

English	Chinese	Pinyin
I know how to cook.	我知道怎麼煮飯。 我知道怎么煮饭。	wǒ zhīdào zěnme zhǔfàn.

Alternatively

認識 means to know (a person or a place) or to recognize, but it can't be used in the sense of to know of or to know about.

English	Chinese Mistake	Pinyin
I know his brother.	我知道他弟弟。 我知道他弟弟。	wǒ zhīdào tādìdì.

Alternatively:

The use of 知道 here doesn’t make the sentence wrong or sound awkward; however, it changes the meaning of the sentence. 我知道他弟弟 is translated into I know of his brother.

English	Chinese Correction	Pinyin
I know his brother.	我認識他弟弟。 我认识他弟弟。	wǒ zhīdào tādìdì.

Alternatively:

2. 試試 (shìshì) or 想要 (xiǎngyào)

試試 is translated as to try in English.

English	Chinese	Pinyin
Please try this dish	請試試這道菜。 请试试这道菜。	qǐng shìshì zhè dào cài.

Alternatively:

A mistake Chinese learners often make is using 試試 in sentences where 想要 is supposed to be used. For example,

English	Chinese Mistake	Pinyin
He tried to hit me.	他試試打我。 他试试打我。	tā shìshì dǎ wǒ

Alternatively:

English	Chinese Correction	Pinyin
He tried to hit me.	他想要打我。 他想要打我。	tā xiǎngyào dǎ wǒ.

Alternative:

想要 is used in the sense of try to or attempt. The main difference between these two Chinese words is that 想要 usually implies a failed attempt.

English	Chinese	Pinyin
I tried to call him, but he didn't answer.	我想要打給他，但是沒打通。 我想要打给他，但是没打通。	wǒ xiǎngyào dǎgěi tā , dànshì méi dǎ tōng.

Alternatively:

3. 有的 (yǒude) v.s. 一些 (yīxiē)

Non-native Chinese speakers can easily mix up 有的 and 一些 because they are both translated into some.

English	Chinese Mistake	Pinyin
I gave my friend some photos.	我給我朋友有的照片。 我给我朋友有的照片。	wǒ gěi wǒ péngyǒu yǒude zhàopiàn.

Alternatively:

English	Chinese Correction	Pinyin
I gave my friend some photos.	我給我朋友一些照片。 我给我朋友一些照片。	wǒ gěi wǒ péngyǒu yīxiē zhàopiàn.

Alternatively:

One way to know when to use the right word is 有的 will never be placed after the verb, whereas 一些 can be used after the verb. For example,

English	Chinese	Pinyin
I have some things for you.	我有一些東西給你。 我有一些东西给你。	wǒ yǒu yīxiē dōngxī gěi nǐ.

Alternatively:

English	Chinese	Pinyin
Some people think durian is delicious.	有的人覺得榴槤很好吃。 有的人觉得榴梿很好吃。	yǒuderén juédé liúlián hěn hǎochī.

Alternatively:

Note: when 一些 is used right after the verb, 一 is usually omitted. For example,

English	Chinese	Pinyin
I left after I had some milk.	我喝了些牛奶後就出門了。 我喝了些牛奶后就出门了。	wǒ hēle xiē niúnǎi hòu jiù chūménle.

Alternatively:

4. 又 (yòu) v.s. 再 (zài)

又 and 再 is another pair that can easily confuse non-native Chinese speakers since they can both be translated as again in English.

There are three ways to distinguish them:

a. 又 is used to talk about events in the past or events that are completed, and 再 is used for future events.

English	Chinese	Pinyin
We are having curry again.	我們又吃咖哩。 我们又吃咖哩。	wǒmén yòu chī gālǐ

Alternatively:

English	Chinese	Pinyin
Stay a little longer!	再多坐一下吧! 再多坐一下吧!	zài duō zuòyīxià bā!

Alternatively:

b. When 又 is used for introducing something additional in the sentence, it's translated as and/also in English. Yet, 再 can't be used in the same way.

English	Chinese	Pinyin
I am so tired and hungry.	我好累又好餓。 我好累又好饿。	wǒ hǎolèi yòu hǎoè.

Alternatively:

c. 再 can be used to indicate a higher degree, but 又 cannot.

English	Chinese	Pinyin
Can you speak louder?	你講話可以再大聲一點嗎? 你讲话可以再大声一点吗?	nǐ jiǎnghuà kěyǐ zài dàshēng yīdiǎn mā?

Alternatively:

5. 不 (bù) v.s 沒 (méi)

A mistake non-native Chinese speakers often make is using 不 to negate the verb 有, which means to have. But to say "not have" (possession), you should use 沒有 instead of 不有. Note: 不有 doesn't exist in the Chinese language.

English	Chinese	Pinyin
I don't have an older brother.	我沒有哥哥。 我没有哥哥。	wǒ méiyǒu gēgē.

Alternatively:

Another common mistake Chinese learners make is using 不 to negate an action that has happened already; however, 不 is used to indicate that an action is not going to happen NOW or in the FUTURE. For example,

English	Chinese	Pinyin
I am not going to Italy.	我不去義大利。 我不去义大利。	wǒ bù qù yìdàlì.

Alternatively:

If you want to indicate that an action didn't happen, you need to use 沒 in front of the action word rather than 不.

English	Chinese	Pinyin
I didn't go to Italy.	我沒(有)去義大利。 我没(有)去义大利。	wǒ méi (yǒu) qù yìdàlì.

Alternatively:

Note: Since 有 can only be negated by 沒, when you see 沒 by itself, you know 有 is assumed.

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There's so much vocabulary out there, how am I supposed to remember all the rules?

It's not possible to memorize everything, even for native speakers. The best way to know when to use the right word is to listen and speak more. The more you hear the language and the more you use the language, the better you will be at distinguishing words that are semantically similar.

Glossika shows you how different Chinese words are used in real-life conversations. Our spaced repetition training build up your understanding of the grammar by familiarizing you little by little with various sentence structures and patterns.

Sign up on Glossika and start your 1000 reps of audio training for free:

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