Language Basics
20 Chinese Phrases for Your First Day in China (2026)
By the 17Talk teaching team - certified Mandarin teachers, 8+ years of classroom experience, 3,500+ students in 40 countries
Last updated:
Quick answer
You do not need much Chinese for a first day in China, but you do need about 20 phrases and one habit: show the screen instead of performing pronunciation under pressure. Start with 我不会说中文 (wǒ bú huì shuō Zhōngwén) - I do not speak Chinese - because it changes how the person in front of you reacts. Then the essentials: 多少钱 (duōshao qián) for how much, 可以用支付宝吗 (kěyǐ yòng Zhīfùbǎo ma) for can I use Alipay, 不要辣 (bú yào là) for not spicy, 买单 (mǎidān) for the bill, and 请问，洗手间在哪里 (qǐngwèn, xǐshǒujiān zài nǎlǐ) for where is the toilet. Learn five or six you can actually say, and keep the rest on your phone to point at.
How to use this list
Two rules make this work. First, have the phrases on your phone screen so you can point rather than attempt tones you have not learned yet - nobody minds, and it is faster. Second, open every conversation with 我不会说中文 (wǒ bú huì shuō Zhōngwén), I do not speak Chinese. It sets expectations in four syllables and people slow down, find a colleague who knows some English, or pull out a translation app themselves.
If you want ten phrases that cover almost everything, take: 我不会说中文 · 多少钱 · 不要辣 · 买单 · 洗手间在哪里 · 请帮我 · 我不舒服 · 我的护照丢了 · 可以刷卡吗 · 谢谢.
Airport, taxi and getting to the hotel
The first hour is logistics, and these four cover it.
| Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 我不会说中文 | wǒ bú huì shuō Zhōngwén | I don't speak Chinese | The very first sentence. Say it, then show your phone. |
| 请说慢一点 | qǐng shuō màn yìdiǎn | Please speak more slowly | When someone answers at full speed. |
| 请帮我 | qǐng bāng wǒ | Please help me | Universal opener with staff at any desk. |
| 我想去这个地址 | wǒ xiǎng qù zhège dìzhǐ | I want to go to this address | Show the Chinese address on your phone as you say it. |
Paying for things
Prices in China are usually fixed, so these are about method more than haggling - with the exception of markets and souvenir stalls, where the last one earns its place.
| Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 多少钱？ | duōshao qián? | How much? | The single most useful phrase in the language. |
| 可以用支付宝吗？ | kěyǐ yòng Zhīfùbǎo ma? | Can I use Alipay? | Almost always yes; the answer is usually a QR code. |
| 可以刷卡吗？ | kěyǐ shuā kǎ ma? | Can I pay by card? | Big hotels and malls, yes; small shops, rarely. |
| 太贵了，能便宜一点吗？ | tài guì le, néng piányi yìdiǎn ma? | Too expensive - can it be cheaper? | Markets and tourist stalls only. Not in shops. |
At the hotel desk
Check-in is where your passport does the talking; these handle the rest.
| Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 我有预订 | wǒ yǒu yùdìng | I have a reservation | Say it, then hand over the passport. |
| 可以看一下房间吗？ | kěyǐ kàn yíxià fángjiān ma? | Can I see the room? | Useful in guesthouses where photos flatter. |
| 可以寄存行李吗？ | kěyǐ jìcún xíngli ma? | Can you store my luggage? | For the gap between checkout and your flight. |
Ordering food
Menus with pictures do most of the work. These four cover the things menus do not tell you.
| Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 不要辣 | bú yào là | Not spicy, please | Say it twice if the region is Sichuan or Hunan. 微辣 (wēi là) means mildly spicy. |
| 我不要香菜 | wǒ bú yào xiāngcài | No coriander | It is sprinkled on far more dishes than you expect. |
| 这个是什么？ | zhège shì shénme? | What is this? | Point at the menu item or the dish on someone's table. |
| 买单 | mǎidān | The bill, please | Or 结账 (jiézhàng). In many places you pay at the counter on the way out. |
Getting help, and the two emergencies
These are the phrases you hope not to need. Learn them anyway - they are the ones you cannot look up calmly.
| Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 请问，洗手间在哪里？ | qǐngwèn, xǐshǒujiān zài nǎlǐ? | Excuse me, where is the toilet? | Convenience stores, stations, malls - all have one. |
| 我不舒服 | wǒ bù shūfu | I don't feel well | Opens the door to a pharmacy or a doctor. |
| 请叫救护车 | qǐng jiào jiùhùchē | Please call an ambulance | Or call 120 yourself. Police is 110, fire 119. |
| 我的护照丢了 | wǒ de hùzhào diū le | I lost my passport | For the police report you will need for a replacement. |
What you will hear back
Understanding the answer matters as much as asking the question. These six words cover most replies.
| Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 好的 | hǎo de | OK / sure |
| 没有 | méiyǒu | We don't have it |
| 等一下 | děng yíxià | Wait a moment |
| 扫码 | sǎo mǎ | Scan the code |
| 现金 | xiànjīn | Cash |
| 微信 | Wēixìn | WeChat - the other way to pay |
Where to get the other thirty
Twenty phrases cover a first day. The next step is the phrases that cover a trip - ordering a full meal, buying a train ticket, handling a pharmacy, asking for directions when the map fails.
