Essential Chinese Phrases
Real phrases for real situations. No “The pen of my aunt is on the table” — just what you'll actually say when you're in China or talking to Chinese speakers.
How to Use These Phrases
Don't try to memorize all of these at once — nobody does that, and the people who try usually give up by page three. Pick one category, the one most relevant to what you're about to do, and learn 3–5 phrases. Say them out loud, pay attention to the tones, and then actually use them in the wild. I learned 服务员 (fúwùyuán, waiter) wrong for an embarrassingly long time — wrong tone on the second syllable — and nobody corrected me until a friend finally said “you know you've been saying that wrong for six months, right?” The phrases you use in real situations will stick. The ones you only scroll through on a screen won't.
Each phrase includes characters, pinyin, and English. For pronunciation of individual words, browse the HSK vocabulary pages and tap the 🔊 button. For the grammar that makes these phrases work, check the Grammar Guide. If you want to understand why太贵了 means “too expensive” and not just memorize it as a fixed phrase, the grammar page explains the 太...了 pattern.
👋 Greetings & Basics
The first things you say to anyone. Chinese greetings are more straightforward than English ones — nobody says 'how are you?' as a greeting and walks away without waiting for an answer. 你好吗 is grammatically correct but rarely used in real life; just say 你好. Also: Chinese doesn't have a word for 'hi' or 'hey' as a casual alternative — 你好 is both formal and informal. People who know each other well usually skip greetings entirely and just start talking, or ask a specific question like 吃了吗？(chī le ma?, 'have you eaten?') which is more of a general 'how's it going' than an actual inquiry about your meal status.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 你好 | Nǐ hǎo | Hello |
| 早上好 | Zǎoshang hǎo | Good morning |
| 晚上好 | Wǎnshang hǎo | Good evening |
| 再见 | Zàijiàn | Goodbye |
| 谢谢 | Xièxie | Thank you |
| 不客气 | Bú kèqì | You're welcome |
| 对不起 | Duìbuqǐ | Sorry / Excuse me |
| 没关系 | Méi guānxi | No problem / It's fine |
| 请 | Qǐng | Please |
| 我叫... | Wǒ jiào... | My name is... |
| 很高兴认识你 | Hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ | Nice to meet you |
| 你是哪国人？ | Nǐ shì nǎ guó rén? | Which country are you from? |
💬 Small Talk
The in-between stuff that makes you sound like a human rather than a phrasebook robot. Use these to fill the gaps between asking for directions and ordering food.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 你最近怎么样？ | Nǐ zuìjìn zěnmeyàng? | How have you been lately? |
| 最近忙吗？ | Zuìjìn máng ma? | Busy lately? |
| 你做什么工作？ | Nǐ zuò shénme gōngzuò? | What do you do for work? |
| 你是哪里人？ | Nǐ shì nǎlǐ rén? | Where are you from? |
| 你来中国多久了？ | Nǐ lái Zhōngguó duō jiǔ le? | How long have you been in China? |
| 你会说英文吗？ | Nǐ huì shuō Yīngwén ma? | Do you speak English? |
| 我的中文不太好。 | Wǒ de Zhōngwén bú tài hǎo. | My Chinese isn't great. |
| 请说慢一点。 | Qǐng shuō màn yìdiǎn. | Please speak a bit slower. |
🍜 Restaurant & Food
Chinese food culture is vast, and restaurant interactions have their own rhythm. A few things to know: you don't flag down a waiter with eye contact and a nod — you say 服务员！loud enough to be heard across the room, and nobody thinks it's rude. Sharing dishes family-style is the norm; ordering one dish per person and eating your own plate is not. And if someone says 我请客 (wǒ qǐngkè, 'my treat'), expect a brief argument — offering to pay and initially refusing is standard etiquette, not an actual negotiation.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 我要点菜。 | Wǒ yào diǎncài. | I'd like to order. |
| 有没有菜单？ | Yǒu méiyǒu càidān? | Do you have a menu? |
| 这个是什么？ | Zhège shì shénme? | What is this? |
| 不要辣。 | Bú yào là. | Not spicy. |
| 微辣。 | Wēi là. | Mildly spicy. |
| 我要一个这个。 | Wǒ yào yí ge zhège. | I'll have one of these. (pointing at menu) |
| 买单。 | Mǎidān. | Check, please. |
| 可以打包吗？ | Kěyǐ dǎbāo ma? | Can I get this to go? |
