西班牙语

• Pinyin: Xī bān yá yǔ
• Hanzi breakdown: 西 = west; 班 = group/class; 牙 = tooth; 语 = language. 西班牙 is a phonetic transliteration of 'España'

Meaning

Spanish language. The Romance language originating from Spain, spoken across much of Latin America.

One of the most widely spoken languages in the world. In China, Spanish is increasingly popular as a second foreign language due to trade with Latin America. Also called 西语 for short in casual speech.

Examples

1. 她大学专业是西班牙语，毕业后去了墨西哥工作。 She majored in Spanish in college and went to work in Mexico after graduation.
2. 西班牙语是世界上使用人数第二多的母语。 Spanish is the second most spoken native language in the world.
3. 学了西班牙语以后，我发现它和葡萄牙语有很多相似之处。 After learning Spanish, I found it has many similarities with Portuguese.

Usage Guide

Context: education, language learning, international

Tone: informative

Do Say

• 你会说西班牙语吗？(Can you speak Spanish?)
• 西班牙语专业很热门。(The Spanish major is very popular.)

Don't Say

• 我说西班牙话 — 应该说'我说西班牙语'，语言一般用'语'不用'话'（除了方言）

Origin & History

Compound of 西班牙 (Spain, phonetic transliteration from 'España') + 语 (language). The transliteration dates back to early Sino-Western contact.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal