Although there are many similarities between punctuation in written Chinese and English, there are some interesting additions within the Chinese language
To write using Chinese characters and punctuation using your computer or mobile phone, you need to set up a Chinese keyboard on your device. You can find out how to do this on our Chinese keyboard page, complete with instructional images.
Chinese punctuation markers can be divided into two categories:
点号 (diǎn hào) is used to express a pause
Examples of 点号 (diǎn hào) punctuation are:
句号 (jù hào)（ 。）period / full stop
逗号 (dòu hào)（ ，）comma
问号 (wèn hào)（ ？）question mark
感叹号 (gǎn tàn hào)（ ！）exclamation mark
顿号 (dùn hào)（、）Chinese back sloping comma
分号 (fēn hào)（；）semicolon
冒号 (mào hào)（：）colon
句号 (jù hào)（ 。）
These are used at the end of a complete declarative sentence or to make an imperative sentence more relaxed.
Example:
我的母语是汉语。(wǒ de mǔ yǔ shì hàn yǔ) My mother tongue is Chinese.
请坐。(qǐng zuò) Please sit down.
逗号 (dòu hào)（ ，）
Used in the middle of the sentence where a pause is needed:
Example:
如果下雨，我就不出门了。(rú guǒ xià yǔ, wǒ jiù bù chū mén le) If it’s raining, I won’t go out.
问号 (wèn hào)（ ？）
Used at the end of a question or rhetorical question.
Example:
今天晚上去看电影吗？(jīn tiān wǎn shang qù kàn diàn yǐng ma) How about watching a movie tonight?
感叹号 (gǎn tàn hào)（ ！）
Used in the end of the exclamatory sentence, or to make a strong expression at the end of an imperative sentence or rhetorical question.
Example:
今天天气真好啊！(jīn tiān tiān qì zhēn hǎo a) What a lovely day today!
别动！(bié dòng) Stay here!
你怎么还不走！ (nǐ zěn me hái bù zǒu) Why don’t you leave!
顿号 (dùn hào)（、）
Used between the conjunction words or phrase in the sentence where there should be a pause.
Example:
西瓜、菠萝和葡萄都是夏天常见的水果。(xī guā, bō luó hé pú tao dōu shì xià tiān cháng jiàn de shuǐ guǒ) Watermelon, pineapple and grape are all commonly seen fruit in the summer.
分号 (fēn hào)（；）
Used between clauses or enumerated items.
Example:
早上起来，外面下了一场大雨；到了中午，天气却突然放晴了。(zǎo shang qǐ lai, wài mian xià le yī cháng dà yǔ; dào le zhōng wǔ, tiān qì què tū rán fàng qíng le) When I got up in the morning, it was raining hard outside, but by noon, it suddenly became sunny.
冒号 (mào hào)（：）
Used to prompt following content or to summarise content above.
Example:
他高兴地答道：“没问题！” (tā gāo xìng de dá dào: “méi wèn tí!”) He answered happily: “No problem!”
图书馆开放时间：早上九点到下午五点。 (tú shū guǎn kāi fàng shí jiān: zǎo shang jiǔ diǎn dào xià wǔ wǔ diǎn) Library opening hours: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm.
标号 (biāo hào) is used to indicate the property of the sentence or phrase
引号 (yǐn hào)（“ ” ‘ ’）quotation mark
省略号 (shěng lüè hào)（······）ellipsis
破折号 (pò zhé hào)（ ── ）Chinese dash
书名号 (shū míng hào)（《 》〈 〉）Chinese guillemet
括号 (kuò hào)〔（ ） [ ] { } 〕parentheses/brackets
专名号 (zhuān míng hào) ( __ ) Chinese underline
着重号 (zhuó zhòng hào)（ ．）Chinese underdot
间隔号 (jiàn gé hào)（·）Chinese centered dot mark
引号 (yǐn hào)（“ ” ‘ ’）
1. Used to mark a quote
不论做什么事情，都需要持续的努力，毕竟“罗马不是一天建成的”。 (bù lùn zuò shén me shì qíng, dōu xū yào chí xù de nǔ lì, bì jìng “luó mǎ bú shì yī tiān jiàn chéng de) Whatever you do, you need to put in constant effort. After all, “Rome wasn’t built in a day”
2. Used to mark the name or title of something:
很长时间以来，百慕大群岛都是传说中的“死亡三角”。(hěn cháng shí jiān yǐ lái, bǎi mù dà qún dǎo dōu shì chuán shuō zhòng dì “sǐ wáng sān jiǎo”.) A long time ago, Bermuda was said to be the “Devil’s Triangle”.
3. Used to emphasize or to express satire, also known as air quotes in English.
你个“聪明人”居然干出这种蠢事情。 (nǐ gè “cōng ming rén” jū rán gàn chū zhè zhǒng chǔn shì qíng) You, the “smart guy”, have just done such a stupid thing.