| 服务员！ | Fúwùyuán! | Waiter! (standard way to call for service) |
| 好吃！ | Hǎochī! | Delicious! |
| 我吃饱了。 | Wǒ chībǎo le. | I'm full. |
| 你们有什么推荐的？ | Nǐmen yǒu shénme tuījiàn de? | What do you recommend? |
🛍️ Shopping & Bargaining
Shopping in China involves price negotiation in markets (夜市, 市场, 小商品), but fixed prices in malls and chain stores. The bargaining culture is real — vendors expect you to negotiate, and the first price they quote is usually 2-3x what they'll actually accept. Start by offering about 30-40% of their asking price and meet somewhere in the middle. Walking away is a legitimate negotiation tactic — if they call after you, you know your price was reasonable. If they let you walk, it was too low. And don't bargain at places with clearly marked prices — that's just awkward for everyone.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 多少钱？ | Duōshǎo qián? | How much? |
| 太贵了！ | Tài guì le! | Too expensive! |
| 便宜一点吧。 | Piányi yìdiǎn ba. | A bit cheaper, please. |
| 可以便宜吗？ | Kěyǐ piányi ma? | Can you lower the price? |
| 我看看。 | Wǒ kànkan. | I'm just looking. |
| 我要这个。 | Wǒ yào zhège. | I'll take this. |
| 有没有大号/小号？ | Yǒu méiyǒu dà hào / xiǎo hào? | Do you have large/small? |
| 可以试吗？ | Kěyǐ shì ma? | Can I try it? |
| 微信还是支付宝？ | Wēixìn háishì Zhīfùbǎo? | WeChat or Alipay? |
| 我要发票。 | Wǒ yào fāpiào. | I need a receipt. |
🚇 Directions & Transportation
Getting around Chinese cities. Subway systems are excellent in most cities, and Didi (Chinese Uber) is ubiquitous. These phrases handle both.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 请问，...怎么走？ | Qǐngwèn, ... zěnme zǒu? | Excuse me, how do I get to...? |
| 一直走。 | Yìzhí zǒu. | Go straight. |
| 左转 / 右转 | Zuǒ zhuǎn / Yòu zhuǎn | Turn left / right |
| 在哪里？ | Zài nǎlǐ? | Where is it? |
| 地铁站在哪里？ | Dìtiě zhàn zài nǎlǐ? | Where's the subway station? |
| 我要去... | Wǒ yào qù... | I want to go to... |
| 请打表。 | Qǐng dǎ biǎo. | Please use the meter. (taxi) |
| 在这里停。 | Zài zhèlǐ tíng. | Stop here. |
| 附近有地铁站吗？ | Fùjìn yǒu dìtiě zhàn ma? | Is there a subway station nearby? |
| 到...要多久？ | Dào... yào duō jiǔ? | How long to get to...? |
| 这个车去...吗？ | Zhège chē qù... ma? | Does this bus/train go to...? |
🏨 Hotel & Accommodation
Checking in, dealing with rooms, and the specific vocabulary hotels use. Most hotel staff in Chinese cities speak some English, but these phrases give you independence.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 我有预订。 | Wǒ yǒu yùdìng. | I have a reservation. |
| 我要一个房间。 | Wǒ yào yí ge fángjiān. | I need a room. |
| 住一晚多少钱？ | Zhù yì wǎn duōshǎo qián? | How much for one night? |
| 有Wi-Fi吗？ | Yǒu Wi-Fi ma? | Is there Wi-Fi? |
| Wi-Fi密码是多少？ | Wi-Fi mìmǎ shì duōshǎo? | What's the Wi-Fi password? |
| 我要退房。 | Wǒ yào tuìfáng. | I'd like to check out. |
| 空调不工作。 | Kōngtiáo bù gōngzuò. | The AC isn't working. |
| 可以寄存行李吗？ | Kěyǐ jìcún xíngli ma? | Can I store my luggage? |
🆘 Emergencies & Health
Hopefully you never need these. But if you do, you'll be glad you know them. Save these somewhere accessible.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 救命！ | Jiùmìng! | Help! (life-threatening) |
| 帮帮我！ | Bāng bāng wǒ! | Help me! |
| 我不舒服。 | Wǒ bù shūfu. | I don't feel well. |
| 我要去医院。 | Wǒ yào qù yīyuàn. | I need to go to the hospital. |
| 我迷路了。 | Wǒ mílù le. | I'm lost. |
| 我的手机没电了。 | Wǒ de shǒujī méi diàn le. | My phone is dead. |
| 报警！ | Bàojǐng! | Call the police! |
| 我对...过敏。 | Wǒ duì... guòmǐn. | I'm allergic to... |
| 最近的医院在哪里？ | Zuìjìn de yīyuàn zài nǎlǐ? | Where's the nearest hospital? |
🔢 Numbers & Money
Numbers in Chinese are completely regular — once you know 1-10, you can count to 99. Money amounts use 块 (kuài, colloquial for 元 yuán) and 毛 (máo, colloquial for 角 jiǎo).
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 一 二 三 四 五 | yī èr sān sì wǔ | 1 2 3 4 5 |
| 六 七 八 九 十 | liù qī bā jiǔ shí | 6 7 8 9 10 |
| 十一 | shíyī | 11 (ten-one) |
| 二十 | èrshí | 20 (two-ten) |
| 一百 | yìbǎi | 100 |
| 五块三 | wǔ kuài sān | 5.30 yuan (5 kuai 3 mao) |
| 十五块五 | shíwǔ kuài wǔ | 15.50 yuan |