🇨🇳 Mandarin Chinese
Essential Mandarin Chinese phrases
The 30 phrases you'll use first — with pronunciation, the formal and informal versions, and what they really mean.
| English | Mandarin Chinese | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Hello | 你好 | nǐ hǎo |
| Goodbye | 再见 | zàijiàn |
| Thank you | 谢谢 | xièxie |
| Please | 请 | qǐng |
| Sorry | 对不起 | duìbuqǐ |
| Excuse me | 不好意思 | bù hǎoyìsi |
| Yes | 是 | shì |
| No | 不 | bù |
| Good morning | 早上好 | zǎoshang hǎo |
| Good evening | 晚上好 | wǎnshang hǎo |
| Good night | 晚安 | wǎn'ān |
| How are you? | 你好吗？ | nǐ hǎo ma? |
| My name is… | 我叫… | wǒ jiào … |
| Nice to meet you | 很高兴认识你 | hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ |
| I love you | 我爱你 | wǒ ài nǐ |
| I miss you | 我想你 | wǒ xiǎng nǐ |
| Happy birthday | 生日快乐 | shēngrì kuàilè |
| Cheers! | 干杯！ | gānbēi! |
| Enjoy your meal | 慢慢吃 | mànmàn chī |
| Welcome | 欢迎 | huānyíng |
| Congratulations | 恭喜 | gōngxǐ |
| Happy New Year | 新年快乐 | xīnnián kuàilè |
| 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? |
| How much is it? | 多少钱？ | duōshao qián? |
| Where is the toilet? | 洗手间在哪儿？ | xǐshǒujiān zài nǎr? |
| Help! | 救命！ | jiùmìng! |
| Beautiful | 漂亮 | piàoliang |
| Friend | 朋友 | péngyou |
| See you later | 回头见 | huítóu jiàn |
Next: the most common Mandarin Chinese words · how to learn Mandarin Chinese by reading