Basic Chinese phrases

what every traveler should know

Mandarin Chinese
phrase sheet

China has many languages and dialects. Mandarin is the most widely used and is considered the national spoken language.

Tone pronunciation

Mandarin Chinese uses 4 tones to differentiate words (see key below). Using them is essential for avoiding misunderstandings. For example, the world "ma" has four distinct meanings, depending on the tone you use:

Ma =  Mother

Ma =  Linen/hemp

Ma =  Horse

Ma =  To curse

You wouldn't want to call someone's mother as a horse.

Key

I insert special blue-line symbols after each syllable to help you pronounce the words with the right tone (also called pitch or inflection).

Hello

ni hao

kneehow

Goodbye

zaijian

zyejeeahn

Thank you

xie xie ni

shehshehknee

You're welcome

bu ke qi

bookehchee

Please

qing

cheeng

Excuse me

dui bu qi

dwayboochee

My name is...

wo jiao

wahjao ("a" as in "father")

How much?

duo shao

dahshao (rhymes with "cow")

I don't understand

wo bu dong

wahboodohng

Yes

shi

she

No

bu shi

booshe

One

yi

yee

Two

er

ehr

Three

san

sahn

Madarin Chinese

insights

Mandarin is the spoken language of Beijing and surrounding areas.

It is difficult for foreigners to learn because it is a tonal language.

The words in black non-bold type in the glossary above are the Pinyin spelling ("ni hao" for instance). It converts Chinese characters into Roman letters. The system was created for the benefit of non-Chinese speaking foreigners.

Some of the street and other signs in big cities use Pinyin in small type under the Chinese characters.

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©2008 HQP / Hillman Quality Publications