Visiting China This Year? These Chinese Travel Expressions will help

What’s your summer plan this year? If visiting China is in your plan, you got to learn some key phrases and sentences before you go there. Chinese travel expressions help open a conversation, ask for direction, catch attention and move around with more comfort and confidence.

4 Must – Know Chinese Phrases

1.How are you? 你好 （nǐ hǎo） and 你好吗（nǐ hǎoma）

In Chinese, there are two basic ways to greet people: 你好 （nǐ hǎo） and 你好吗（nǐ hǎoma). The difference is that 你好 （nǐ hǎo）does not expect a response and 你好吗（nǐ hǎoma) requires a response such as “Very well 很好“， ”so so 一般般“，or ”Not so well, 不好“。

So in detail,

你好 nǐ hǎo Hello
你好吗 nǐ hǎoma  How are you?
很好 Very well
一般般 So so
不很好 Not so well

2. Thank you 谢谢

“Thank you” works like a charm everywhere in the world. It is super important to know how to say “Thank you” in Chinese: 谢谢.

If you want to express gratitude for something specific, you can add the reason after “谢谢“， for example, “谢谢你的帮助。”（Thank you for your help.)

To respond “thank you” , an easy expression is “不用谢“。

Here are some useful expressions:

谢谢。 Thank you.
谢谢你的帮助。Thank you for your help.
不用谢。You are welcome.

3. Goodbye 再见

It is also very useful to be able to say goodbye at the end of any conversation. “再见” is a standard expression. And there are several commonly used ones you may also want to know:

再见。 Goodbye
拜拜。 Byebye
明天见。See you tomorrow.

4. I am sorry. 对不起。

There are occasions we need to say “sorry”. 对不起 is therefore a quite useful expression. To answer it, we can say “没关系“。

对不起。I am sorry.
没关系。It doesn’t matter.

MORE USEFUL CHINESE EXPRESSIONS DURING YOUR TRAVEL IN CHINA

5. Excuse me | May I ask 请问

When we want to catch the attention to ask a question such as asking for direction, we can use the expression “请问” before we ask the questions.

6. Where is the toilet? 厕所在哪里？

This is an important question as it is unavoidable to go to a bathroom in a public surrounding during your stay in China.

7. How do I get to …？ 去… 怎么走？

When you want to ask for direction when walking, you can use this expression.

For example,

去火车站怎么走？ How do I go to the train station?
去汽车站怎么走？How do I go to the bus station?

8. Do you have …? 有没有…?

This expression can be used in various situations such as in a grocery store, a restaurant, a department store and more.
For example,

请问有没有绿茶？ Do you have green tea?
请问有没有鞋子？Do you have shoes?

9. I want… 我想要

It is important to be able to express what you want to have. For example,

我想要一杯啤酒。 I want a glass of beer.
我想要一杯咖啡。 I want a cup of coffee.
我想要一瓶水。 I want a bottle of water.

10. How much is it? 多少钱？

You can say “多少钱“ or “这个多少钱？” to be more specific.

How much is it? 多少钱？
How much is this one? 这个多少钱？
Too expensive! 太贵了。

When you find the price too high, you can complain “太贵了。“ （very useful when you try to bargain in the market).

11. The bill please. 买单。

When it is time to pay the bill, just say “买单。” Simple, right?

12. Can you help me? 你能帮我吗？

This expression is very useful when you seek for assistance. Chinese people are very keen on helping out, so do use this one whenever you need help.

你能帮我吗？ Can you help me?

13. Wait a moment. 等一下｜等一等

14. Do you speak English? 你会说英语吗？

When the answer is yes, you can then switch to English if you feel that you can better express yourself.

你会说英语吗？Do you speak English?
我的汉语不好，可以跟你说英语吗？ My Chinese is not good. Can I speak English with you?

15. I’m sorry, I don’t understand. 不好意思，我没听懂。

In situations you don’t understand, you can use this sentence. You can also use the following sentences to express similar meaning:

我不懂｜ 我没听懂。I do not understand.
什么意思？ What do you mean? | What does it mean?
请再说一遍。Please repeat it.

During your travel in China, you will for sure meet different people in various situations. Hopefully these Chinese travel expressions | sentences listed above will help you get by. Have a great stay in China!

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POSTS MENTIONED ABOVE

• Saying Hello in Chinese Like a Native
• How to Say Goodbye in Chinese Like a Native
• Thank You – How to Say It in Chinese like a Native

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