How to Say “My boyfriend” in Chinese
Relationships and family · HSK 2
"My boyfriend" in Chinese is 我男朋友 (wǒ nán péng yǒu). 男朋友 (nán péng yǒu) literally means 'male friend' but everyone understands it as 'boyfriend'; context makes it clear. Young people often shorten it to 男友 (nán yǒu) in texts and social media.
Primary translation
我男朋友
wǒ nán péng yǒu
When to use it
男朋友 (nán péng yǒu) literally means 'male friend' but everyone understands it as 'boyfriend'; context makes it clear. Young people often shorten it to 男友 (nán yǒu) in texts and social media. Note that 我 plus a close relationship noun usually drops 的 (de): we say 我男朋友, not 我的男朋友. Adding 的 sounds slightly distant, like you're introducing him formally. On 小红书 and WeChat Moments you'll see 男票 (nán piào), a cute slangy version popular since the mid-2010s.
Example sentences
这是我男朋友，他叫大伟。
Zhè shì wǒ nán péng yǒu, tā jiào Dà Wěi.
This is my boyfriend, his name is David.
我男朋友是北京人。
Wǒ nán péng yǒu shì Běi jīng rén.
My boyfriend is from Beijing.
周末我和男朋友去看电影。
Zhōu mò wǒ hé nán péng yǒu qù kàn diàn yǐng.
I'm going to a movie with my boyfriend this weekend.