Words English took from Chinese

1. 1
   tea/tiː/

   noun

   A hot drink made by soaking leaves in water.
2. 2
   ketchup/ˈketʃəp/

   noun

   A thick sauce made from tomatoes.
3. 3
   typhoon/ˌtaɪˈfuːn/

   noun

   A violent tropical storm in the western Pacific.
4. 4
   kowtow/ˌkaʊˈtaʊ/iAlso said ˌkoʊˈtoʊ.

   verb

   Flatter someone too eagerly to win their favor.
5. 5
   ginseng/ˈdʒɪnˌseŋ/

   noun

   A root used in herbal medicine.
6. 6
   tofu/ˈtoʊfuː/

   noun

   A soft white food made from soybean milk and sold in blocks.
7. 7
   wok/wɑːk/

   noun

   A deep, round-bottomed pan for stir-frying.
8. 8
   tycoon/taɪˈkuːn/

   noun

   A very rich and powerful person in business.
9. 9
   kumquat/ˈkʌmkwɑːt/

   noun

   A tiny oval citrus fruit with a sweet skin.
10. 10
    shanghai/ˌʃæŋˈhaɪ/

    verb

    Force someone into work against their will.

The sentences

1. Could I have another cup of tea?

2. Can you pass the ketchup, please?

3. A typhoon hit the coast last summer.

4. I refuse to kowtow to my boss.

5. My grandmother drinks ginseng tea every morning.

6. I'd like the spicy tofu with rice.

7. Heat the oil in the wok first.

8. Her grandfather was a famous shipping tycoon.

9. You can eat a kumquat with the skin on.

10. They used to shanghai sailors from the docks.

Pronunciation

• typhoon/ˌtaɪˈfuːn/

  The stress falls on the second part, FOON, not on TY.

• kowtow/ˌkaʊˈtaʊ/

  Both halves rhyme with cow, so it is not like toe.

• ginseng/ˈdʒɪnˌseŋ/

  The g sounds like the j in jam, not the g in get.

• tycoon/taɪˈkuːn/

  Stress the second syllable: ty-COON.

• kumquat/ˈkʌmkwɑːt/

  The first part sounds like come, and the second rhymes with squat.

Good to know

tipping

In US restaurants a tip of about 15 to 20 % is usual, since servers are paid little by the hour. It is normally not included in the bill.

free refills

Many casual restaurants refill soft drinks for free. Hot tea usually comes as a cup with a tea bag, and iced tea is often served by default in some regions.

condiments

Ketchup is a standard table condiment at diners and casual places. It is common to ask the table or server to pass it.

Questions

What do I say to ask for more tea in English?

You can say, "Could I have another cup of tea?"

How do you pronounce typhoon and tycoon?

Both put the stress on the second part: ty-FOON and ty-COON.

What does kowtow mean?

It means to flatter someone too eagerly to win their favor. For example, "I refuse to kowtow to my boss."