Table of Contents
Learn these 121 Chinese phrases to get by in China, from ordering food to asking for directions.

For phrases containing an ellipsis or two alternatives, the audio uses one natural, complete example so you can hear a sentence rather than a blank.

Greetings

Two people greeting each other while practising Mandarin Short greetings are an easy place to begin speaking.

Start with these greetings for everyday encounters.

  1. 你好！Nǐ hǎo!Hello!
  2. 你好吗？Nǐ hǎo ma?How are you?
  3. 我很好Wǒ hěn hǎoI'm very well
  4. 我还好Wǒ hái hǎoI'm OK
  5. 我不太好Wǒ bú tài hǎoI'm not so good
  6. 早上好Zǎo shang hǎoGood morning
  7. 晚上好Wǎn shang hǎoGood evening
  8. 晚安Wǎn ānGood night

Getting to Know People

Use these to introduce yourself and learn a little about someone else.

  1. 你叫什么名字？Nǐ jiào shén me míng zi?What's your name? (informal)
  2. 我叫……Wǒ jiào ...My name is …
  3. 您贵姓？Nín guì xìng?What is your surname? (formal)
  4. 我姓……Wǒ xìng ...My surname is …
  5. 你多大了？Nǐ duō dà le?How old are you?
  6. 我三十岁Wǒ sān shí suìI'm thirty (years old)
  7. 你来自哪里？Nǐ lái zì nǎ li?Where are you from?
  8. 我来自中国Wǒ lái zì Zhōng guóI come from China
  9. 你是哪国人？Nǐ shì nǎ guó rén?Which country are you from?
  10. 我是中国人Wǒ shì Zhōng guó rénI'm Chinese (lit. "I'm a Chinese person")
  11. 我是外国人Wǒ shì wài guó rénI'm a foreigner
  12. 很高兴认识你Hěn gāo xìng rèn shi nǐNice to meet you

Being Polite

Polite phrases make requests and small mistakes easier to handle.

  1. 谢谢！Xiè xie!Thank you!
  2. 非常感谢！Fēi cháng gǎn xiè!Thank you so much!
  3. 不用谢Bú yòng xièYou're welcome (lit. "no need for thanks")
  4. 不客气Bú kè qiYou're welcome (lit. "no need to be so polite")
  5. 不好意思Bù hǎo yì siExcuse me / sorry (to get attention, get past, mild apology)
  6. 对不起Duì bu qǐSorry (a more emphatic apology)
  7. 请问……？Qǐng wèn ...?Could I ask …? (polite way to preface a question)
  8. 麻烦你了Má fan nǐ leSorry to bother you
  9. 没问题Méi wèn tíNo problem
  10. 好的！Hǎo de!OK!
  11. 为什么？Wèi shén me?Why?

When You Don't Understand

These phrases help you slow a conversation down and keep it going.

  1. 听得懂吗？Tīng de dǒng ma?Do you understand?
  2. 我听得懂Wǒ tīng de dǒngI understand
  3. 我听不懂Wǒ tīng bu dǒngI don't understand
  4. 你会说中文吗？Nǐ huì shuō Zhōng wén ma?Do you speak Chinese?
  5. 我会说Wǒ huì shuōYes, I can speak it
  6. 我不会说中文Wǒ bú huì shuō Zhōng wénI don't speak Chinese
  7. 可以说得慢一点吗？Kě yǐ shuō de màn yì diǎn ma?Could you speak more slowly?
  8. ……什么意思？... shén me yì si?What does … mean?
  9. ……怎么说？... zěn me shuō?How do you say …?
  10. 不知道bù zhī dàoI don't know
✨ Did you know?
Mandarin has four main lexical tones plus a neutral tone. Context still helps, so a polite attempt is more useful than waiting for perfect pronunciation.

Asking for Directions

A traveller asking a local person for directions near a metro station Pair spoken Mandarin with a written place name when asking for directions.

Save the written name of your destination and use these phrases together.

  1. 不好意思，可以问个路吗？Bù hǎo yì si, kě yǐ wèn ge lù ma?Excuse me, could I ask for directions?
  2. 到……怎么走？Dào ... zěn me zǒu?How do you get to …?
  3. ……在哪儿？... zài nǎr?Where is ...?
  4. ……在哪里？... zài nǎ li?Where is ...?
  5. ……在那里... zài nà li... is over there
  6. 在这里Zài zhè liIt's here
  7. 直走Zhí zǒuGo straight ahead
  8. 右转Yòu zhuǎnTurn right
  9. 左转Zuǒ zhuǎnTurn left
  10. 过马路Guò mǎ lùCross the road
  11. 我要去……Wǒ yào qù ...I want to go to … (also good for taxis or buying tickets)

Transportation

Useful words for tickets, stations and taxis.

