How to Say I Miss You in Chinese

Co-authored by Godspeed Chen

Last Updated: June 29, 2021 References

This article will show you how to say "I miss you" in Mandarin Chinese - just follow the easy steps outlined below!

Steps

1
Learn the intonations. First of all, you must know that there are 4 intonations in Mandarin Chinese. (There are actually 5, but the last one is not used that often).^{[1]
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- The first one sounds flat like when you sing "la~".
- The second one sounds like going up, like asking something. For example, "How are you?" "I'm fine, and you?" The second "you" sounds like the second intonation for Mandarin.
- The third one goes down then up. For example, "He-eh?" The first syllable goes down, the second comes up.
- The fourth one goes straight down. For example, "Hey!" "Stop!"
2
The word for "I miss you" is written "我想你" Pronounced: Wo Shiang ni.^{[2]
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3
The word "I" is "Wo" and it is the third intonation.^{[3]
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4
The word "miss", which is pronounced "shiang" is also the third intonation. But since the following word is also going to be in the third intonation, it is often spoken as the second one.^{[4]
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5
The word "you" is "ni" is again, the third intonation.^{[5]
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6
Learn four ways to say "I miss you" in Chinese.^{[6]
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- I love you 我爱你 wǒ ài nǐ
- I like you 我喜欢你 wǒ xǐ huān nǐ
- I miss you 我想你 wǒ xiǎng nǐ
- I need you 我需要你 wǒ xū yào nǐ
EXPERT TIP

Godspeed Chen
Native Chinese Speaker & Translator
Godspeed Chen is a Professional Translator from China. He has been working in translation and localization for over 15 years.

Godspeed Chen
Native Chinese Speaker & Translator

Use common Mandarin phrases for ‘I miss you.’ Godspeed Chen, a native Chinese speaker, says: “In Mandarin, you commonly hear people saying, ‘I miss you,’ as 我想你 (wǒ xiāng nǐ). You might also hear, 我好想你 (wǒ hǎo xiāng nǐ).”

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Community Q&A

Question

How do I learn more about Chinese culture?

Eri Chan

Community Answer

Watch Chinese TV, learn Chinese history, and listen to Chinese folk songs.
Question

How do I write Chinese characters?

Community Answer

First learn to speak and read them before you write them. There's a different way to write them. You have to put down a specific stroke, one after the other, in a specific order. That's all I can tell you for now, as you didn't specify which character you wanted to write.
Question

How do I say "I'll never forget you" in Chinese?

Community Answer

"Wǒ yǒu yuǎn dōu bù huì wàng jì nǐ de" (我有远都不会忘记你的). It translates to "I will never ever forget you."

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Warnings

Note that all three words are in the third intonation, but the second word should be pronounced as the second one.

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References

About This Article

Co-authored by:

Godspeed Chen

Native Chinese Speaker & Translator

This article was co-authored by Godspeed Chen, a trusted member of wikiHow's volunteer community. Godspeed Chen is a Professional Translator from China. He has been working in translation and localization for over 15 years. This article has been viewed 186,699 times.

6 votes - 67%

Co-authors: 12

Updated: June 29, 2021

Views: 186,699

Categories: Chinese

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