How do you say “and” and “or” in Chinese?
In Chinese, “and” and “or” can be translated in different ways depending on the sentence.
For beginners, the most important words are:
- 和 hé: and
- 跟 gēn: and; with
- 與 yǔ: and; with, usually more formal
- 或 huò: or, usually more written
- 或者 huòzhě: or
- 或是 huòshì: or
- 還是 háishì: or, often used in questions
Important note:「和」is usually taught as「hé」in standard Mandarin. In Taiwan, many people pronounce「和」as「hàn」in daily speech when it means “and.” Both pronunciations may be heard, but beginners can first learn「hé」as the standard form.
1. 和 hé: and
Use「和」to connect nouns or noun phrases. It is one of the most common ways to say “and” in Chinese.
| Pattern | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Noun + 和 + Noun | noun and noun |
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 蘋果和鳳梨 ♬ | píngguǒ hé fènglí | apples and pineapples |
| 我和你 ♬ | wǒ hé nǐ | you and I |
| 老師和學生 ♬ | lǎoshī hé xuéshēng | teachers and students |
In Taiwan, you may hear these pronounced as「píngguǒ hàn fènglí」or「wǒ hàn nǐ」in everyday speech.
2. 跟 gēn: and / with
「跟」can mean “and” when connecting nouns. It can also mean “with” when showing who someone does something with.
| Usage | Pattern | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| and | Noun + 跟 + Noun | noun and noun |
| with | 跟 + Person + Verb | do something with someone |
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 蘋果跟鳳梨 ♬ | píngguǒ gēn fènglí | apples and pineapples |
| 我跟朋友去吃飯。 ♬ | wǒ gēn péngyǒu qù chīfàn | I go eat with my friend. |
| 你跟我說話的時候，要看著我。 ♬ | nǐ gēn wǒ shuōhuà de shíhòu, yào kàn zhe wǒ | When you talk to me, you should look at me. |
In daily speech,「跟」is very common and often sounds more conversational than「與」.
3. 與 yǔ: and / with in formal Chinese
「與」also means “and” or “with,” but it sounds more formal or written. You may see it in news, documents, titles, or formal writing.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 老師與學生 ♬ | lǎoshī yǔ xuéshēng | teachers and students |
| 文化與語言 ♬ | wénhuà yǔ yǔyán | culture and language |
For beginners, use「和」or「跟」in daily speech. Learn「與」mainly for reading.
4. 和 / 跟 / 與 connect nouns, not full sentences
A common mistake is using「和」to connect two full sentences. In Chinese,「和」usually connects nouns or noun phrases, not complete clauses.
| Natural Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 我喜歡蘋果，也喜歡鳳梨。 ♬ | wǒ xǐhuān píngguǒ, yě xǐhuān fènglí | I like apples, and I also like pineapples. |
Do not translate English “and” mechanically in sentences like “I like apples and I like pineapples.” In Chinese, use「也」or split the sentence naturally.
5. Using 和 with adjective phrases
You can use「和」to connect adjective phrases, especially when the adjective phrase works like a noun phrase with「的」.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 甜的和酸的 ♬ | tián de hé suān de | the sweet one and the sour one |
| 大的和小的都可以。 ♬ | dà de hé xiǎo de dōu kěyǐ | The big one and the small one are both okay. |
Here,「甜的」and「酸的」mean “the sweet one” and “the sour one.”
6. Connecting longer noun phrases
「和」can also connect longer noun phrases, such as “people who like sweet fruit” and “people who like sour fruit.”
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 喜歡甜水果的人和喜歡酸水果的人 ♬ | xǐhuān tián shuǐguǒ de rén hé xǐhuān suān shuǐguǒ de rén | people who like sweet fruit and people who like sour fruit |
This sentence is long, but「和」still connects two noun phrases: two types of people.
7. 跟我來 / 跟我去: follow me / come with me
When you want to say “follow me” or “come with me,”「跟」is usually more natural than「和」.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 跟我來。 ♬ | gēn wǒ lái | Follow me. / Come with me. |
| 跟我去跑步。 ♬ | gēn wǒ qù pǎobù | Go jogging with me. |
In Taiwan, you may hear「和我來」or「和我去」in some contexts, especially with「和」pronounced「hàn」, but for learners,「跟我來」and「跟我去」are safer and more natural.
8. 跟……有關係: have something to do with...
To say something is related to someone or something, use「跟……有關係」or「和……有關係」.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 這件事跟我有關係。 ♬ | zhè jiàn shì gēn wǒ yǒu guānxì | This matter has something to do with me. |
| 這跟我有什麼關係？ ♬ | zhè gēn wǒ yǒu shénme guānxì | What does this have to do with me? |
「這跟我有什麼關係？」is a common expression. It often means “That has nothing to do with me,” depending on the tone.
