Basic Chinese phrases

with pronunciations

 

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.

I inserted symbols (such as ) after each syllable in the phonetics below. You will not see those symbols in transliterations written on signs, menus and other media. I use them as visual aids to help you pronounce a syllable with the correct 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

Mandarin Chinese
insights
Mandarin is the spoken language of Beijing and surrounding areas.
It is difficult for foreigners to speak 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.
Print this page to take with you on your next trip to China.

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