Music (音乐 – yīn yuè) is a huge part of my life. From playing cello, percussion, and guitar through my school years, to following my favorite bands around the country, to attending music festivals in the US, China, and Indonesia, music has always played an important role in my life. How about you?

Do you like listening to music? (你喜欢听音乐吗？- nǐ xǐ huan tīng yīn yuè ma).

What kind of music do you like? (你喜欢什么音乐 – nǐ xǐ huan shén me yīn yuè)

Naxi orchestra jammin’ out in Lijiang.

To help you answer that second question, here are 20 different genres of music in Chinese:

Note that for basically every genre, you can add the word for music to the end, i.e. 古典音乐 (classical music), 摇滚音乐 (rock music), or 世界音乐 (world music). This isn’t always necessary, however. The word 民乐 (folk music) already has the character for music in the name, 说唱 (rap) is perfectly fine on its own, as is 歌剧 (opera). If the conversation is clearly focused on music, you’ll be understood whether or not you add the word 音乐 onto the genre. Just don’t be surprised if Chinese people have no idea what you’re talking about if you mention something like bluegrass or world music – these genres simply aren’t very common.

Not surprisingly, pop music definitely reigns supreme in China. Rock, folk/traditional, and electronic music are all quite popular as well, and there are definitely developing electronic, heavy metal, and rap/hip-hop scenes popping up around the country. There are even Chinese reggae bands out there, such as my personal favorite, Long Shen Dao (龙神道). Check them out in a “Streets, Beats & Eats” episode on Beijing:

If you’d like to learn more about Chinese music, check out our series on Chinese instruments:

• Chinese Instruments Part One
• Part Two
• Part Three
• Pipa (Chinese Lute)
• Chinese Bells
• Bamboo Flute
• Traditional Drumming
• Guqin (7-string plucked instrument)
• Erhu (2-string Chinese violin)