9. 或 huò / 或者 huòzhě / 或是 huòshì: or
「或」、「或者」and「或是」can all mean “or.”「或」is shorter and often sounds more written.「或者」and「或是」are common in speech and writing.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 或 ♬ | huò | or |
| 或者 ♬ | huòzhě | or |
| 或是 ♬ | huòshì | or |
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 蘋果或鳳梨 ♬ | píngguǒ huò fènglí | apples or pineapples |
| 你可以喝茶或者咖啡。 ♬ | nǐ kěyǐ hē chá huòzhě kāfēi | You can drink tea or coffee. |
| 我們可以明天或是後天去。 ♬ | wǒmen kěyǐ míngtiān huòshì hòutiān qù | We can go tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. |
10. 或 connects choices, not yes-no alternatives in questions
In many choice questions, Chinese often uses「還是」instead of「或」.
| Question type | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| choice question | 還是 | 你要茶還是咖啡？ |
| statement / option list | 或 / 或者 / 或是 | 你可以喝茶或者咖啡。 |
For beginners, remember: use「還是」when directly asking someone to choose between options.
11. 還是 háishì: or in questions
Use「還是」in choice questions, especially when asking “A or B?”
| Pattern | Meaning |
|---|---|
| A + 還是 + B? | A or B? |
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 你要蘋果還是鳳梨？ ♬ | nǐ yào píngguǒ háishì fènglí | Do you want apples or pineapples? |
| 你想喝茶還是咖啡？ ♬ | nǐ xiǎng hē chá háishì kāfēi | Do you want to drink tea or coffee? |
In statements,「還是」can mean “still” or “nevertheless,” so do not treat it as the same as「或」in every sentence.
12. 還有 háiyǒu: and also / and there is also
「還有」means “also have,” “and also,” or “there is also.” It is often used when adding one more item to a list.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 蘋果、鳳梨，還有西瓜。 ♬ | píngguǒ, fènglí, háiyǒu xīguā | Apples, pineapples, and also watermelon. |
| 我買了牛奶，還有麵包。 ♬ | wǒ mǎi le niúnǎi, háiyǒu miànbāo | I bought milk, and also bread. |
「還有」often sounds like you are adding extra information.
13. 或許 huòxǔ / 也許 yěxǔ: maybe
「或許」and「也許」look similar to「或」, but they do not mean “or.” They mean “maybe” or “perhaps.”
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 或許 ♬ | huòxǔ | maybe; perhaps |
| 也許 ♬ | yěxǔ | maybe; perhaps |
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 或許他今天不會來。 ♬ | huòxǔ tā jīntiān bú huì lái | Maybe he will not come today. |
| 也許明天會下雨。 ♬ | yěxǔ míngtiān huì xià yǔ | Maybe it will rain tomorrow. |
Quick review
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 和 ♬ | and | 蘋果和鳳梨 ♬ |
| 跟 ♬ | and; with | 跟我來 ♬ |
| 與 ♬ | and; with, formal | 文化與語言 ♬ |
| 或 / 或者 / 或是 ♬ | or | 茶或者咖啡 ♬ |
| 還是 ♬ | or in choice questions | 茶還是咖啡？ ♬ |
| 還有 ♬ | and also; there is also | 還有西瓜 ♬ |
| 或許 / 也許 ♬ | maybe; perhaps | 也許會下雨 ♬ |
Useful vocabulary
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 和 ♬ | hé / hàn | and; hàn is common in Taiwan speech |
| 跟 ♬ | gēn | and; with |
| 與 ♬ | yǔ | and; with; formal |
| 或 ♬ | huò | or |
| 或者 ♬ | huòzhě | or |
| 或是 ♬ | huòshì | or |
| 還是 ♬ | háishì | or in choice questions; still |
| 還有 ♬ | hái yǒu | and also; there is also |
| 或許 ♬ | huòxǔ | maybe; perhaps |
| 也許 ♬ | yěxǔ | maybe; perhaps |
| 蘋果 ♬ | píngguǒ | apple |
| 鳳梨 ♬ | fènglí | pineapple |
| 西瓜 ♬ | xīguā | watermelon |
| 甜 ♬ | tián | sweet |
| 酸 ♬ | suān | sour |
| 水果 ♬ | shuǐguǒ | fruit |
| 說話 ♬ | shuōhuà | to speak; to talk |
| 關係 ♬ | guānxì | relationship; connection |
| 下雨 ♬ | xià yǔ | to rain |
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