Language

Phrases

Greetings & Basics

Hello

你好 (nǐ hǎo)

Thank you

谢谢 (xiè xiè)

You’re welcome

不客气 (bù kè qì)

Sorry

对不起 (duì bù qǐ)

It’s okay

没关系 (méi guān xì)

Goodbye

再见 (zài jiàn)

Please

请 (qǐng)

I don’t understand

我听不懂 (wǒ tīng bù dǒng)

Do you speak English?

你会说英语吗? (nǐ huì shuō yīng yǔ ma)

Getting Around

Where is this place?

这个地方在哪里? (zhè gè dì fāng zài nǎ lǐ)

I want to go to...

我要去... (wǒ yào qù)

How much is this?

这个多少钱? (zhè gè duō shǎo qián)

Is there public transportation?

有没有公共交通? (yǒu méi yǒu gōng gòng jiāo tōng)

Is there a metro station nearby?

附近有地铁站吗? (fù jìn yǒu dì tiě zhàn ma)

Where is the bus?

巴士在哪里? (bā shì zài nǎ lǐ)

At Restaurants

Does the menu have English?

菜单有英文的吗? (cài dān yǒu yīng wén dē ma)

I don’t eat meat

我不吃肉 (wǒ bù chī ròu)

Do you have any recommendations?

有什么特别推荐吗? (yǒu shén me tè bié tuī jiàn ma)

Is this delicious?

这个好吃吗? (zhè gè hǎo chī ma)

Waiter!

服务员! (fú wù yuán)

Check, please!

买单! (mǎi dān)

Emergencies

Help!

救命! (jiù mìng)

I am lost

我迷路了 (wǒ mí lù le)

I need to see a doctor

我需要见医生 (wǒ xū yào jiàn yī shēng)

Is there a police officer?

有警察吗? (yǒu jǐng chá ma)

My bag is missing

我的包不见了 (wǒ dē bāo bú jiàn le)

Shopping

Can you make it cheaper?

便宜一点吧? (pián yí yì diǎn ba)

I’m just looking

我就看看 (wǒ jiù kàn kàn)

I want this

我要这个 (wǒ yào zhè gè)

Numbers

One

一 (yī)

Two

二 (èr)

Three

三 (sān)

Ten

十 (shí)

Hundred

百 (bǎi)

Translation Apps

Translation apps with speech recognition can be very helpful when communicating with locals. These apps generally perform well in recognizing English speech and standard Mandarin.

However, if you plan to explore street food markets or visit smaller towns and rural areas, you may encounter Mandarin influenced by local dialects or people speaking entirely in their dialect. Since there are hundreds of dialects in China, translation apps may struggle to work in these situations.

To overcome this, ensure that the Chinese input methods (Pinyin and handwriting) are activated on your phone. This way, locals can type or write directly into the translation app when needed.

Tips for apps:

Common apps are Apple Translate, Microsoft Translator, DeepL and WAYGO.
Apps made by Chinese companies are also good choice, they should understand Chinese better. Like YouDao(App Store, Play Store) and Baidu Translate(App Store).
Google Translate is not available, make sure you download alternative ones.