Learn How to Discuss the Internet in Chinese

If you're traveling to China, you'll likely want to use the Internet or use a computer at some point. Here are some useful phrases for discussing the Internet in Chinese.

All of these Chinese phrases are written using pinyin. If you are unfamiliar with pinyin, read a pinyin tutorial first.

The Internet is called, "yin1 te4 wang3" in Chinese. E-mail is called, "dian zi you jian," which means "electronic mail" in Chinese. In Chinese, you can also say, "e-mail" and people will know what you mean.

A computer is called a "dian nao." If you don't have your own computer, you can try to locate an Internet café, which in Chinese is called a "wang ba."

To ask if there is an Internet café nearby, you can ask, "Zhe fu jin you mei you wang ba?"

Or, if you are at a hotel with a computer provided for guest use, you can ask, "May I use the computer?" by saying, "Ke yi yong dian nao ma?"

If you want to inquire whether the hotel has Internet, say, "Zhe fan dian neng shang wang ma?"

A user ID is called a "yong hu ming," while a password is "mi ma."

To log on (to a computer or a Web site) is called "deng lu" in Chinese.

A USB disk is called a "U pan" in Chinese. The printer is called a "da yin ji" while the speakers are called "yin xiang."

A "bi ji ben" is a notebook, but can also mean a laptop computer.

If you are doing business with someone and want to give them your e-mail address, you can say, "This is my e-mail" by saying, "Zhe shi wo de e-mail."

To ask someone to send you an e-mail, say, "Gei wo fa ge dian zi you jian." Or if you want them to send you something by snail mail, say, "Qing gei wo fa you jian."

Alternatively, if you want to send a fax, say "Wo xiang yao fa chuan zhen."
To ask, "where can I send a fax?" say, "Nar ke yi fa chuan zhen?"

If you need help with using a computer, you can ask, "Do you know how to use this computer?" by saying, "Zhe tai dian nao zen me yong?"

Those are some useful phrases for learning to discuss the Internet in Chinese. Chinese is a difficult language to master, but it is definitely possible with perseverance. The most important thing is to practice! Good luck!