Day 21: Love & Relationships — Learn Chinese in 30 Days
Learn Chinese relationship vocabulary — how to talk about dating, love, and partnerships — plus the cultural context around romance in China.
Today's Vocabulary
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 爱 | Love | |
| 喜欢 | To like (romantically) | |
| 男朋友 | Boyfriend | |
| 女朋友 | Girlfriend | |
| 结婚 | To get married | |
| 分手 | To break up | |
| 约会 | Date / To go on a date | |
| 单身 | Single | |
| 我想你 | I miss you | |
| 在一起 | Together / To be in a relationship |
What You’ll Learn Today
Relationships are universal — and relationship vocabulary opens up some of the most genuine conversations you’ll have in Chinese. Today we cover how to talk about dating, love, and partnerships, with the cultural context that makes these conversations land correctly.
Expressing Romantic Interest
Chinese has a gradient of romantic expressions:
- 我喜欢你 (Wǒ xǐ huān nǐ) — “I like you” — this is used romantically, not just platonically. It’s the right phrase early in dating.
- 我爱你 (Wǒ ài nǐ) — “I love you” — deeper, more serious. Said less frequently than in English.
- 我想你 (Wǒ xiǎng nǐ) — “I miss you” — often said more readily than 我爱你. Very common in relationships.
Relationship Status
| Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 单身 | dān shēn | Single |
| 有男/女朋友了 | yǒu nán/nǚ péng yǒu le | In a relationship |
| 结婚了 | jié hūn le | Married |
| 离婚了 | lí hūn le | Divorced |
| 在恋爱 | zài liàn ài | Dating / In love |
Sentence Patterns
Pattern 1: Confessing feelings
我喜欢你，你愿意做我的女/男朋友吗？— Wǒ xǐ huān nǐ, nǐ yuàn yì zuò wǒ de nǚ/nán péng yǒu ma? — I like you — will you be my girlfriend/boyfriend?
Pattern 2: Talking about missing someone
我每天都想你。— Wǒ měi tiān dōu xiǎng nǐ. — I miss you every day.
Pattern 3: Asking about relationship status
你有男/女朋友吗？— Nǐ yǒu nán/nǚ péng yǒu ma? — Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend?
Pet Names
Chinese couples use these terms of endearment:
- 宝贝 (bǎo bèi) — Baby / Darling
- 亲爱的 (qīn ài de) — Dear / Sweetheart
- 老公 / 老婆 (lǎo gōng / lǎo pó) — Husband / Wife (used between couples even while dating)
- 小甜甜 (xiǎo tián tián) — Sweetie / Little Sweetness
Cultural Note
Marriage pressure in China is intense, particularly from parents. Chinese New Year family gatherings are notorious for aunts and grandparents interrogating unmarried adults (especially women) about their relationship status and plans to have children. The term 剩女 (shèng nǚ) — “leftover women” — was coined for unmarried women over 27 and is widely criticized but still in use.
Dating apps like Tantan (探探) and Momo (陌陌) are extremely popular in urban China. WeChat (微信) is also commonly used for romantic communication — sharing moments and voice messages.
Practice Exercise
How do you say:
- “I like you.”
- “Do you have a girlfriend?”
- “I miss you.”
- “Will you go on a date with me?” (约会 = date)
Answers: 1) 我喜欢你。2) 你有女朋友吗？3) 我想你。4) 你愿意和我去约会吗？