这个字怎么读 How Do You Read This in Chinese

我wǒ和hé朋友péngyou在zài一家yì jiā饭馆fànguǎn吃饭chīfàn，服务员fúwùyuán给gěi了le我们wǒmen一个yí ge菜单càidān。

My friend and I were eating at a restaurant, and the waiter gave us a menu.

我wǒ看kàn菜单càidān的de时候shíhou，看见kànjiàn一个yí ge字zì，我wǒ不bú认识rènshi，也yě不bù知道zhīdào怎么zěnme读dú。

While I was looking at the menu, I saw a character I didn't recognize, and didn't know how to read it either.

我wǒ问wèn朋友péngyou：“这个zhège字zì怎么zěnme读dú？”

I asked my friend: "How do you read this character?"

朋友péngyou说shuō：“这个zhège字zì读dú虾xiā，虾xiā很hěn好吃hǎochī。”

My friend said: "This character is read xiā — shrimp. Shrimp is delicious."

我wǒ念niàn了le一遍yí biàn，又yòu念niàn了le一遍yí biàn，终于zhōngyú会huì读dú了le。

I read it once, then read it again, and finally I could read it.

服务员fúwùyuán问wèn我们wǒmen要yào点diǎn什么shénme菜cài，我wǒ马上mǎshàng说shuō：“我wǒ要yào虾xiā。”

The waiter asked us what dish we wanted to order, and I said right away: "I want shrimp."

服务员fúwùyuán把bǎ虾xiā拿ná来lái的de时候shíhou，我wǒ看kàn着zhe菜单càidān，又yòu念niàn了le一yí次cì：“虾xiā！”

When the waiter brought the shrimp, I looked at the menu and read it once more: "Shrimp!"

🔊 Audio uses your device's Chinese voice for now — teacher recordings are coming. Tap any word to see its meaning.

Key words 生词

读dúto read

怎么zěnmehow

认识rènshito know; to recognize

菜单càidānmenu

虾xiāshrimp

念niànto read aloud

这个字怎么读？(How do you read this character?)

怎么 + verb asks how to do something — here it asks how an unfamiliar character is pronounced.

这个字怎么读？— How do you read this character?

又 + verb（again, for a repeated action）

又 marks that an action happens again; here it shows the narrator practicing the reading a second time.

我念了一遍，又念了一遍，终于会读了。— I read it once, then again, and finally could read it.

把 + object + verb（the 把-construction）

把 moves the object in front of the verb to focus on what happens to it — here, the waiter brings the shrimp.

服务员把虾拿来的时候，我看着菜单，又念了一次：“虾！”— When the waiter brought the shrimp, I looked at the menu and read it once more: “Shrimp!”

1. What does the narrator ask about the unfamiliar character?

2. What food does the character turn out to name?

3. What does the narrator do when the shrimp arrives?

After this reading

I'm Fei, and I teach Mandarin one-on-one on Preply. Bring this text to a trial lesson — we'll fix your tones and turn it into a real conversation.