Chinese Phrases for Kids 82
儿童会话
The phrases parents, teachers and children use together every day, organized by scene — meals, bedtime, play and praise — each with pinyin, a usage note and native teacher audio.
Daily Routines & Meals 20
Wake-up to bedtime: the short commands and caring questions that structure a child's day. Repeat them at the same moment every day and kids absorb them effortlessly — that's how immersion works.
1 起床了 qǐ chuáng le Time to get up
The morning call — 了 makes it "the moment has come."
2 刷牙 shuā yá Brush your teeth
刷 = brush — chant it morning and night.
3 洗手 xǐ shǒu Wash your hands
The pre-meal ritual command — short and clear.
4 吃饭了！ chī fàn le Time to eat!
Called toward the playroom at every mealtime in China.
5 饿不饿？ è bú è Are you hungry?
Verb-not-verb (饿不饿) is the friendly yes/no question form.
6 渴不渴？ kě bu kě Are you thirsty?
Same pattern — kids answer with one word: 渴 or 不渴.
7 再吃一口 zài chī yì kǒu One more bite
口 = mouthful — the eternal parental negotiation.
8 不要挑食 bú yào tiāoshí Don't be a picky eater
挑食 = pick at food — heard at every Chinese dinner table.
9 吃水果吧 chī shuǐguǒ ba Have some fruit
吧 makes it a friendly offer, not an order.
10 好吃吗？ hǎochī ma Is it yummy?
The hopeful question after every new dish.
11 多喝水 duō hē shuǐ Drink more water
The all-purpose Chinese health advice — kids hear it daily.
12 擦擦嘴 cā ca zuǐ Wipe your mouth
Doubled 擦 sounds gentle — post-meal cleanup.
13 要上厕所吗？ yào shàng cè suǒ ma Do you need the potty?
上厕所 = use the toilet — the pre-departure check.
14 穿衣服 chuān yī fu Get dressed
穿 = wear/put on — for clothes; shoes use the same verb.
15 穿鞋 chuān xié Put on your shoes
The going-out command — often chanted twice at the door.
16 戴上帽子 dài shàng mào zi Put on your hat
戴 is for hats, glasses, gloves — 穿 is for clothes and shoes.
17 外面很冷 wài miàn hěn lěng It's cold outside
The justification behind every hat and jacket.
18 该睡觉了 gāi shuì jiào le Time for bed
该…了 = "it's time to ___" — the nightly announcement.
宝贝 (treasure) is what Chinese parents call their kids.
Literally "have a good dream" — the lights-out blessing.
Praise, Comfort & Boo-boos 18
Encouragement is the engine of learning. 真棒 and 做得好 after every small win, a gentle 不怕不怕 after every tumble — these phrases carry warmth even before kids understand every word.
1 真棒！ zhēn bàng Great job!
THE praise word for kids — thumbs up included.
2 好乖 hǎo guāi Good boy / good girl
乖 = well-behaved — the highest toddler compliment.
得 links the verb to how it was done — praise for effort.
What every grandma says to every child — 可爱 = lovable.
5 长大了 zhǎngdà le You've grown so big
The proud remark at every reunion and birthday.
6 再试一次 zài shì yí cì Try again
再 + verb + 一次 = "once more" — growth mindset in four characters.
7 勇敢一点 yǒng gǎn yì diǎn Be brave
勇敢 = brave — for slides, doctors and first days.
8 别哭 bié kū Don't cry
别 + verb = don't — said while wiping tears.
9 不怕不怕 bú pà bú pà There, there — don't be scared
Doubling soothes — murmured while patting a scared child.
10 没事了 méi shì le It's all better now
了 marks the change — the scare is over.
11 摔倒了？不疼不疼 shuāidǎo le bú téng bu téng Did you fall? It's okay, it's okay
The magic incantation over scraped knees — repetition is the medicine.
12 站起来 zhàn qǐlai Stand up
起来 = upward motion — encouragement to get back up.
13 生病了吗？ shēngbìng le ma Are you feeling sick?
生病 = fall ill — with a palm on the forehead.
14 量体温 liáng tǐwēn Let's take your temperature
量 = measure — the thermometer moment.
15 该吃药了 gāi chī yào le Time for your medicine
The 该…了 pattern again — medicine time.
16 亲一个 qīn yí ge Give me a kiss
亲 = kiss — the goodbye ritual with grandparents.
17 抱抱 bàobao Hug! / carry me
Doubled 抱 = both "hug me" and a toddler's "up, please!"
18 妈妈爱你 māma ài nǐ Mommy loves you
爸爸爱你 for dads — said freely to children.
Manners & Safety 12
The gentle guardrails: listen, share, be careful, line up. Chinese parents and teachers use these constantly — short, rhythmic and easy for little ears to recognize.
1 小心点 xiǎo xīn diǎn Be careful, sweetie
点 softens 小心 — the playground soundtrack.
2 慢点跑 màn diǎn pǎo Slow down (running)
慢点 + verb = do it slower — shouted at full speed.
3 牵着我的手 qiān zhe wǒ de shǒu Hold my hand
牵 = lead by hand — the street-crossing rule.
4 听妈妈的话 tīng mā ma de huà Listen to Mommy
听…的话 = obey — also a famous Jay Chou song title.
5 听老师的话 tīng lǎo shī de huà Listen to your teacher
The send-off line at the school gate.
The teacher's word — two syllables, instant hush (ideally).
7 坐好 zuò hǎo Sit properly
verb + 好 = do it properly — classroom posture command.
8 不许打人 bú xǔ dǎ rén No hitting
不许 = not allowed — firm rule language.
9 说对不起 shuō duì bu qǐ Say you're sorry
The apology lesson — 说 + the words to say.
10 要分享哦 yào fēn xiǎng o Remember to share
哦 softens the reminder — sharing toys 101.
11 排好队 pái hǎo duì Line up nicely
排队 + 好 = form a PROPER line — kindergarten essential.
12 收拾玩具 shōushi wánjù Put away your toys
收拾 = tidy up — the pre-dinner battle cry.
Play & Songs 15
Games are where language sticks. Hide-and-seek (捉迷藏) and rock-paper-scissors (石头剪刀布) work in any language — play them in Chinese and vocabulary comes free.
1 我们一起玩吧 wǒ men yì qǐ wán ba Let's play together
一起 = together — the playground friendship opener.
2 轮到你了 lún dào nǐ le It's your turn
轮 = rotate — turn-taking, the first game skill.
3 玩捉迷藏 wán zhuōmícáng Let's play hide-and-seek
捉迷藏 = catch-the-hidden — universal childhood.
4 你藏好了吗？ nǐ cáng hǎo le ma Are you hidden yet?
The seeker's call — 藏 = hide.
5 我找到你啦 wǒ zhǎodào nǐ la Found you!
啦 adds the triumphant flourish.
6 石头剪刀布 shítou jiǎndāo bù Rock, paper, scissors
Stone-scissors-cloth — settles every dispute in China too.
7 讲个故事吧 jiǎng ge gùshi ba Let's read a story
讲故事 = tell a story — the bedtime request.
8 唱首歌吧 chàng shǒu gē ba Let's sing a song
首 counts songs and poems — car-ride entertainment.
9 一起跳舞吧 yìqǐ tiàowǔ ba Let's dance
跳舞 = jump-dance — living room chaos, positive kind.
10 画画吧 huàhuà ba Let's draw
Doubled 画 = draw pictures — quiet-time savior.
11 涂颜色 tú yánsè Color it in
涂 = smear/apply — coloring books and crayons.
12 搭积木 dā jīmù Build with blocks
搭 = stack — 积木 are building blocks.
13 去公园玩 qù gōngyuán wán Let's go to the park
The weekend default — 玩 makes it about fun.
14 荡秋千 dàng qiūqiān Swing on the swing
秋千 = swing — playground vocabulary.
15 滑滑梯 huáhuátī Go down the slide
滑梯 = slide, extra 滑 = the sliding — kids' favorite word to say.
School & Learning 17
Classroom phrases plus the colors-animals-numbers questions every parent asks. 这是什么颜色 (what color is this?) turns any picture book into a Chinese lesson.
1 看这里 kàn zhè lǐ Look here
The attention-getter — also every photo ever taken of a child.
2 举手 jǔ shǒu Raise your hand
举 = raise — classroom participation 101.
3 跟我读 gēn wǒ dú Repeat after me
跟 = follow — how Chinese classrooms drill everything.
4 大声一点 dà shēng yì diǎn A little louder
大声 = big voice — coaxing shy speakers.
5 数到三 shǔ dào sān Count to three
Also the parental countdown — 一…二…三！
6 一、二、三 yī èr sān One, two, three
The first three words of Chinese every child learns.
7 数一数 shǔ yí shǔ Let's count
Doubled verb with 一 — counting steps, ducks, anything.
8 这是什么颜色？ zhè shì shénme yánsè What color is this?
The picture-book question — answers: 红色 red, 蓝色 blue…
9 这是什么动物？ zhè shì shénme dòngwù What animal is this?
动物 = animal — zoo trips become vocabulary lessons.
10 小狗怎么叫？ xiǎogǒu zěnme jiào What does the doggy say?
叫 = cry/call — the animal-sounds game.
11 汪汪 wāngwāng Woof woof
Chinese dogs say wāng wāng — animal sounds differ by language!
12 喵喵 miāomiāo Meow meow
Cats say miāo — mercifully universal.
13 整理书包 zhěnglǐ shūbāo Pack your school bag
整理 = organize — the school-night routine.
14 写作业了 xiě zuòyè le Time for homework
作业 = homework — the least popular phrase on this list.
15 放学了 fàngxué le School's out
放学 = release from school — the happiest 了 of the day.
16 今天在学校怎么样？ jīntiān zài xuéxiào zěnmeyàng How was school today?
The pickup question — expect 还好 (fine) and dig deeper.
17 学了什么？ xué le shénme What did you learn?
The follow-up — 什么都没学 (nothing!) is the classic answer.
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