4. When quotation marks are used in a quote, it should look like the following example: “‘’”.
他问道，“妈妈，‘老虎’是什么意思？” (tā wèn dào, “mā ma, ‘lǎo hǔ’ shì shén me yì si.) He asked, “Mom, what does ‘tiger’ mean?”
省略号 (shěng lüè hào)（······）
1. Used when text is omitted:
东北的特产特别多，比如香菇，木耳，人参…… (dōng běi de tè chǎn tè bié duō, bǐ rú xiāng gū, mù ěr, rén shēn……) There are lots of specialities that come from north-eastern China, such as shiitake, edible tree fungus, ginseng…
2. Used to indicate an interruption:
“我……”她停顿了一下，又继续说道，“我不知道。” (“wǒ……” tā tíng dùn le yī xià, yòu jì xù shuō dào, “wǒ bù zhī dao.”) “I…” she paused and then continued, “I don’t know.”
破折号 (pò zhé hào)（ ── ）
1. Used for explanations:
她是一个很优秀的人——聪明，努力，坚强。 (tā shì yī gè hěn yōu xiù de rén —— cōng ming, nǔ lì jiān qiáng.) She is excellent – smart, hard working and strong.
2. Used to change topic and tone:
“今天天气很好——你怎么又来了？” (jīn tiān tiān qì hěn hǎo —— nǐ zěn me yòu lái le) “It’s a nice day. Why did you come here again?”
3. Used when a sound is written in words:
嘎——嘎——嘎，远处传来鸭子的叫声。(gá—— gá—— gá, yuǎn chù chuán lái yā zi de jiào shēng) Quack——Quack——Quack, the duck’s voice was heard in the distance.
书名号 (shū míng hào)（《 》〈 〉）
Used to mark the name of a book, song, magazine, painting, newspaper, articles, movie, show, etc.
《傲慢与偏见》 (ào màn yǔ piān jiàn) Pride and Prejudice
If there is another title referenced within another, use “〈 〉”.
《观<肖申克的救赎>有感》 (guān “xiào shēn kè de jiù shú” yǒu gǎn) Film review of The Shawshank Redemption
括号 (kuò hào)
圆括号 yuán kuò hào（ ）
1. Explain the words in front.
他（房东的儿子）在说谎。(tā (fáng dōng de ér zi) zài shuō huǎng)
He (the landlord’s son) told lies.
2. Supplementary information.
他最喜欢的诗句是“黑夜给了我黑色的眼睛,我却用它去寻找光明” （顾城《一代人》）。 (tā zuì xǐ huan de shī jù shì “hēi yè gěi le wǒ hēi sè de yǎn jing, wǒ què yòng tā qù xún zhǎo guāng míng” (gù chéng – yī dài rén)
His favourite verse is “I was given dark eyes by the dark night, yet I use them to search for light” (From 一代人 by Gu Cheng,)
3. Mark order.
（一）（二）（三）….
The first, the second, the third…
方括号 (fāng kuò hào) []
1. Make a correction or add missing word or phrase.
其中有200个人获得国家级[的证书]。(qí zhōng yǒu 200 gè rén huò dé guó jiā jí [de zhèng shū].
200 of them get the national level [certificate]
2. Mark phonetic notation or phonetic symbol.
汉语中的单韵母有：[a][o][e][i][u][ü]。(hàn yǔ zhòng dì dān yùn mǔ yǒu:)
There are single vowels in Chinese: [a][o][e][i][u][ü].
3. Mark the origin of a word in dictionary.
六角括号 (liù jiǎo kuò hào) 〔〕
1. Supplement words in the quote to perforation the context.
2. Document number.
3. Mark annotation words in footnote.
4. Mark the nationality or dynasty of author.
5. Notes number.
方括号 (fāng kuò hào)【】〖〗
1. Commonly used to mark the entries in reference book
专名号 (zhuān míng hào) ( __ )
Used to mark the proper noun (person name, place name, country name, dynasty name, etc), which is commonly used in an article or book.
鲁迅生于浙江绍兴。(lǔ xùn shēng yú zhè jiāng shào xīng) Lu Xun was born in Shaoxing, Zhejiang.
着重号 (zhuó zhòng hào) ( ．)
Used to mark a character, words or sentence, which needs attention. It is commonly used in articles or books.
Below you can see the ‘underdot’ in use in Microsoft Word:
间隔号 (jiàn gé hào)（·）
Used between foreign or minority names, book names and the chapter names, dynasties and names of people:
汤姆·克鲁斯 (tāng mǔ kè lǔ sī) Tom Cruise
《三国志·蜀志·诸葛亮传》 (sān guó zhì shǔ zhì zhū gě liàng zhuàn) The Records of Three Kingdoms, The Records of Shu, Biography of Zhuge Liang
If you have any questions or comments about Chinese punctuation, please leave them below!
