Small words, huge payoff. Chinese conjunctions are the thread that stitches your sentences together – without them, you’re just dropping loose bricks. They help you explain why, contrast ideas, add detail, and sound way more like a real speaker instead of a vocabulary robot.
This list hands you around 45 of the most practical Chinese conjunctions you’ll actually use, not the dusty ones from a textbook appendix. We’re talking words like 因为 (because), 但是 (but), and 所以 (so) – the everyday connectors that pop up in chats, emails, and street signs.
Each entry gives you a straightforward meaning and a natural example sentence, so you see exactly how the conjunction works in the wild. No guesswork, just useful vocabulary you can start using today. When you’re ready to study offline, grab the free PDF using the download button right below the table.
If this topic helped, explore more in our Chinese learning section. it’s the easiest way to keep building related vocabulary without jumping around the web.
Quick Quiz
Think you’ve got these under your belt already? Give the quick quiz a go – it’s a friendly way to see which ones have stuck and which could use a second look.
Browse the Full List
| Connector | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 打电话 | dǎ diàn huà | to make a telephone call |
| 本 | běn | roots or stems of plants; origin; source |
| 杯子 | bēi zi | cup; glass; CL:個|个 |
| 汉语 | Hàn yǔ | Chinese language; CL:門|门[mén] |
| 火车站 | huǒ chē zhàn | train station |
| 点 | diǎn | point; dot; drop |
| 爱 | ài | to love; affection; to be fond of |
| 爸爸 | bà ba | (informal) father; CL:個|个; 位[wèi] |
| 狗 | gǒu | dog; CL:隻|只; 條|条[tiáo] |
| 电影 | diàn yǐng | movie; film; CL:部 |
| 电脑 | diàn nǎo | computer; CL:臺|台[tái] |
| 电视 | diàn shì | television; TV; CL:臺|台 |
| 的 | de | of; ~'s (possessive particle); (used after an attribute) |
| 茶 | chá | tea; tea plant; CL:杯 |
| 菜 | cài | dish (type of food); vegetables; vegetable |
| 读 | dú | to read; to study; reading of word (i.e. pronunciation) |
| 都 | dōu | all; both; entirely |
| 飞机 | fēi jī | airplane; CL:架[jià] |
| 饭馆 | fàn guǎn | restaurant; CL:家[jiā] |
| 高兴 | gāo xìng | happy; glad; willing (to do sth) |
Free Simplified Chinese Vocab List and Flashcard PDFs to Download
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