Basic Survival Chinese for Beginners
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Basic Chinese
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 你好 | Nǐ hǎo | Hello |
| 你好吗 | nǐ hǎo ma | How are you? |
| 早上好/早 | Zǎo shang hǎo/zǎo | Good morning |
| 下午好 | xià wǔ hǎo | Good afternoon |
| 谢谢 | xiè xiè | Thank you |
| 不客气 | bù kè qì | You’re welcome |
| 你最近怎么样? | nǐ zuì jìn zěn me yàng? | How have you been recently? |
| 你叫什么名字? | Nǐ jiào shén me míng zì? | What’ your name? |
| 我的名字叫。。。 | Wǒ de míng zì jiào... | My name is… |
| 晚安 | wǎn'ān | Good night |
| 再见 | zài jiàn | Goodbye |
| 明天见 | míng tiān jiàn | See you tomorrow |
Chinese Phrases in the Restaurant
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 菜单 | Cài dān | Menu |
| 买单 | mǎi dān | Bill |
| 点菜 | diǎn cài | To order food |
| 服务员 | fú wù yuán | Waiter/waitress |
| 几位？ | jǐ wèi? | How many people? |
| 两/三/五位 | Liǎng/sān/wǔ wèi | 2/3/5 people |
| 饭店 | fàn diàn | Restaurant |
| 饺子 | jiǎo zi | Dumplings |
| 包子 | bāo zi | Steamed buns |
| 宫保鸡丁 | gōng bǎo jī dīng | Kung Pao chicken |
| 鱼香肉丝 | yú xiāng ròu sī | |
| 我不吃肉 | wǒ bù chī ròu | I don’t eat meat |
| 面条 | miàn tiáo | Noodles |
| 米饭 | mǐ fàn | Rice |
| 烧烤 | shāo kǎo | Barbecue |
| 牛肉 | niú ròu | Beef |
| 猪肉 | zhū ròu | Pork |
| 鸡肉 | jī ròu | Chicken |
| 鱼 | yú | Fish |
| 这是什么肉？ | zhè shì shén me ròu? | What kind of meat is this? |
Chinese Vocabulary for Traveling
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 。。。在哪里？Where is … | ... Zài nǎlǐ? | Where is… |
| 你好，我想去。。。 | nǐ hǎo, wǒ xiǎng qù... | Hello, I want to go to… |
| 地铁 | dì tiě | Subway |
| 地铁站在哪里？ | dì tiě zhàn zài nǎlǐ? | Where is the subway station? |
| 公交车 | Gōng jiāo chē | Bus |
| 酒店 | jiǔ diàn | Hotel |
| 出租车 | chū zū chē | Taxi |
| 开车 | kāi chē | To drive a car |
| 直走 | zhí zǒu | Go straight |
| 往右拐 | wǎng yòu guǎi | Turn right |
| 往左拐 | wǎng zuǒ guǎi | Turn left |
| 直走一百米就到了 | zhí zǒu yībǎi mǐ jiù dào le | Go straight for 100m |
| 。。。怎么走？ | ... Zěn me zǒu? | How do I get to… |
Chinese Vocabulary for Shopping
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 这个多少钱？ | Zhè ge duō shǎo qián? | How much is this? |
| 便宜一点吧 | Pián yí yī diǎn ba | Cheaper please |
| 我不要，谢谢 | wǒ bù yào, xiè xiè | I don’t want any, thanks |
| 太贵了 | tài guì le | Too expensive! |
| 衣服 | Yī fú | Clothes |
| 我可以试一下吗？ | wǒ kě yǐ shì yī xià ma? | Can I try it on? |
| 有别的颜色吗？ | Yǒu bié de yán sè ma? | Do you have other colors? |
| 鞋子 | Xié zi | Shoes |
| 上衣 | shàng yī | Tops (clothes worn on upper body) |
| 裤子 | kù zi | |
| 毛衣 | máo yī | Wool sweater |
| 我喜欢这个款式 | wǒ xǐ huān zhè ge kuǎn shì | I like this style |
| 我不喜欢这个款式 | wǒ bù xǐ huān zhè ge kuǎn shì | I don’t like this style |
| 商场 | shāng chǎng | Shopping mall |
| 市场 | shì chǎng | Market |
| 这是真的还是假的？ | zhè shì zhēn de hái shì jiǎ de? | Is this real or fake? |
| 可以刷卡吗？ | Kě yǐ shuā kǎ ma? | Can I pay with a card? |
| 我没有现金 | Wǒ méi yǒu xiàn jīn | I don’t have any cash |
Chinese Vocabulary for Renting an Apartment
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 我现在找房子 | Wǒ xiàn zài zhǎo fáng zi | I’m looking for an apartment now |
| 租房子 | zū fáng zi | To rent an apartment |
| 房租多少钱？ | fáng zū duō shǎo qián? | How much is the rent? |
| 电梯 | Diàn tī | |
| 水费 | shuǐ fèi | Water bill |
| 电费 | diàn fèi | Electricity bill |
| 付水费 | fù shuǐ fèi | To pay the water bill |
| 付电费 | fù diàn fèi | To pay the electricity bill |
| 押金 | yā jīn | Deposit |
| 租房中介公司 | zū fáng zhōng jiè gōng sī | Rental agency |
| 卧室 | wò shì | Bedroom |
| 客厅 | kè tīng | Living room |
| 厨房 | chú fáng | Kitchen |
| 看房子 | kàn fáng zi | To look at apartments |
| 超市里这儿不远 | chāo shì lǐ zhè'er bù yuǎn | The supermarket is close by |
| 一室一卫 | yī shì yī wèi | One bedroom and one bathroom |
| 两室两卫 | liǎng shì liǎng wèi | Two bedrooms and two bathrooms |
| 煤气费 | méi qì fèi | Gas bill |
| 五十平方米 | wǔ shí píng fāng mǐ | Fifty square meters |
| 今天可以看房吗？ | jīn tiān kě yǐ kàn fáng ma? | Can I look at the apartment today? |
| 什么时候可以看房？ | Shén me shí hòu kě yǐ kàn fáng? | When can I look at apartments? |
| 多少钱一个月？ | Duō shǎo qián yī gè yuè? | How much is it per month? |
| 每月付一次 | Měi yuè fù yīcì | To pay monthly |
| 每三个月付一次 | měi sān gè yuè fù yī cì | To pay quarterly (every three months) |
| Xǐ shǒu jiān zài nǎ lǐ | Where is the bathroom? |
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