Essential Chinese Phrases for Travelers: A Practical Survival Phrasebook

You do not need to speak Chinese to travel China. Plenty of people cross the country with zero Mandarin and a phone, and they're fine. But a handful of phrases changes the trip from a series of pointing-and-guessing transactions into something warmer. Say two words of Mandarin to a shopkeeper and watch their face shift. And in the moments when your phone is dead or there's no signal, those few phrases are the whole bridge.

This is a working phrasebook, not a language course. Each line gives you the English, then the 汉字 (the characters, so you can show your screen if speaking fails), then the pinyin (the romanised pronunciation). Pinyin tone marks are written where it matters — the little accents over vowels tell you whether your voice rises, falls, dips or stays flat. More on tones at the end; the short version is that locals are forgiving and context usually saves you.

A note before the phrases: a translation app is not optional, it's the other half of this guide. Pinyin gets you spoken phrases; the app handles everything else — pointing the camera at a menu, a sign, a medicine box, or typing a sentence neither of you can say. Treat the phrases below as the fast, human layer and the app as the deep backup. You'll use both, every day.

Greetings and basic politeness

These are the ones to actually memorise. They're short, they're used constantly, and they buy goodwill instantly.

• Hello — 你好 — nǐ hǎo
• Thank you — 谢谢 — xièxie
• You're welcome / no problem — 不客气 — bú kèqi
• Sorry / excuse me — 对不起 — duìbuqǐ
• Excuse me (to get attention or pass by) — 不好意思 — bù hǎoyìsi
• Yes / correct — 对 — duì
• No / not correct — 不对 — bú duì
• Good / okay — 好 — hǎo
• Goodbye — 再见 — zàijiàn

If you learn only two things, learn 你好 (nǐ hǎo) and 谢谢 (xièxie). They cover an astonishing amount of ground.

When you don't understand

You will use these more than any other section. Say them slowly and clearly.

• I don't speak Chinese — 我不会说中文 — wǒ bú huì shuō zhōngwén
• I don't understand — 我听不懂 — wǒ tīng bu dǒng
• Do you speak English? — 你会说英语吗？ — nǐ huì shuō yīngyǔ ma?
• Please speak slowly — 请说慢一点 — qǐng shuō màn yìdiǎn
• Please say it again — 请再说一遍 — qǐng zài shuō yí biàn
• Wait a moment — 等一下 — děng yíxià
• Hold on, let me use my phone — 我用手机翻译一下 — wǒ yòng shǒujī fānyì yíxià (literally "let me translate with my phone")

That last one is genuinely useful. It tells the other person what you're doing instead of leaving them staring while you fumble, and almost everyone will wait.

Numbers and bargaining

Numbers are worth knowing by ear because you'll hear prices spoken even when you can't read them. The hand gestures for numbers differ from Western ones, but if you watch a vendor's fingers and know the words, you'll keep up.

• 1 / 2 / 3 — 一 / 二 / 三 — yī / èr / sān
• 4 / 5 / 6 — 四 / 五 / 六 — sì / wǔ / liù
• 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 — 七 / 八 / 九 / 十 — qī / bā / jiǔ / shí
• 20 — 二十 — èrshí  ·  100 — 一百 — yìbǎi  ·  1000 — 一千 — yìqiān
• How much is it? — 多少钱？ — duōshao qián?
• Too expensive — 太贵了 — tài guì le
• Can it be cheaper? — 便宜一点可以吗？ — piányi yìdiǎn kěyǐ ma?
• I don't want it — 我不要 — wǒ bú yào

Bargaining is normal at markets and tourist stalls, not in shops, supermarkets, or anywhere with a printed price tag. The polite move is 太贵了 (tài guì le) with a smile, then a counter-number on your phone's calculator. Hand the calculator back and forth — it's the universal bargaining tool and nobody finds it odd.

Food and dietary needs

This is where a phrase or two saves you real grief, and where the translation-app camera earns its keep on menus. Spoken phrases first, then a note.

• The menu, please — 菜单 — càidān
• I want this one (while pointing) — 我要这个 — wǒ yào zhège
• I don't eat meat — 我不吃肉 — wǒ bù chī ròu
• No meat — 不要肉 — bú yào ròu
• I'm vegetarian — 我吃素 — wǒ chī sù
• Not spicy, please — 不要辣 — bú yào là
• A little spicy — 微辣 — wēi là
• I'm allergic to... — 我对……过敏 — wǒ duì... guòmǐn (e.g. peanuts 花生 huāshēng, seafood 海鲜 hǎixiān)
• No MSG — 不要味精 — bú yào wèijīng
• Is there pork in this? — 这个有猪肉吗？ — zhège yǒu zhūròu ma?
• Halal / Muslim food — 清真 — qīngzhēn
• Delicious! — 好吃 — hǎochī
• The bill, please — 买单 — mǎidān (you'll also hear 结账 jiézhàng)
• Water — 水 — shuǐ  ·  Hot water — 热水 — rèshuǐ  ·  Beer — 啤酒 — píjiǔ

