Travelers in China will encounter with problems of communication while ordering food, shopping, asking for derection, etc. The 34 easy phrases below will help you survive in most cases while traveling in China. With pinyin, you can easily pronunce those phrases.
If you are not familiar with pinyin, check our pinyin guide for Chinese beginners to learn how to pronunce a Chinese phrase.
Scene 1: Greetings
1) Hello
Pīnyīn: nǐ hǎo (你好)
2) Good morning
Pīnyīn: zǎo shàng hǎo (早上好)
3) Good eveining
Pīnyīn: wǎn shàng hǎo (晚上好)
4) Bye bye
Pīnyīn: bài bái (拜拜) (same pronunciation as English)
5) Sorry
Pīnyīn: duì bù qǐ (对不起) / bào qiàn (抱歉)
Scene 2: Order Food in A Restaurant
6) I want ...
Pīnyīn: wǒ yào (我要)
- E.g. I want coffee.
Pīnyīn: wǒ yào kā fēi (我要咖啡)
7) I don't want ...
Pīnyīn: wǒ bú yào (我不要)
- E.g. I don't want chillies.
Pīnyīn: wǒ bú yào là jiāo(我不要辣椒)
8) Do you have ... ?
Pīnyīn: nǐ yǒu ... mā (你有吗？)
- E.g. Do you have a spoon?
Pīnyīn: nǐ yǒu sháo zi mā (你有勺子吗？)
9) Thank you.
Pīnyīn: xiè xiè (谢谢)
10) Pay the bill
Pīnyīn: mǎi dān (买单)
11) Very delicious
Pīnyīn: hěn hǎo chī (很好吃)
12) Beef
Pīnyīn: niú ròu (牛肉)
- E.g. I want beef.
Pīnyīn: wǒ yào niú ròu (我要牛肉)
13) Chicken
Pīnyīn: jī ròu (鸡肉)
14) Pork
Pīnyīn: zhū ròu(猪肉)
15) Fish
Pīnyīn: yǘ (鱼)
Scene 3: Shopping
16) How much?
Pīnyīn: duō shǎo qián (多少钱？)
- E.g. How much is this?
Pīnyīn: zhè gè duō shǎo qián (这个多少钱？)
17) Too expensive
Pīnyīn: tài guì le (太贵了)
18) Cheaper
Pīnyīn: pián yì diǎn (便宜点)
- E.g. Could you make it cheaper?
Pīnyīn: néng pián yì diǎn mā (能便宜点吗？)
19) What's this?
Pīnyīn: zhè shì shén me (这是什么？)
20) It's beautiful
Pīnyīn: hěn piào liàng (很漂亮)
- E.g. This shirt is very beautiful.
Pīnyīn: zhè jiàn yī fú hěn piào liàng (这件衣服很漂亮)
Scene 4: Asking for Direction
21) Where is ... ?
Pīnyīn: zài nǎ lǐ (在哪里？)
- E.g. Where is the hotel?
Pīnyīn: zhè jiān jiǔ diàn zài nǎ lǐ (这间酒店在哪里？)
22) I want to go to ...
Pīnyīn: wǒ yào qù ... (我要去)
- E.g. I want to go to the train station.
Pīnyīn: wǒ yào qù huǒ chē zhàn (我要去火车站)
23) Go straight on
Pīnyīn: zhí zǒu (直走)
24) Turn right
Pīnyīn: yòu zhuǎn(右转)
25) Turn left
Pīnyīn: zuǒ zhuǎn (左转)
26) Bathroom
Pīnyīn: weì shēng jiān (卫生间)
- E.g. Where is the bathroom?
Pīnyīn: weì shēng jiān zài nǎ lǐ (卫生间在哪里？)
27) Entrance
Pīnyīn: rù kǒu (入口)
- E.g. Where is the entrance?
Pīnyīn: rù kǒu zài nǎ lǐ (入口在哪里？)
28) Exit
Pīnyīn: chū kǒu (出口)
- E.g. Where is the exit?
Pīnyīn: chū kǒu zài nǎ lǐ (出口在哪里？)
Common Places
29) Restautant
Pīnyīn: fàn diàn (饭店)
30) Hotel
Pīnyīn: jiǔ diàn (酒店)
31) Subway Station
Pīnyīn: dì tiě zhàn (地铁站)
32) Taxi
Pīnyīn: chū zū chē (出租车)
33) Airport
Pīnyīn: jī chǎng (机场)
34) Railway Station
Pīnyīn: huǒ chē zhàn (火车站)
Further reading:
Bullet Train from Beijing to Shanghai: Timetable, Tickets, Prices
China Entry and Travel Restrictions in 2021
Baggage Rules of China Rail
