I remember doing a ChinesePod (affiliated link) lesson about going Dutch (i.e. splitting the bill), and I was surprised to find out that the Mandarin word for this is "AA zhì" (AA制).
Yes, honestly - the actual Mandarin word contains the letters "AA". Very odd. (You can research why this is, and what the AA stands for, if you want ... there are plenty of different opinions out there.)
So I got to wondering ... what other Mandarin words contain English letters? (And I'm not referring to 'cheats' like the word 'DVD'.) So I compiled a list of some words, but would really appreciate any additional suggestions you might have. So leave us a comment with others that you know ...
AA zhì (AA制): going Dutch / splitting the bill
A piàn (A片): adult movie / porn film
B chāo (B超 - or 'B型超声' in full): type-B ultrasound
BP jī (BP 机): beeper
kǎlā OK (卡拉 OK): karaoke
M (M): menstruation (as in: 你有M吗?)
niú B (牛B): awesome / cocky
N xíng bàndǎotǐ (N型半导体): N-type semiconductor
N zhǒng (N种): n-type (anyone know what this one is?)
T xù (T恤): t-shirt
X guāng (X光): X-ray
FYI creating this list wasn't as easy as ABC. i.e. It took some effort. But it's now A-OK (AFAIK). So TTFN. (And of course I'll BRB.) OK?
Showing posts with label alphabet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label alphabet. Show all posts
Monday, April 12, 2010
Monday, June 1, 2009
Complicating the Simplified
For those who missed the announcent, the Chinese government will be issuing a series of official changes to the "simplified" written system where it has been over-simplified. There's plenty of debate as to whether they're heading back to the "Traditional" system.
You can read more about this in The Economist.
Labels:
alphabet,
cantonese,
chinese,
current,
hanzi,
mandarin,
simplified,
traditional
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