Basic Chinese Phrases

How to read this guide

Each phrase below shows three things: the Traditional Chinese character (used in Taiwan and Hong Kong), the pinyin romanisation with tone marks above the vowels, and a plain English translation. The four Mandarin tones are marked ā (flat), á (rising), ǎ (dipping), à (falling); an unmarked syllable is neutral. Read the pinyin aloud slowly, match the pitch to the tone mark, and repeat. That's the whole method.

A blank ___ in a phrase means you fill in a name, place, or item.

Greetings & farewells

These ten phrases cover almost every first and last moment of a Chinese conversation.

Polite expressions

Politeness in Mandarin is built from a small set of high-frequency words. Learn these and you will always sound respectful even when your vocabulary is limited.

Introducing yourself

Use these six phrases when meeting someone for the first time, or when you need to explain that your Mandarin is still a work in progress.

Numbers 0–10

Mandarin numbers are logical and regular — once you know 1–10 you can form any number up to 99 by combining them. 十一 (shí yī) is eleven, 二十 (èr shí) is twenty, 九十九 (jiǔ shí jiǔ) is ninety-nine.

Time & days

Days of the week in Mandarin are beautifully simple: 星期 (xīng qī, "week") followed by a number 1–6 for Monday through Saturday, and 星期日 or 星期天 for Sunday.

Food & dining

Taiwan has one of the world's great street-food cultures. These phrases will get you through a night market, a small restaurant, and the ever-present question of how to split the bill.

Shopping

The single most useful shopping phrase in Mandarin is 多少錢 (duō shǎo qián) — "how much?". Say it once and you'll be amazed how many situations it solves.

Getting around

Whether you're navigating a city by MRT (捷運 jié yùn in Taiwan) or flagging down a taxi, these eight phrases form the core of any travel conversation.

Emergency phrases

In Taiwan, dial 119 for fire or medical emergencies and 110 for police. Knowing these phrases by heart matters.

Practising what you've learned

Tables like this one give you the raw material — the phrases live when you use them. A few things that accelerate the jump from recognition to speaking:

• Say it aloud immediately. Pinyin on a screen becomes a muscle memory only when your mouth practises it. Read each phrase out loud as you scan the table, even if you're not sure of the tone yet.

• Attach phrases to real moments. Every morning say 早安 (zǎo ān) aloud. Order food in Mandarin once a week. The repetition sticks because it's anchored to habit.

• Get feedback on tones early. A native speaker can hear in seconds whether your tones are landing. Apps give approximations; a real coach catches the nuance. Even a short session resets bad habits before they calcify.

• Learn characters alongside pinyin. Pinyin is a crutch — a useful one — but the characters are the actual written language. Once you know ten characters, ten more become easier. Coachers pairs each phrase with its written form from the very first lesson.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most important basic Chinese phrases for a beginner?

Start with greetings (你好 nǐ hǎo — hello), polite words (謝謝 xiè xiè — thank you, 對不起 duì bù qǐ — sorry), and survival phrases (多少錢 duō shǎo qián — how much?, ___ 在哪裡 zài nǎ lǐ — where is?). These nine phrases will get you through most everyday situations.

Do I need to learn tones to speak basic Chinese phrases?

Yes — Mandarin has four tones and a neutral tone, and the same syllable means completely different things at different pitches. Even at a basic level, learning the tone for each phrase alongside the pinyin pronunciation prevents misunderstandings. Most learners find tones click quickly with a little guided practice.

Should I learn Traditional or Simplified Chinese characters?

It depends on where you plan to use Chinese. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan and Hong Kong; Simplified characters are used in mainland China and Singapore. For families with Taiwanese roots, or children attending Chinese schools in North America that use Traditional script, Traditional is the right choice. Coachers teaches Traditional Chinese.

How long does it take to learn basic Chinese phrases?

Most adult learners can memorise and pronounce the 50 phrases on this page in one to two weeks of 15-minute daily practice. Being able to hold a short conversation — greetings, ordering food, asking directions — typically takes one to three months with regular guided practice.

Go deeper

Once the phrases here feel natural, these guides are useful next steps:

• 101 Essential Chinese Phrases for Beginners to Use Every Day — a complete situational reference covering everything from apologising to bargaining.

• Basic Chinese Phrases: A Beginner's Guide to Saying Anything — a deeper look at pronunciation, grammar patterns, and how phrases fit together into conversation.

• A Complete Beginner's Guide to Basic Chinese Words and Phrases — expands the vocabulary from phrases into word-level building blocks.

• Basic Mandarin Words for Daily Conversation Made Simple — focuses on the words you'll actually hear in everyday Taiwanese Mandarin.