Basic Chinese Phrases: Easy Mandarin Phrases With Pinyin

The basic Chinese phrases to learn first are 你好 nǐ hǎo (hello), 谢谢 xièxie (thank you), 不客气 bú kèqi (you’re welcome), 对不起 duìbuqǐ (sorry) and 再见 zàijiàn (goodbye). With Lunar New Year falling on February 6, 2027, add 新年快乐 xīnnián kuàilè, Happy New Year. Learn each phrase together with the reply it usually gets, and a short exchange works even if your Mandarin stops right there.

All the phrases here are Mandarin, written in the simplified characters used in mainland China. The pinyin carries the dictionary tone marks, and where a tone shifts in normal speech, the table shows how it’s actually said. Pick your starting point from this table, then work through the sections that match your plans.

Your situation	Learn these first	Section
Visiting a Chinese-speaking family over Lunar New Year	您好, 新年快乐, the words for grandma and grandpa, 谢谢	Greetings, New Year
Dinner at a Chinese restaurant	我要这个, 不要辣, 好吃, 买单	Ordering food
A trip to China	请问, 在哪里, 多少钱, 我听不懂	Directions and shopping, introducing yourself
Teaching a class or your own kids a few words	你好, 谢谢, 再见, the numbers one to ten	Greetings, numbers
Meeting a Mandarin-speaking coworker or neighbor	你好, 我叫…, 很高兴认识你	Introducing yourself

One thing to check before you practice: Mandarin isn’t the only Chinese language spoken in American homes and restaurants. Some families speak Cantonese or another Chinese language, so ask which one before you learn a greeting for a particular person.

Chinese greetings: hello, good morning and goodbye

Greetings come first because you’ll use them every time, at the door and again on the way out. The usual answer to a greeting is the same greeting back.

Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning	When to say it, and the reply
你好	nǐ hǎo (said ní hǎo)	hello, hi	Anyone, any time of day. Reply with 你好
您好	nín hǎo	hello (polite)	Grandparents, teachers, someone older you’re meeting for the first time
早上好	zǎoshang hǎo	good morning	Mornings. Reply with 早上好
晚安	wǎn’ān	good night	Bedtime, or leaving at the end of an evening
再见	zàijiàn	goodbye, see you again	Leaving. Reply with 再见

The ní in 你好 isn’t a typo. When two third tones sit next to each other, the first one is said as a rising second tone, so the dictionary’s nǐ hǎo comes out ní hǎo. You’ll hear the same change in 很好 hěn hǎo, very good.

For a first meeting with a partner’s parents or grandparents, 您好 is the safer hello. Dictionaries list 您 nín as the courteous form of “you,” as opposed to the everyday 你 nǐ.

Planning that visit for Lunar New Year? The Chinese New Year traditions page lays out the fifteen days, so you’ll know which day the greetings and red envelopes come out.

How to say thank you in Mandarin, and what to say back

Thank you in Mandarin is 谢谢 xièxie, and it gets used as often as “thanks” does in English: for a door held open, a plate passed, a gift. The replies matter just as much, since you’ll hear them right after you say it.

Thank you: 谢谢 and 非常感谢

Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning	When to say it
谢谢	xièxie	thank you, thanks	Every day, for anything
谢谢你	xièxie nǐ	thank you (to you)	When you want to point the thanks at one person
非常感谢	fēicháng gǎnxiè	thank you very much	A real favor, a gift, someone’s help on a trip

The second xie in 谢谢 has no tone mark. That’s the neutral tone, said light and short, so the word sounds like one strong beat and a quick echo. The x is close to English sh, which means xièxie never starts with a z sound.

You’re welcome: 不客气 and 不用谢

Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning	When to say it
不客气	bù kèqi (said bú kèqi)	you’re welcome, don’t mention it	The standard answer to 谢谢
不用谢	bù yòng xiè (said bú yòng xiè)	no need to thank me	Same job, for small things

Both replies start with 不, and both change it. 不 is normally bù, but before a fourth tone it’s said with a rising second tone, so bù kèqi becomes bú kèqi. Practice 谢谢 and 不客气 as a pair, one person each, until the answer comes without thinking.

Sorry and excuse me: 对不起, 没关系 and 不好意思

Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning	When to say it, and the reply
对不起	duìbuqǐ	I’m sorry	A real apology: you bumped someone, broke something, came late. Reply: 没关系
没关系	méiguānxi	it doesn’t matter, that’s OK	The answer to 对不起
不好意思	bù hǎoyìsi	sorry for the trouble	Lighter: squeezing past someone, asking for a small favor
请问	qǐngwèn	excuse me, may I ask	Before a question to a stranger
请	qǐng	please	Goes in front of the request

The trap here is reaching for 对不起 every time you’d say “excuse me” in English. Dictionaries do give “excuse me” as one meaning, but it’s also the word for letting someone down. For getting a stranger’s attention, 请问 does the job, and 不好意思 covers the small slips.

