🇨🇳 Stuff Every Traveler Should Say in Chinese: Training Guide

Hello and goodbye

Say nǐ hǎo to mean hello. It literally means you good and works almost anywhere. The usual reply is to say nǐ hǎo again.

Use nín hǎo for a polite hello with an older person or a hotel manager. Nín is the respectful form of you.

Say zàijiàn for goodbye or see you again later. You can add hǎo to times of day like zǎoshang hǎo for good morning.

Thank you and you are welcome

Say xièxie to thank someone. Use it in shops, restaurants, and taxis. The second syllable is softer.

Reply to xièxie with bú kèqi, which means you are welcome. Bú yòng xiè is another polite reply.

Apologies and replies

Say duìbuqǐ when you bump into someone or make a mistake. It can also mean to let someone down.

Answer an apology with méi guānxi, which means it does not matter.

Names and asking politely

To say my name is Tom, say wǒ jiào Tom. Jiào means to be called. You can also say wǒ shì plus your full name.

Chinese names put the family name first, then the given name. In Zhang Wei, Zhang is the family name.

To give only your family name, say wǒ xìng Wang. Xìng means to be surnamed.

Ask what someone's name is with nǐ jiào shénme míngzi. Shénme means what and míngzi means name.

Put qǐng before a verb to say please. Qǐng shuō màn yìdiǎn means please speak slowly.

Start a question with qǐngwèn, which means excuse me, may I ask. Add it before asking a stranger a question.

Yes, no, and correct

Mandarin usually answers yes by repeating the verb from the question. If someone asks zhè shì bēizi ma, answer shì for yes.

Add ma to the end of a sentence to make a yes or no question. Ma turns a statement into a question.

To say no, it is not, answer bú shì. Bù before the verb makes a negative.

Use duì to say right or correct. It is a common way to agree.

Four tones and tone marks

Mandarin has four main tones plus a light neutral tone. Pinyin shows tones with marks: ā, á, ǎ, à.

The same syllable can be different words in different tones. Mā means mother, mǎ means horse, and mà means to scold.

Tone changes

Bù normally has the fourth tone, but before another fourth tone it changes to second tone. So bù shì sounds like bú shì.

When two third tones meet, the first one changes to second tone. Nǐ hǎo is said ní hǎo.

Before other tones, a third tone often becomes a low half third tone.

Counting and amounts

Use èr when counting numbers like 12 and 20. Use liǎng for two of something before a small counting word like gè.

Build numbers with ten. Twenty is èrshí, two ten. Twelve is shí'èr, ten two. You can form every number up to 99 this way.

Telling time

Ask what time it is with jǐ diǎn le. Diǎn means o'clock.

Answer with the hour and diǎn plus minutes and fēn. Jiǔ diǎn shí fēn is 9:10.

Days and dates

Day names use xīngqī plus a number. Monday is xīngqīyī, week one.

Sunday is not week seven. Say xīngqītiān, or more formally xīngqīrì. Both tiān and rì can mean day.

Yesterday is zuótiān, today is jīntiān, and tomorrow is míngtiān. All end in tiān, day.

Hand signs for numbers

In China, use one hand to show numbers. Six is thumb and little finger up.

Eight looks like an L: thumb up and index finger sideways. Nine is a hook shape.

Ten can be a closed fist. Some people cross index fingers like the character for ten.

Money and prices

Price tags use yuán, but people say kuài. Shí kuài means 10 yuan. A different kuài written 快 means fast.

Ask how much this is with zhège duōshao qián. Duōshao means how many, qián means money.

To say too expensive, say tài guì le. Tài means too, guì means expensive.

To ask for a lower price, say piányi yìdiǎn ba. Piányi means cheap, yìdiǎn means a little, ba softens the request.

Mobile payment is shǒujī zhīfù. Shǒujī means cellphone, zhīfù means to pay. Many mainland shops accept payment by QR code.

Ordering food and the bill

To order food in a restaurant, say diǎncài. Diǎn means to choose, cài means dishes.

Ask for the bill with mǎidān. In Taiwan you may hear jiézhàng for the same action.

If you do not want spicy food, say bú yào là. Bú yào means do not want, là means chili heat.

Asking where and giving directions

Ask where something is with zài nǎr. Use it after a place word, like dìtiě zhàn zài nǎr for where is the subway station.

Say yìzhí zǒu for go straight. Yìzhí means straight and zǒu means walk.

Say zuǒ zhuǎn for turn left and yòu zhuǎn for turn right. Zuǒ means left, yòu means right, zhuǎn means turn.

Transport

A taxi in mainland China is chūzūchē. In Taiwan, ask for a jìchéngchē.

Say qǐng dǎbiǎo in a taxi to ask the driver to run the meter.

Subway station is dìtiě zhàn on the mainland. In Taiwan, the subway is called jiéyùn.

Train station is huǒchē zhàn. Huǒchē means train and zhàn means station.

Signs and public places

The polite public word for bathroom is xǐshǒujiān, meaning hand-washing room. Cèsuǒ is a plainer word for toilet.

Men's and women's restrooms are marked nán and nǚ. Nán means male, nǚ means female.

Entrance is rùkǒu and exit is chūkǒu. Kǒu means opening or door.

Hotels, communication, and emergencies

A standard hotel word on the mainland is bīnguǎn. Jiǔdiàn also means hotel and often appears in bigger names.

To reserve a hotel room, say yùdìng. Wǒ yùdìng le fángjiān means I reserved a room. To check out, say tuìfáng.

If you do not understand spoken Mandarin, say wǒ tīng bù dǒng. Then ask qǐng shuō màn yìdiǎn for please speak a little slower.

Shout jiùmìng in a life-threatening emergency. It means help or save me.

In mainland China, call 110 for police, 120 for ambulance, and 119 for fire. In Taiwan, 110 is also the police number.