Music Vocabulary in Mandarin

As I have mentioned in the past, I am a professional musician. Music is a big part of my life and so it’s important for me to learn music vocabulary in the languages I speak.

One of the best ways to learn and retain vocabulary is to learn words that are personally relevant, and so, in preparation for an upcoming trade show I’ve decided to learn some Mandarin Music vocabulary. I’ve had a hard time finding some of the words on this list, so I wanted to share it in case there are any other Mandarin-language learning musicians out there.

Music Vocabulary in Mandarin with English Translations

General

音乐 – yīnyuè – music

演奏乐器 – yǎnzòu yuèqì – playing an instrument

音乐家 – yīnyuè jiā – musician

舞台 – wǔtái – stage

排练 – páiliàn – rehearsal

现场演出 – xiàn chǎng yǎn chū – live performance/music

乐队 – yuè duì – band

掌声 – zhǎngshēng – applause

表演 – biǎoyǎn – performance

歌 – gē – song

音阶 – yīnjiē – musical scale

专辑 – zhuānjí – album, record

歌词 – gēcí – lyrics

作曲家 – zuòqǔ jiā – songwriter/composer

Genres

摇滚 – yáogǔn – Rock & Roll

流行音乐 – liúxíngyīnyuè – Pop

古典乐 – gǔdiǎnyuè – Classical

传统音乐 – chuántǒng yīnyuè – Traditional

电音 – diàn yīn – Electronic

爵士乐 – juéshìyuè – Jazz

节奏布鲁斯 – jiézòu bùlǔsī – R&B

Instruments

鼓 – gǔ – drums

贝斯 – bèisī – bass

笛子 – dízi – flute

吉他 – jítā – guitar

钢琴 – gāngqín – piano

萨克司风/萨克斯管 – sàkè sī fēng/sàkè sī guǎn – saxophone

唱歌 – chànggē – singing

歌手 – gēshǒu – singer

Expressions

连五线谱你都看不懂。 – Lián wǔxiànpǔ nǐ dōu kàn bù dǒng – You don’t even know how to read sheet music.

跑调 – pǎo diào – out of tune (I love this one)

我真的喜欢这首歌 – Wǒ zhēnde xǐhuān zhèshǒu gē. – I really like this song.

声音太大了 – Shēngyīn tài dà le – It’s too loud

Anything you think is missing from this list? I would love to hear what you think in the comments!