NetChai Chinese
视频通话
shì pín tōng huà
Video call · trad. 視頻通話

视频通话 (shìpín tōnghuà) is the standard and most common way to say "video call" in Mandarin Chinese. It's used for both personal conversations with friends and family, and for more formal online meetings.

When to use it

Neutral and widely applicable. For a more casual "video chat," use 视频聊天 (shìpín liáotiān). When you want to express the action "to make a video call," you would typically say 打视频电话 (dǎ shìpín diànhuà). For business or academic settings, 视频会议 (shìpín huìyì) refers to a "video conference."

How to pronounce it

Sounds roughly like "shrr-PEEN tong-HWAH." The first syllable of 视频 is a falling tone, the second is a rising tone. 通话 has a rising tone followed by a falling tone.

Other ways to say it

  • 视频聊天shì pín liáo tiānvideo chat (more casual)
  • 打视频电话dǎ shì pín diàn huàto make a video call
  • 视频会议shì pín huì yìvideo conference

Examples

我们今晚可以视频通话吗？
wǒ men jīn wǎn kě yǐ shì pín tōng huà ma ？
Can we have a video call tonight?
我喜欢和家人视频聊天。
wǒ xǐ huan hé jiā rén shì pín liáo tiān 。
I like to video chat with my family.
他正在参加一个视频会议。
tā zhèng zài cān jiā yí gè shì pín huì yì 。
He is attending a video conference.
Pro tip: While 视频通话 is the noun for 'video call,' to express the action 'to video call someone,' the verb phrase 打视频电话 (dǎ shìpín diànhuà) is more commonly used, literally meaning 'to make a video phone call.' 视频聊天 (shìpín liáotiān) implies a more relaxed, conversational interaction.

Related phrases

和平 · Peace钱 · Money闭嘴 · Shut up
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