A few honest cautions. 我吃素 (wǒ chī sù, "I'm vegetarian") is understood, but Chinese kitchens often read "vegetarian" loosely — a vegetable dish may still be cooked in meat broth or with a few pork shreds for flavour. If you're strict, the camera-translate of the dish description plus 不要肉 (bú yào ròu) and 不要肉汤 (bú yào ròutāng, "no meat broth") is safer than the word "vegetarian" alone. And "not spicy" in genuinely spicy regions like Sichuan, Hunan or Jiangxi may still arrive with a kick; 微辣 (wēi là, "a little spicy") sometimes lands closer to what a non-local expects than 不要辣. For deeper detail on eating halal across China, see the halal travel guide.

Directions and transport

Useful in taxis, at stations, and when you're lost on a street corner. For taxis especially, the gold-standard trick is below the phrases.

• Where is...? — ……在哪里？ — ... zài nǎlǐ?
• Airport — 机场 — jīchǎng
• Train station — 火车站 — huǒchēzhàn
• High-speed rail station — 高铁站 — gāotiězhàn
• Subway / metro — 地铁 — dìtiě
• Bus — 公交车 — gōngjiāochē
• Taxi — 出租车 — chūzūchē (a ride-hail car is 网约车 wǎngyuēchē)
• Please take me to this address — 请带我去这个地址 — qǐng dài wǒ qù zhège dìzhǐ
• Stop here, please — 到这里停 — dào zhèlǐ tíng
• Toilet — 厕所 / 洗手间 — cèsuǒ / xǐshǒujiān
• Left / right / straight — 左 / 右 / 直走 — zuǒ / yòu / zhí zǒu

The single best move with a taxi driver: don't try to pronounce your destination. Show it in Chinese characters — the hotel name in Hanzi, the address in Hanzi, or a dropped pin in a maps app. Ask your hotel to write its name and address in Chinese on a card, or screenshot it, and just point. This sidesteps tones entirely and removes the most common source of taxi confusion. For how the airport-to-city options actually work, see the airport transport guide; for getting around once you're in town, the metro and buses guide.

Shopping and paying

China runs on mobile payment, and once your Alipay or WeChat is set up you'll mostly just scan and go. These phrases cover the edges.

• Can I pay by phone? — 可以用手机支付吗？ — kěyǐ yòng shǒujī zhīfù ma?
• Alipay — 支付宝 — zhīfùbǎo  ·  WeChat Pay — 微信支付 — wēixìn zhīfù
• Cash — 现金 — xiànjīn
• Can I pay in cash? — 可以付现金吗？ — kěyǐ fù xiànjīn ma?
• Do you take cards? — 可以刷卡吗？ — kěyǐ shuākǎ ma?
• Scan the QR code — 扫码 — sǎomǎ
• I want to buy this — 我想买这个 — wǒ xiǎng mǎi zhège
• Receipt — 发票 — fāpiào

In practice you'll point your phone at a QR code far more often than you'll say any of these. Cash still works almost everywhere but is increasingly the backup, not the default. If you haven't sorted mobile pay yet, the Alipay, WeChat and cash guide walks through setting a foreign card up before you go — do that, it removes the most friction of any single trip-prep task.

Hotel and passport

Check-in is the one moment your passport is non-negotiable, and a couple of phrases smooth it.

• I have a reservation — 我有预订 — wǒ yǒu yùdìng
• Here is my passport — 这是我的护照 — zhè shì wǒ de hùzhào
• Do you accept foreigners? — 你们接待外国人吗？ — nǐmen jiēdài wàiguórén ma?
• I want to check in — 我要入住 — wǒ yào rùzhù
• I want to check out — 我要退房 — wǒ yào tuìfáng
• Wi-Fi password — wifi 密码 — wifi mìmǎ
• Is breakfast included? — 含早餐吗？ — hán zǎocān ma?

Carry your physical passport, not a photo — it's your ID for hotel check-in, station gates, and many attraction tickets, and Chinese hotels register foreign guests with the police at check-in. If a smaller property hesitates, 你们接待外国人吗？ (nǐmen jiēdài wàiguórén ma?) is the question that gets you a straight answer fast.

Emergencies and health

Hopefully unused, but the few minutes to know these are worth it. In a real emergency, the numbers matter most: 110 for police, 120 for an ambulance, 119 for fire.

