List of English words of Chinese origin

This is a list of English language loanwords that come from any member of the Chinese branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family. It excludes placenames except for countries.

• bok choy - (Cantonese) baahk-choi, a Chinese cabbage: white vegetable
• China - via Latin from the name of the Ch'in Dynasty
• coolie
• chopstick - chop is from the Cantonese gaap, literally 'to pick with sticks'
• chop suey
• chow mein - from Cantonese 炒麵
• chow
• dim sum - from Cantonese 點心
• feng shui - from feng, wind and shui, water
• ginkgo
• gung-ho
• kaolin
• ketchup - possibly from Cantonese
• kumquat
• kowtow
• kung fu - a martial art; from Mandarin 功夫
• longan - from Cantonese 龍眼
• lychee - from Cantonese 荔枝
• mahjong - from Ma Jeuk, lit. sparrow/the mahjong game
• ni hao-how are you in Chinese Mandarin
• oolong - oolong, lit. absent-minded dragon
• rickshaw - via Japanese
• sampan - a three-sailed junk
• silk - from 'see', lit. silk
• soy
• Tai Chi - from Mandarin 太極
• tangsoup
• Tao - from Mandarin 道
• tea
• tofu - via Japanese
• tycoon - via Japanese
• typhoon - not to be confused with the monster typhon. See also other possible Arabic origin.
• wok - from Cantonese 鍋
• won ton - from Cantonese, lit. 'cloud swallow' as a description of its shape
• Yin Yang - from Mandarin 'Yin' meaning feminine, dark and 'Yang' meaning masculine and bright

See also

• Lists of English words of international origin