Greetings
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Notes |
|---|
| 你好 ★ | nǐ hǎo | Hello | The all-purpose hello. Hello in Chinese |
| 您好 | nín hǎo | Hello (polite) | To older people, customers, and in formal settings |
| 早上好 / 早 | zǎoshang hǎo / zǎo | Good morning | 早 alone is the casual version. Good morning in Chinese |
| 晚上好 | wǎnshang hǎo | Good evening | Formal; most people just say 你好 |
| 你好吗？ (你好嗎？) | nǐ hǎo ma? | How are you? | Sounds formal; see what people really say in how are you in Chinese |
| 最近怎么样？ (最近怎麼樣？) | zuìjìn zěnmeyàng? | How have you been? | The natural check-in with friends |
| 喂 ★ | wéi | Hello? | Only for answering the phone |
| 好久不见 (好久不見) | hǎojiǔ bú jiàn | Long time no see | For someone you haven’t seen in a while |
Goodbyes
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Notes |
|---|
| 再见 (再見) ★ | zàijiàn | Goodbye | Neutral, works with anyone. Goodbye in Chinese |
| 拜拜 | bāibāi | Bye-bye | Casual and very common; often written 掰掰 in Taiwan |
| 明天见 (明天見) | míngtiān jiàn | See you tomorrow | Any time word + 见 works |
| 回头见 (回頭見) | huítóu jiàn | See you later | Casual |
| 晚安 | wǎn’ān | Good night | Before bed or late at night |
| 慢走 | màn zǒu | Take care | Said by a host to a departing guest |
Polite words
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Notes |
|---|
| 谢谢 (謝謝) ★ | xièxie | Thank you | The second 谢 is light. Thank you in Chinese |
| 不客气 (不客氣) | bú kèqi | You’re welcome | Also 不用谢 (bú yòng xiè) |
| 请 (請) ★ | qǐng | Please | Goes at the start: 请坐 (please sit) |
| 对不起 (對不起) ★ | duìbuqǐ | I’m sorry | A real apology. Sorry in Chinese |
| 不好意思 | bù hǎoyìsi | Excuse me, sorry | The everyday light apology |
| 没关系 (沒關係) | méi guānxi | That’s OK | The reply to an apology |
| 请问 (請問) | qǐngwèn | Excuse me, may I ask | Before a question to a stranger |
Yes and no
Mandarin has no single word for yes or no: you usually repeat the verb from the question. Yes in Chinese explains how.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Notes |
|---|
| 是 ★ / 不是 | shì / bú shì | Yes, it is / No, it isn’t | For questions with 是 |
| 对 (對) ★ / 不对 (不對) | duì / bú duì | Right / Not right | Confirming a statement |
| 好 ★ / 好的 | hǎo / hǎo de | OK, sure | Agreeing to a suggestion |
| 可以 ★ | kěyǐ | You may, sure | Giving permission |
| 不要 ★ | bú yào | I don’t want it | Also "don’t!" |
| 没有 (沒有) ★ | méiyǒu | Don’t have; didn’t | The negative of 有 |
Getting to know someone
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Notes |
|---|
| 你叫什么名字？ (你叫什麼名字？) | nǐ jiào shénme míngzi? | What’s your name? | Answer 我叫… (wǒ jiào…) |
| 我叫… | wǒ jiào… | My name is… | |
| 很高兴认识你 (很高興認識你) | hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ | Nice to meet you | |
| 你是哪国人？ (你是哪國人？) | nǐ shì nǎ guó rén? | Where are you from? | Literally "which country person" |
| 我是美国人 (我是美國人) | wǒ shì Měiguó rén | I’m American | Swap the country name |
| 你会说英语吗？ (你會說英語嗎？) | nǐ huì shuō Yīngyǔ ma? | Do you speak English? | |
| 我在学中文 (我在學中文) | wǒ zài xué Zhōngwén | I’m learning Chinese | |
Feelings and celebrations
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Notes |
|---|
| 我爱你 (我愛你) | wǒ ài nǐ | I love you | Strong; often shown rather than said. I love you in Chinese |
| 我喜欢你 (我喜歡你) | wǒ xǐhuan nǐ | I like you | How a crush is usually confessed |
| 生日快乐 (生日快樂) | shēngrì kuàilè | Happy birthday | Happy birthday in Chinese |
| 新年快乐 (新年快樂) | xīnnián kuàilè | Happy New Year | Also used for Lunar New Year |
| 恭喜 | gōngxǐ | Congratulations | |
| 加油 | jiāyóu | Go for it! You can do it! | Literally "add oil" |
| 太好了 | tài hǎo le | Great! | |
Survival phrases for travel
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Notes |
|---|
| 我听不懂 (我聽不懂) | wǒ tīng bu dǒng | I don’t understand | Literally "I hear but don’t understand" |
| 请再说一遍 (請再說一遍) | qǐng zài shuō yí biàn | Please say that again | |
| 请说慢一点 (請說慢一點) | qǐng shuō màn yìdiǎn | Please speak more slowly | |
| 多少钱？ (多少錢？) | duōshao qián? | How much is it? | 多少 and 钱 ★ are both course words |
| 太贵了 (太貴了) | tài guì le | Too expensive | |
| 我要这个 (我要這個) | wǒ yào zhège | I’d like this one | Point as you say it |
| 洗手间在哪儿？ (洗手間在哪兒？) | xǐshǒujiān zài nǎr? | Where is the restroom? | 厕所 (cèsuǒ) is also common |
| 买单 (買單) | mǎidān | The check, please | Mainland; 结账 (jiézhàng) is also used |
| 我不会说中文 (我不會說中文) | wǒ bú huì shuō Zhōngwén | I can’t speak Chinese | |
| 救命！ | jiùmìng! | Help! | Emergencies only |