Did you know Chinese has its own punctuation marks? Some do look similar to the ones we use in English, but they aren't always written or used in the same way.
The first thing to know is that most Chinese punctuation marks take up roughly the same amount of space as a Chinese character. That spacing is built into the way the marks are displayed on screen, so you don't need to add a space after them.
Let's take a look at some of the main punctuation marks you'll come across.
Full stop: 。
Just like in English, a full stop marks the end of a statement. Notice, though, that the Chinese version is a small hollow circle rather than a solid dot.
| hanzi / pinyin / meaning |
|---|
| 我们学校的教室很大。 [Wǒmen xuéxiào de jiàoshì hěn dà.] The classrooms at our school are big. |
Comma: ，
The Chinese comma looks a lot like the English one, but it isn't quite the same (，vs ,). It separates parts of a sentence and helps mark pauses.
| hanzi / pinyin / meaning |
|---|
| 外面下雪了，很冷。 [Wàimiàn xiàxuě le, hěn lěng.] It's snowing outside, and it's very cold. |
Enumeration comma: 、
This punctuation mark separates items in a list, such as individual words or short phrases.
| hanzi / pinyin / meaning |
|---|
| 我买了苹果、咖啡和红茶。 [Wǒ mǎi le píngguǒ, kāfēi hé hóngchá.] I bought apples, coffee and black tea. |
| 教室里有本子、书、笔，什么都有。 [Jiàoshì lǐ yǒu běnzi、shū、bǐ，shénme dōu yǒu.] The classroom has everything: notebooks, books, pens... |
Question marks and exclamation points: ？！
These work much as they do in English and only appear at the end of a sentence.
| hanzi / pinyin / meaning |
|---|
| 你找到饭店了没有？ [Nǐ zhǎodào fàndiàn le méiyǒu?] Have you found the restaurant? |
| 对不起，我忘了！ [Duìbuqǐ, wǒ wàng le!] Sorry, I forgot! |
Title marks: 《》
In Chinese, these marks are used around the titles of books, films, articles, songs, newspapers, plays and other written or creative works.
| hanzi / pinyin / meaning |
|---|
| 你看过《功夫熊猫》吗？ [Nǐ kàn guo "Gōngfu Xióngmāo" ma?] Have you seen Kung Fu Panda? |
Ellipsis: ……
In English, an ellipsis has three dots, whereas in Chinese, it has six.
It can indicate a pause, an omission or a break in speech.
| hanzi / pinyin / meaning |
|---|
| 对不起……我有点累，今天不太想去。 [Duìbuqǐ… wǒ yǒudiǎn lèi, jīntiān bù tài xiǎng qù.] Sorry… I'm a bit tired and don't really feel like going today. |
| 这个汉字我看不懂……是什么意思？ [Zhège hànzì wǒ kàn bu dǒng… shì shénme yìsi?] I can't read this character… What does it mean? |
Dash: ——
This long, double-length dash marks a strong pause, introduces an explanation or signals a change in tone. It's similar to an English em dash.
| hanzi / pinyin / meaning |
|---|
| 我不想买这个本子——太贵了。 [Wǒ bù xiǎng mǎi zhège běnzi — tài guì le.] I don't want to buy this notebook—it's too expensive. |
Middle dot in foreign names: ·
This is mainly used in foreign names that have been transliterated into Chinese.
| hanzi / pinyin / meaning |
|---|
| 珍·古道尔 [Zhēn·Gǔdào'ěr] Jane Goodall |
Other punctuation marks similar to those in English
Colon: ：
A colon introduces an explanation, a quotation or a list.
| hanzi / pinyin / meaning |
|---|
| 老师说：“明天有考试。” [Lǎoshī shuō: "Míngtiān yǒu kǎoshì."] The teacher said, "There's an exam tomorrow." |
Semicolon: ；
A semicolon separates related clauses within a sentence, especially when they have a parallel structure or already contain commas.
| hanzi / pinyin / meaning |
|---|
| 哥哥喜欢喝茶；妹妹喜欢喝咖啡。 [Gēge xǐhuan hē chá; mèimei xǐhuan hē kāfēi.] My older brother likes drinking tea; my younger sister likes drinking coffee. |
Chinese quotation marks: “” and ‘’
These are used for quotations or to draw attention to particular words. For a quotation within another quotation, use single quotation marks: ‘’.
| hanzi / pinyin / meaning |
|---|
| 老师说：“这个词的意思是‘学习’。” [Lǎoshī shuō: "Zhège cí de yìsi shì 'xuéxí'."] The teacher said, "This word means 'to study'." |
Brackets: （）
These add extra information, like in English.
| hanzi / pinyin / meaning |
|---|
| 他住在北京（中国北方）。 [Tā zhù zài Běijīng (Zhōngguó běifāng).] He lives in Beijing (in northern China). |
FAQs
Do you leave spaces after punctuation marks in Chinese?
No. In Chinese text, you don't add spaces after punctuation marks. The visual space around each mark is part of its typographic design.
What's the difference between the Chinese comma and the enumeration comma?
The Chinese comma (，) separates parts of a sentence. The enumeration comma (、) is used specifically to separate items in a list, such as individual words or short phrases.
Can you use an ellipsis and 等等 together?
Not when both are being used to show that a list could go on. 等等 [děngděng] means "and so on" or "etc.", so adding …… repeats the same idea. You should choose one or the other.
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