We give away a set of 50 travel phrases with audio, organised into six real situations, at the free phrase pack. It is the same material we teach in the first lesson of the course, and it costs nothing to download.
If you are choosing what to learn with after the trip, Duolingo vs HelloChinese vs 17Talk compares them on what each is actually good at.
Numbers: the ten you will read and hear
Every price you meet in China is either written down or spoken, and spoken prices are the one place where no app helps fast enough. Learn 1 to 10 and two units and you can follow almost any price.
Two notes that save confusion. Chinese counts in ten-thousands, so 万 (wàn) is 10,000 and 100,000 is 十万 - not 一百千. And cashiers routinely drop the final unit: 三十五 could be 35 yuan or 35 jiao depending on what you are buying.
| Number | Chinese | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| 1-2-3 | 一二三 | yī, èr, sān |
| 4-5-6 | 四五六 | sì, wǔ, liù |
| 7-8-9 | 七八九 | qī, bā, jiǔ |
| 10 | 十 | shí |
| 100 / 1,000 | 一百 / 一千 | yì bǎi / yì qiān |
| 10,000 | 一万 | yí wàn |
| How much? | 多少钱？ | duōshao qián? |
The polite five you will use all day
These five are not about fluency; they are about being an easy person to help. Used with a phone screen, they change how a whole day goes.
| Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| 谢谢 | xièxie | Thank you | Constant. The default end to every exchange. |
| 不用谢 | bú yòng xiè | You're welcome | What you will hear back. |
| 对不起 | duìbuqǐ | Sorry | Bumping someone, or admitting you misunderstood. |
| 不好意思 | bù hǎo yìsi | Excuse me / sorry to bother you | Softer and more useful than 对不起 when you need attention. |
| 请问 | qǐngwèn | May I ask | The polite opener for any question, including asking for directions. |
Words you will see on signs
You will read more Chinese than you speak, and about twenty characters cover almost every sign a visitor meets: stations, malls, toilets, exits and the warnings that matter.
The first sign most people look for has its own page, with audio: where is the bathroom in Chinese.
| Sign | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 入口 / 出口 | rùkǒu / chūkǒu | Entrance / Exit |
| 推 / 拉 | tuī / lā | Push / Pull |
| 洗手间 / 厕所 | xǐshǒujiān / cèsuǒ | Toilet (both are normal) |
| 男 / 女 | nán / nǚ | Men / Women |
| 地铁 | dìtiě | Metro |
| 售票处 | shòupiàochù | Ticket office |
| 禁止吸烟 | jìnzhǐ xīyān | No smoking |
| 小心地滑 | xiǎoxīn dì huá | Slippery floor |
Common questions
Do I really need to speak Chinese in China?
Not much - but about twenty phrases transform the first day, because they cover the moments where pointing and a translation app are slowest: paying, ordering food and asking for help.
What if I can't hear the tones?
Show the screen. Nobody thinks less of you for it, and the written form removes the ambiguity that tones create. Learn a handful by ear, keep the rest on your phone.
Will people understand English?
In hotels, airports and big-city restaurants, often. Everywhere else, less than you would hope - which is why 我不会说中文 plus a phone screen does the heavy lifting.
Should I use a translation app instead?
Use both. The app handles conversations you did not expect; these phrases handle the twenty situations you can predict, faster and with less staring at a screen.
Which phrases matter most in an emergency?
请帮我 (please help me), 我不舒服 (I don't feel well), 请叫救护车 (call an ambulance) and 我的护照丢了 (I lost my passport). The numbers are 110 police, 120 ambulance, 119 fire.
Do I need to learn numbers?
For prices, yes - learn 1 to 10 and the words for hundred and thousand. Prices are also written, so pointing at the register display is a perfectly good fallback.
How do I understand prices when the cashier says them out loud?
Watch the register display - it shows the number, and pointing at it is completely normal. If you want to follow the spoken version, learn 1-10 plus 十 (ten), 百 (hundred) and 万 (ten thousand), and remember that Chinese groups numbers in ten-thousands.
Should I say 对不起 or 不好意思?
不好意思 (bù hǎo yìsi) is the one you will use most: it works for getting someone's attention, squeezing past, or admitting you did not understand. 对不起 is for a real apology - you bumped someone, or you broke something.
Read next
- Your First 24 Hours in China: An Arrival Checklist (2026)
- Alipay for Foreigners: Setup & the 200 RMB Rule
Sources
- 17Talk teaching team: phrase list drawn from the situations students reported on arrival in China through 2025-2026, ordered by how often each situation came up on the first day.
- Emergency numbers 110 (police), 120 (ambulance) and 119 (fire) are the national public emergency numbers in mainland China; the immigration service line 12367 is published by the National Immigration Administration.
- GB/T 16159-2012 汉语拼音正词法基本规则 (national standard) - the romanisation rules followed by the pinyin on this page.
- 汉典 (zdic.net) - dictionary entries used to check the characters and their meanings.
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