Survival Chinese for Travelers
25 essential phrases with audio — click to hear native pronunciation. No grammar, just what you actually need in Guilin and Yangshuo.
Click the ▶ button next to any phrase to hear it spoken in natural Mandarin. Best with headphones or earbuds.
Essential Phrases
| English | Chinese | Pronunciation | When to Use | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hello | 你好 | Ni hao (nee how) | General greeting | |
| Thank you | 谢谢 | Xie xie (shyeh shyeh) | Always | |
| I don't want it | 不要 | Bu yao (boo yow) | Declining vendors. Most useful phrase! | |
| How much? | 多少钱？ | Duo shao qian? (dwo shao chyen) | Asking price at markets | |
| Too expensive! | 太贵了 | Tai gui le (tie gway luh) | Negotiating. Say this, then walk away. | |
| Where is the toilet? | 厕所在哪儿？ | Ce suo zai nar? (tsuh swo dzai nar) | Self-explanatory. Memorize this one. | |
| I want this one | 我要这个 | Wo yao zhe ge (wo yow juh guh) | Point at a photo menu, say this. | |
| Check, please | 买单 | Mai dan (my dan) | At restaurants. No tipping expected. | |
| I don't understand | 我听不懂 | Wo ting bu dong (wo ting boo dong) | When lost. They will switch to gestures. | |
| Delicious! | 好吃 | Hao chi (how chir) | Say this to the cook. They will beam. | |
| Not spicy | 不要辣 | Bu yao la (boo yow lah) | Ordering food. Critical in Guilin. | |
| I eat vegetarian | 我吃素 | Wo chi su (wo chir soo) | Dietary restriction. Some places understand. | |
| Can you go cheaper? | 能便宜吗？ | Neng pianyi ma? (nung pyen-yee ma) | Bargaining at markets. Use with a smile. | |
| Do you have Wi-Fi? | 有没有Wi-Fi？ | You meiyou Wi-Fi? (yo may-yo Wi-Fi) | At cafes and hotels. They will show you the password. | |
| One bottle of water | 一瓶水 | Yi ping shui (ee ping shway) | At any convenience store. ~2-3 RMB. | |
| Can I use Alipay? | 支付宝可以吗？ | Zhifubao keyi ma? (jrr-foo-bow kuh-ee ma) | Before you pull out cash. Most say yes. | |
| I am a foreigner | 我是外国人 | Wo shi waiguoren (wo shr why-gwo-ren) | Explains a lot. People become more patient. | |
| Where is the restroom? | 洗手间在哪儿？ | Xishoujian zai nar? (she-show-jyen dzai nar) | The polite version. Hotels and restaurants. | |
| How to get to Yangshuo? | 阳朔怎么去？ | Yangshuo zenme qu? (yang-shwo dzuh-muh chyoo) | Asking for directions from Guilin. | |
| Slow down please | 慢一点 | Man yi dian (man ee dyen) | When someone speaks Chinese too fast. | |
| Help! (emergency) | 救命！ | Jiu ming! (jyo ming) | Only in real emergencies. Police: 110. | |
| English menu? | 有英文菜单吗？ | You yingwen caidan ma? (yo ying-wen tsai-dan ma) | At restaurants. If they have one, they will bring it. | |
| I am allergic to peanuts | 我对花生过敏 | Wo dui huasheng guomin (wo dway hwa-shung gwo-min) | Critical. Show this on your phone screen. |
Numbers (Essential)
1-10: Yi, Er, San, Si, Wu, Liu, Qi, Ba, Jiu, Shi — (ee, ar, san, suh, woo, lyo, chee, bah, jyo, shr).
For prices, vendors will either show you on a calculator or write the number. Learn to recognize the hand gestures for 1-10 — they are different from Western gestures and widely used in markets.
Apps That Help
- Google Translate (with Chinese downloaded offline): Camera translation for menus and signs works surprisingly well.
- Pleco: The best Chinese-English dictionary app. Works offline. Draw characters with your finger to look them up.
- Baidu Translate: Often better than Google for Chinese. Works without a VPN.