30 Chinese Language Quiz Questions and Answers

Chinese, also known as Mandarin, is the most widely spoken language in the world with over a billion native speakers. It belongs to the Sino-Tibetan language family and is the official language of China, Taiwan, and Singapore. Here’s a brief introduction to the Chinese language:

Chinese has a complex writing system consisting of characters, each representing a morpheme, which is the smallest meaningful unit of language. Traditional Chinese characters are used in Taiwan and Hong Kong, while simplified characters are used in mainland China. The writing system adds to the richness of Chinese culture and provides a glimpse into its historical development.

The spoken form of Chinese has several dialects, the most prominent of which is Mandarin. Mandarin is based on the Beijing dialect and serves as the standard language of communication in China. Other major Chinese dialect groups include Cantonese, Shanghainese, Hokkien, and Hakka, each with its unique pronunciation and vocabulary.

Chinese grammar is characterized by a lack of verb conjugations, plurals, and articles. Instead, word order and particles play a crucial role in conveying meaning. Chinese is a tonal language, meaning that the pitch or tone in which a syllable is pronounced can change its meaning. Mandarin has four tones, and the correct tone is essential for proper understanding.

The Chinese language has a rich cultural heritage and is deeply intertwined with Chinese history, philosophy, and literature. Classic works such as “The Art of War” and “Tao Te Ching” were written in Chinese. Learning Chinese opens doors to understanding Chinese culture, history, and its global influence.

Article overview

• Part 1: 30 Chinese language quiz questions & answers
• Part 2: Download Chinese language questions & answers for free
• Part 3: Free online quiz creator – OnlineExamMaker

Part 1: 30 Chinese language quiz questions & answers

1. How many native speakers does the Chinese language have?
a) Over 100 million
b) Over 500 million
c) Over 1 billion
d) Over 2 billion
Answer: c) Over 1 billion

2. Which writing system is used in mainland China?
a) Traditional characters
b) Simplified characters
c) Roman alphabet
d) Pinyin
Answer: b) Simplified characters

3. What is the official language of China?
a) Mandarin
b) Cantonese
c) Shanghainese
d) Hokkien
Answer: a) Mandarin

4. How many tones are there in Mandarin Chinese?
a) Two
b) Four
c) Six
d) Eight
Answer: b) Four

5. Which Chinese dialect is commonly spoken in Hong Kong?
a) Mandarin
b) Cantonese
c) Shanghainese
d) Hakka
Answer: b) Cantonese

6. What is the romanized system of Mandarin Chinese called?
a) Pinyin
b) Zhuyin
c) Cangjie
d) Wubi
Answer: a) Pinyin

7. How many strokes are there in the most complex Chinese character?
a) 20
b) 30
c) 40
d) 50
Answer: c) 40

8. Which Chinese philosopher is known for his teachings in “The Analects”?
a) Confucius
b) Laozi
c) Sun Tzu
d) Mencius
Answer: a) Confucius

9. What is the Chinese term for the Chinese New Year?
a) Chunjie
b) Qingming Festival
c) Mid-Autumn Festival
d) Dragon Boat Festival
Answer: a) Chunjie

10. Which Chinese dynasty is known for the construction of the Great Wall?
a) Tang Dynasty
b) Ming Dynasty
c) Qing Dynasty
d) Han Dynasty
Answer: b) Ming Dynasty

11. What is the term for the Chinese art of beautiful handwriting?
a) Tai chi
b) Kung fu
c) Gongfu
d) Calligraphy
Answer: d) Calligraphy

12. Which of the following is a Chinese martial art?
a) Karate
b) Taekwondo
c) Judo
d) Kung fu
Answer: d) Kung fu

13. Which Chinese city is known as the “Forbidden City”?
a) Shanghai
b) Beijing
c) Hong Kong
d) Xi’an
Answer: b) Beijing

14. How many strokes are there in the Chinese character for “one”?
a) 1
b) 2
c) 3
d) 4
Answer: c) 3

15. Which Chinese holiday is known for its colorful lantern displays?
a) Qingming Festival
b) Dragon Boat Festival
c) Mid-Autumn Festival
d) Lantern Festival
Answer: d) Lantern Festival

Part 2: Download Chinese language questions & answers for free

16. What is the Chinese term for “thank you”?
a) Xièxiè
b) Nǐhǎo
c) Zài jiàn
d) Wǒ ài nǐ
Answer: a) Xièxiè

17. What is the Chinese word for “mother”?
a) Bàba
b) Māma
c) Gēge
d) Nǚ’ér
Answer: b) Māma

18. How do you say “hello” in Mandarin Chinese?
a) Xièxiè
b) Nǐhǎo
c) Zài jiàn
d) Wǒ ài nǐ
Answer: b) Nǐhǎo

19. Which Chinese dynasty is known for its terracotta army?
a) Tang Dynasty
b) Ming Dynasty
c) Qing Dynasty
d) Qin Dynasty
Answer: d) Qin Dynasty

20. What is the Chinese term for “friend”?
a) Péngyou
b) Xiānsheng
c) Nǚ’ér
d) Lǎoshī
Answer: a) Péngyou

21. What is the Chinese word for “water”?
a) Shū
b) Huǒ
c) Lín
d) Shuǐ
Answer: d) Shuǐ

22. Who is the author of “Dream of the Red Chamber,” one of the four great classical novels of Chinese literature?
a) Laozi
b) Confucius
c) Cao Xueqin
d) Lu Xun
Answer: c) Cao Xueqin

23. What is the Chinese word for “book”?
a) Shū
b) Huǒ
c) Lín
d) Shuǐ
Answer: a) Shū

24. Which Chinese holiday celebrates the autumn harvest and is known for eating mooncakes?
a) Qingming Festival
b) Dragon Boat Festival
c) Mid-Autumn Festival
d) Lantern Festival
Answer: c) Mid-Autumn Festival

25. What is the Chinese term for “teacher”?
a) Péngyou
b) Xiānsheng
c) Nǚ’ér
d) Lǎoshī
Answer: d) Lǎoshī

26. What is the Chinese word for “fire”?
a) Shū
b) Huǒ
c) Lín
d) Shuǐ
Answer: b) Huǒ

27. Who is the author of “Journey to the West,” one of the four great classical novels of Chinese literature?
a) Laozi
b) Confucius
c) Wu Cheng’en
d) Lu Xun
Answer: c) Wu Cheng’en

28. What is the Chinese word for “mountain”?
a) Shū
b) Huǒ
c) Lín
d) Shuǐ
Answer: c) Lín

29. What is the Chinese term for “father”?
a) Bàba
b) Māma
c) Gēge
d) Nǚ’ér
Answer: a) Bàba

30. What is the Chinese word for “hello” in Cantonese?
a) Néih hóu
b) Nǐhǎo
c) Wǒ ài nǐ
d) Zài jiàn
Answer: a) Néih hóu

Part 3: Free online quiz creator – OnlineExamMaker

OnlineExamMaker makes it simple to design and launch interactive quizzes, calculators, assessments, and surveys. With the Question Editor, you can create multiple-choice, open-ended, matching, sequencing and many other types of questions for your tests, exams and inventories. You are allowed to enhance quizzes with multimedia elements like images, audio, and video to make them more interactive and visually appealing.