  1. 一张到北京的票Yì zhāng dào Běi jīng de piàoOne ticket to Beijing
  2. 两张票Liǎng zhāng piàoTwo tickets
  3. 来回Lái huíReturn / round trip
  4. 单程Dān chéngOne-way
  5. 机场Jī chǎngAirport
  6. 火车站Huǒ chē zhànTrain station
  7. 地铁站Dì tiě zhànMetro / underground station
  8. 公交车站Gōng jiāo chē zhànBus stop / station
  9. 出租车Chū zū chēTaxi

Eating Out

A Mandarin learner ordering food in a Chinese restaurant Pointing at a menu can support your spoken order.

From getting a table to asking for the bill.

  1. 几位？Jǐ wèi?How many people?
  2. 一位Yí wèiOne person (a table for one)
  3. 两位Liǎng wèiTwo people
  4. 我想看一下菜单Wǒ xiǎng kàn yí xià cài dānI'd like to look at the menu
  5. 点菜Diǎn cài(I'm / we're) ready to order
  6. 我要……Wǒ yào ...I'll have …
  7. 服务员！Fú wù yuán!Waiter!
  8. 买单！Mǎi dān!The bill, please!

Shopping

Pointing plus a short sentence is often enough in a shop or market.

  1. 这个Zhè geThis one
  2. 那个Nà geThat one
  3. 我要这个Wǒ yào zhè geI'll take this one
  4. 我（不）喜欢那个Wǒ (bù) xǐ huan nà geI (don't) like that one
  5. 多少钱？Duō shao qián?How much is it?
  6. 太贵了！Tài guì le!Too expensive!
  7. 便宜一点！Pián yi yì diǎn!A bit cheaper! (to ask for a better price)
  8. 可以刷卡吗？Kě yǐ shuā kǎ ma?Can I use a card?
  9. 不要了！Bú yào le!I don't want it! (to stop someone hassling you to buy)
  10. 我看一下Wǒ kàn yí xiàI'm just looking

Numbers

Practise these aloud so you can recognise prices, times and quantities.

  1. 零Líng0
  2. 一Yī1
  3. 二Èr2
  4. 三Sān3
  5. 四Sì4
  6. 五Wǔ5
  7. 六Liù6
  8. 七Qī7
  9. 八Bā8
  10. 九Jiǔ9
  11. 十Shí10
  12. 十一Shí yī11
  13. 十二Shí èr12
  14. 二十Èr shí20
  15. 二十一Èr shí yī21
  16. 三十Sān shí30
  17. 一百Yì bǎi100
  18. 二百／两百Èr bǎi / Liǎng bǎi200
  19. 五百Wǔ bǎi500
  20. 六百零五Liù bǎi líng wǔ605
  21. 七百五（十）Qī bǎi wǔ (shí)750 (the 'shí' is often omitted)
  22. 八百一十五Bā bǎi yī shí wǔ815
  23. 九百八十七Jiǔ bǎi bā shí qī987
  24. 一千Yì qiān1,000

Solving Problems

Keep these phrases saved on your phone in case you need help.

  1. 可以帮个忙吗？Kě yǐ bāng ge máng ma?Could you help me?
  2. 我迷路了Wǒ mí lù leI'm lost
  3. 我的钱包丢了Wǒ de qián bāo diū leMy wallet is lost / missing
  4. 我要去医院Wǒ yào qù yī yuànI need to go to the hospital
  5. 我生病了Wǒ shēng bìng leI'm sick
  6. 我受伤了Wǒ shòu shāng leI'm hurt / injured
  7. 这里疼Zhè lǐ téngIt hurts here

Special Occasions

Warm wishes for birthdays, celebrations and the New Year.

  1. 恭喜恭喜！Gōng xǐ gōng xǐ!Congratulations!
  2. 生日快乐！Shēng rì kuài lè!Happy Birthday!
  3. 干杯！Gān bēi!Cheers! (lit. “dry cup!”)
  4. 新年快乐！Xīn nián kuài lè!Happy New Year! (Chinese New Year and 1 January)
  5. 恭喜发财！Gōng xǐ fā cái!May you be prosperous! (a traditional Chinese New Year greeting)
  6. 祝你好运！Zhù nǐ hǎo yùn!Good luck!

Saying Goodbye

End the conversation naturally with one of these farewells.

  1. 再见！Zài jiàn!Goodbye!
  2. 明天见！Míng tiān jiàn!See you tomorrow!
  3. 下次见！Xià cì jiàn!See you next time!
  4. 拜拜！Bāi bāi!Bye!
  5. 一路平安！Yí lù píng ān!Safe travels!

A Short Everyday Conversation

A: 你好！
Nǐ hǎo!
Hello!

A: 请问，地铁站在哪里？
Qǐng wèn, dì tiě zhàn zài nǎ li?
Excuse me, where is the metro station?

B: 直走，地铁站就在那边。
Zhí zǒu, dì tiě zhàn jiù zài nà biān.
Go straight. The metro station is just over there.

A: 好的，谢谢！
Hǎo de, xiè xie!
OK, thank you!

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