Introducing yourself in Chinese

An introduction in Mandarin takes four short lines: hello, your name, where you’re from, and nice to meet you. The rest of the table is for the moment the other person answers faster than you can follow.

Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning	When to say it, and the reply
我叫…	wǒ jiào …	my name is …	Add your name: 我叫 Emily. Your English name is fine
你叫什么名字？	nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?	what’s your name?	They’ll answer 我叫…
我是美国人	wǒ shì Měiguórén	I’m American	After your name
很高兴认识你	hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ	nice to meet you	Reply: 我也很高兴认识你, wǒ yě hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ, me too
我会说一点儿中文	wǒ huì shuō yìdiǎnr Zhōngwén	I can speak a little Chinese	When someone is surprised you tried
我听不懂	wǒ tīngbudǒng	I don’t understand	You heard it but couldn’t follow
请再说一遍	qǐng zài shuō yí biàn	please say that again	Ask once, then try 请说慢一点
请说慢一点	qǐng shuō màn yìdiǎn	please speak a little slower	Use it early, before you get lost

我会说一点儿中文 has a catch. Say it well and the other person may switch to quick, natural Mandarin. Keep 我听不懂 and 请说慢一点 ready right behind it, and nobody minds.

To introduce your family, put the family word after 这是我, “this is my”: 这是我妈妈 zhè shì wǒ māma, this is my mom. Our English–Chinese Vocabulary Workbook gives 12 family words with pinyin, from 妈妈 māma and 爸爸 bàba to 孩子 háizi, child.

Ordering food: Chinese phrases for a restaurant

At a restaurant, pointing plus three or four words gets you a long way. 我要这个, “I want this one,” works with a finger on the menu picture, and the rest of the table covers drinks, spice and the check.

Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning	When to say it
请问，有菜单吗？	qǐngwèn, yǒu càidān ma?	excuse me, is there a menu?	When you sit down
我要这个	wǒ yào zhège	I want this one	Point at the dish
不要辣	bù yào là (said bú yào là)	not spicy, no chili	Right after you order
水	shuǐ	water	我要水, I’d like water
米饭	mǐfàn	cooked rice	A bowl of plain rice
面条	miàntiáo	noodles
好吃	hǎochī	delicious	To the cook or the host
干杯	gānbēi	cheers	A toast. Literally “dry cup”
买单 / 结账	mǎidān / jiézhàng	the check, please	Either one, when you’re ready to pay

Say 好吃 with care. With a low third tone it’s hǎochī, tasty. The same characters read with a falling fourth tone, hàochī, mean fond of eating, even gluttonous. That’s a funny thing to tell your host about their cooking.

The food theme in the workbook runs 12 words over pages 12 to 14, including 米饭 mǐfàn, 鸡蛋 jīdàn (egg) and 面条. Every entry puts the characters and pinyin side by side, which helps when you’re matching what you hear to what’s on a menu.

Asking directions and shopping in Chinese

Directions and prices are where the answers come back quickest, so these phrases are short on purpose. Ask with 请问 first, then the place and 在哪里, “where is it.”

Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning	When to say it
请问，洗手间在哪里？	qǐngwèn, xǐshǒujiān zài nǎlǐ?	excuse me, where’s the restroom?	The one question every traveler needs
…在哪里？	… zài nǎlǐ?	where is …?	Put the place first, then 在哪里
左边 / 右边	zuǒbian / yòubian	left / right	Listen for these in the answer
一直走	yīzhí zǒu (said yìzhí zǒu)	go straight	Also part of the answer
多少钱？	duōshao qián?	how much is it?	Pointing at the item
太贵了	tài guì le	that’s too expensive	Only where the price is open to discussion
便宜一点？	piányi yìdiǎn?	a little cheaper?	Follows 太贵了

Two pitfalls hide in this table. 便宜 is piányi when it means cheap; read as biànyí, the same characters mean convenient. And a price will come back faster than you can count, so hold out a phone calculator and let the seller type the number.

The numbers up to 10 are single words: 一 yī, 二 èr, 三 sān, 四 sì, 五 wǔ, 六 liù, 七 qī, 八 bā, 九 jiǔ, 十 shí. After that they’re built from parts. Eleven is 十一, ten-one, and twenty is 二十 èrshí, two-ten.