• Help! — 救命！ — jiùmìng!
• Call the police — 报警 — bàojǐng
• Call an ambulance — 叫救护车 — jiào jiùhùchē
• Hospital — 医院 — yīyuàn
• Pharmacy — 药店 — yàodiàn
• I'm sick — 我生病了 — wǒ shēngbìng le
• It hurts here (while pointing) — 这里疼 — zhèlǐ téng
• I need a doctor — 我需要看医生 — wǒ xūyào kàn yīshēng
• I'm allergic to... — 我对……过敏 — wǒ duì... guòmǐn
• Police — 警察 — jǐngchá  ·  Passport — 护照 — hùzhào

For anything medical, this is exactly where the translation app stops being convenient and becomes essential — describing symptoms, reading a dosage, understanding a diagnosis. Have the app downloaded for offline use before you need it. It's also worth saving your hotel's name and address in Chinese on your phone, so you can always get yourself back.

A little small talk

Not survival-critical, but these turn a transaction into a moment, and Chinese people are genuinely warm to foreigners who try.

• My name is... — 我叫…… — wǒ jiào...
• I'm from... — 我来自…… — wǒ láizì... (e.g. America 美国 měiguó, the UK 英国 yīngguó)
• Nice to meet you — 很高兴认识你 — hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ
• China is beautiful — 中国很美 — zhōngguó hěn měi
• I like it here — 我很喜欢这里 — wǒ hěn xǐhuan zhèlǐ
• Cheers! — 干杯！ — gānbēi!

How to actually make this work

A few practical truths, learned the way travelers learn them.

Tones matter, but context saves you. Mandarin has four tones plus a neutral one, and yes, the same syllable can mean different things depending on pitch. But you are not giving a speech — you're asking for water in a restaurant or a station on a street. Context does most of the work. If you say shuǐ badly while miming drinking, you'll get water. Don't let tone-anxiety stop you from trying; the effort itself is what people respond to.

The translation app is the other half of this guide. Download one that does camera translation and offline mode before you fly. Point the camera at a menu, a sign, a ticket machine, a medicine box, and it renders the characters into English live. For full sentences, type or speak into it and show the screen. Pinyin handles the quick spoken phrases; the app handles depth, reading, and anything you can't pronounce. Use both without shame.

Show the Hanzi for your destination. The most reliable thing you can carry is your hotel's name and address written in Chinese characters, plus a maps pin. Tones can fail; pointing at characters cannot. Screenshot the Hanzi for every place you're headed.

Locals are forgiving — and generous to triers. This is the part the phrasebooks undersell. A clumsy nǐ hǎo and xièxie from a foreigner is met not with correction but with delight. Nobody expects you to be fluent. The goodwill you earn from trying, badly, is real and it makes the whole trip easier. Mangle it cheerfully.

Do I need to speak Chinese to travel in China?

No. You can travel China comfortably with no Mandarin at all, relying on a translation app, a maps app, and pointing. That said, learning even ten phrases — hello, thank you, how much, no meat, where is the toilet — makes daily interactions noticeably smoother and friendlier. Treat the phrases as a bonus that improves the trip, not a requirement for it.

What translation app works best in China?

Most travelers use an app with camera translation and an offline mode, since signal isn't guaranteed and some Western services can be blocked inside China. The two features that matter most are the live camera (for menus, signs and labels) and downloadable offline language packs (for when you have no data). Download and test it before you fly, and add the offline Chinese pack while you still have reliable internet. Whichever app you pick, the camera function is the one you'll lean on daily.

How do I say "I don't eat meat" in Chinese?

Say 我不吃肉 (wǒ bù chī ròu), which is "I don't eat meat," or for no meat in a specific dish, 不要肉 (bú yào ròu). Be aware that Chinese kitchens sometimes still use meat broth or a little pork for flavour even in vegetable dishes, so if you're strict, also say 不要肉汤 (bú yào ròutāng, "no meat broth") and use the app's camera to check dish descriptions. The word for vegetarian, 我吃素 (wǒ chī sù), is understood but interpreted loosely, so back it up.

Do tones really matter when speaking Mandarin?

They matter in theory, because pitch can change a word's meaning, but in practice context rescues most travelers. When you order water in a restaurant or name a place to a taxi driver, the situation makes your meaning clear even if your tones are imperfect. Locals are used to foreigners and are forgiving; the bigger mistake is staying silent out of fear of getting tones wrong. Try the phrase, add a gesture, and you'll be understood.

How do I tell a taxi driver where to go without speaking Chinese?

Don't pronounce the destination — show it in Chinese characters instead. Have your hotel write its name and address in Hanzi on a card, or screenshot the Chinese name from a maps app, and simply point. A dropped pin in a maps app works too. This avoids tones entirely and is the single most reliable way to get where you're going by taxi.

What are the emergency numbers in China?

Dial 110 for police, 120 for an ambulance, and 119 for fire. To call an ambulance verbally, say 叫救护车 (jiào jiùhùchē); for police, 报警 (bàojǐng); and "Help!" is 救命 (jiùmìng). In any medical situation, use a translation app to describe symptoms, and keep your hotel's name and address saved in Chinese on your phone so you can always direct help or get yourself home.