Mandarin

Pronunciation: /ˈmændərɪn/

Definitions of mandarin

noun a small, sweet type of orange

Example Sentences

A1 I am learning how to speak Mandarin.

A2 She ordered a dish with mandarin oranges in it.

B1 The Mandarin language is spoken by millions of people worldwide.

B2 He attended a Mandarin class to improve his language skills.

C1 The diplomat was fluent in Mandarin and used it to negotiate with foreign officials.

C2 The professor's research focused on the history and evolution of the Mandarin dialect.

Examples of mandarin in a Sentence

formal The Mandarin language is spoken by over a billion people worldwide.

informal I'm trying to learn how to speak Mandarin so I can communicate with my grandparents.

slang Let's grab some dim sum and practice our Mandarin together.

figurative The CEO of the company is often referred to as the Mandarin, making all the important decisions.

Grammatical Forms of mandarin

• past tense: mandarined
• plural: mandarins
• comparative: more mandarin
• superlative: most mandarin
• present tense: mandarins
• future tense: will mandarin
• perfect tense: have mandarined
• continuous tense: is mandarining
• singular: mandarin
• positive degree: mandarin
• infinitive: to mandarin
• gerund: mandarining
• participle: mandarined

Origin and Evolution of mandarin

First Known Use: 1589 year

Language of Origin: Portuguese

Story behind the word: The word 'mandarin' originated from Portuguese 'mandarim', which came from Malay 'menteri', meaning minister or counselor.

Evolution of the word: Originally used to refer to Chinese officials, the term 'mandarin' evolved to also describe a type of orange and later expanded to refer to a high-ranking official or influential person.