Chinese New Year greetings for February 6, 2027

Lunar New Year 2027 starts on Saturday, February 6, the first day of the Year of the Goat. If someone asks about your animal sign, the Chinese zodiac signs page goes through all twelve. These are the greetings to have ready for that week, along with the reply.

Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning	When to say it, and the reply
新年快乐	xīnnián kuàilè	Happy New Year	Anyone. Reply with 新年快乐 or the line at the bottom
春节快乐	Chūnjié kuàilè	Happy Spring Festival	春节 is the Chinese name for Chinese New Year
过年好	guònián hǎo	Happy New Year	A New Year hello, built like 你好
恭喜发财	gōngxǐ fācái	may you have a prosperous year	A wish for prosperity
万事如意	wànshì rúyì	may everything go as you wish	Can follow 新年快乐
身体健康	shēntǐ jiànkāng	good health	A good one to add for grandparents
也祝你新年快乐	yě zhù nǐ xīnnián kuàilè	Happy New Year to you too	The reply when someone greets you first

Treat 恭喜发财 as a wish for wealth rather than a plain Happy New Year: say 新年快乐 first and add 恭喜发财 after it. Cantonese-speaking families say the same wish as gung hei fat choy. You’ll also see 羊年 yángnián, the year of the 羊, called both the Year of the Goat and the Year of the Ram in English.

Greeting grandparents by the right name

Put the family word in front of the wish: 奶奶，新年快乐！ is “Grandma, Happy New Year!” The catch is that Chinese has separate words for each side of the family. 奶奶 nǎinai and 爷爷 yéye are Dad’s parents. Mom’s parents are 外婆 wàipó and 外公 wàigōng, and some families say 姥姥 lǎolao and 姥爷 lǎoye instead.

Ask the family which words they use before the visit. Getting the grandparent’s name right lands better than a long greeting.

Practicing the family words with a toddler

A toddler can’t manage 万事如意, but 奶奶, 爷爷 and 谢谢 are within reach. Our First 100 Words cards include Mommy 妈妈, Daddy 爸爸, Grandma 奶奶 and Grandpa 爷爷 among the 25 home and people words. The Chinese is in simplified characters only, with no pinyin, so a parent who doesn’t read Chinese should copy the pinyin from this guide onto the back.

How Mandarin tones work in these phrases

Tones are why 妈 mā, the mā in 妈妈 (mom), and 马 mǎ, horse, are different words. Both are spelled ma in pinyin, and the mark above the vowel tells you which one you’re saying.

The four tones and the neutral tone

Mark	Tone	How it sounds	Example from this guide
ā	First	High and level, held steady	新 xīn in 新年快乐
á	Second	Rising, like a question	您 nín
ǎ	Third	Low	好 hǎo
à	Fourth	Falling, short and firm	谢 xiè
a (no mark)	Neutral	Light and short, almost no tone	The second syllable of 谢谢

Three tone changes you’ll hear in these phrases

The pinyin in a dictionary doesn’t always match what people say. Three changes cover every case in this guide:

• Two third tones in a row: the first one rises. 你好 nǐ hǎo is said ní hǎo.
• 不 bù before a fourth tone becomes bú: 不客气, 不用谢, 不要辣.
• 一 yī before a fourth tone becomes yí (一遍 yí biàn), and before the other tones it becomes yì (一点儿 yìdiǎnr, 一直 yìzhí). Counted on its own, it stays yī.

Pinyin letters English speakers misread

A few pinyin letters stand for sounds English spells differently. These five show up in the phrases above:

Letter	Close to	In this guide
x	English sh	谢谢 xièxie, 新年 xīnnián
q	English ch, with a puff of air	请 qǐng, 钱 qián
zh	the j in jam, tongue curled back	中文 Zhōngwén, 这个 zhège
z	the ds in kids	再见 zàijiàn
c	ts with a puff of air	菜单 càidān

A practice plan: a few phrases a day before New Year

From now to February, three new phrases a day plus a quick review of yesterday’s covers this guide in about two weeks. Learn each phrase with its reply, the way the tables pair them, since you’ll need both halves.

Practice with sound, not just the page. Play a recording of a native speaker, pause, and repeat the phrase. Then play it again and speak along at the same time, which is called shadowing. Record yourself on your phone and listen for the tone marks: did 谢 fall, did 您 rise?

Trace the tone mark in the air with a finger as you say each syllable. It slows you down enough to hear whether the low third tone really dipped. With kids, use the phrases at real moments: 谢谢 when a snack is passed, 再见 at the school gate.

The workbook’s theme pages ask for the same habit. A line on each theme’s opening page tells the child to say all three forms out loud before writing anything. Writing the characters is a separate skill, and how to write Chinese characters starts it with stroke order. The rest of our printables are on the Doodlora Studio home page.