Practical guides to regional Chinese speech, everyday expressions, pronunciation, and culture—collected through real language learning.
Explore Chinese dialects
Start with one of the site’s most useful regional language guides. Each collection combines Chinese characters, pronunciation notes, English meanings, and practical phrases.
Sichuanese
Everyday phrases and distinctive Sichuan expressions.
Chongqing
Useful local speech from Chongqing and southwest China.
Cantonese
Beginner phrases for Guangdong, Hong Kong, and beyond.
Hakka
A starting collection of useful Hakka expressions.
Hunanese
Basic phrases and regional usage from Hunan.
Shanxi
Regional words and phrases collected from Shanxi speakers.
Recent language notes
- Differences in etiquette and behavior between Chinese and American users on social apps
- Emphasizing Degree of Action in Mandarin
- 刚刚 or 刚才
- Using 无所谓
- Meaning of 表白
- 肯定 and 不肯
- 勤学多思误此身
- Pet phrases in Sichuan dialect
An independent language-learning project
Shirpas documents discoveries from studying Chinese dialects, Mandarin, culture, and other languages. The project is created by David DuVal with help from friends and language-learning partners.