Learn ‘hello’ (nǐ hǎo), ‘thank you’ (xiè xie), ‘how much’ (duō shǎo qián), and ‘I don’t eat’ (wǒ bù chī). Tones matter less than you think; getting the words roughly right opens more doors than perfect grammar.
You don't need to study Mandarin to travel China — you need about a dozen set phrases plus a translation app. This page gives you exactly that, sorted by situation, all with pinyin.
01 Tones First
One line: hearing tones helps you more than memorising characters — and perfection is not required.
Mandarin is tonal: the same syllable with a different pitch means a different word. You don't need to be perfect, but hearing tones helps you more than memorising characters.
02 Key Phrases to Memorise
One line: master these five moves and you can survive any interaction.
Greet
你好 (nǐ hǎo) — Hello. The universal opener for shops, hotels, and strangers.
Thank
谢谢 (xièxie) — Thank you. Use it constantly; it costs nothing.
Ask for help
你会说英语吗？(nǐ huì shuō Yīngyǔ ma?) — Do you speak English? Plus 帮忙 (bāngmáng) = help.
Pay the bill
买单 (mǎidān) — The bill, please. And 多少钱？(duōshǎo qián?) — How much?
Find the toilet
卫生间 (wèishēngjiān) — toilet. Recognising the characters on signs matters as much as saying it.
03 Essentials
| English | Pinyin | Chinese |
|---|---|---|
| Hello | nǐ hǎo | 你好 |
| Thank you | xièxie | 谢谢 |
| Excuse me / sorry | duìbuqǐ | 对不起 |
| Do you speak English? | nǐ huì shuō Yīngyǔ ma? | 你会说英语吗？ |
| How much? | duōshǎo qián? | 多少钱？ |
04 At Restaurants & Getting Around
One line: three phrases per situation cover 90% of what you'll need.
| Situation | English | Pinyin | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurants | The menu, please | qǐng gěi càidān | 请给菜单 |
| No spicy | bù là | 不辣 | |
| The bill, please | mǎidān | 买单 | |
| Getting around | Where is the station? | chēzhàn zài nǎlǐ? | 车站在哪里？ |
| To here, please (show map) | qù zhèlǐ | 去这里 | |
| Left / right / straight | zuǒ / yòu / zhízǒu | 左 / 右 / 直走 |
05 Help & Emergencies
- "Bāngmáng" (帮忙) = help; "yīyuàn" (医院) = hospital.
- Show your hotel card or a translation app rather than struggling aloud.
06 Characters Worth Recognising
One line: you'll read these on signs daily, even if you never say them.
| Characters | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 入口 / 出口 | rùkǒu / chūkǒu | entrance / exit |
| 男 / 女 | nán / nǚ | men / women |
| 开 / 关 | kāi / guān | open / closed |
| 地铁 / 卫生间 | dìtiě / wèishēngjiān | metro / toilet |
You won't sound like a local, and that's fine.
A few set phrases plus your phone's translator will get you through almost anything.