Survival phrases in Chinese 常用语
chángyòng yǔ
What if you get stuck? 15 essential survival phrases words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 我听不懂 | wǒ tīng bu dǒng | I don't understand (what I hear) |
| 我不知道 | wǒ bù zhī dào | I don't know |
| 请再说一遍 | qǐng zài shuō yī biàn | please say it again |
| 说慢一点 | shuō màn yī diǎn | speak a bit slower |
| 什么意思 | shén me yì si | what does it mean? |
| 怎么说 | zěn me shuō | how do you say it? |
| 怎么写 | zěn me xiě | how do you write it? |
| 等一下 | děng yī xià | wait a moment |
| 我明白了 | wǒ míng bai le | I see; I understand |
| 没问题 | méi wèn tí | no problem |
| 我中文不好 | wǒ Zhōng wén bù hǎo | my Chinese isn't good |
| 帮帮我 | bāng bāng wǒ | help me |
| 这是什么 | zhè shì shén me | what is this? |
| 对吗 | duì ma | is that right? |
| 我是外国人 | wǒ shì wài guó rén | I'm a foreigner |
Example sentences
- 对不起，我听不懂。Sorry, I don't understand.
- 这个问题我不知道。I don't know the answer to that.
- 请再说一遍，好吗？Could you say that again, please?
- 你可以说慢一点吗？Could you speak a bit slower?
- 这个字是什么意思？What does this character mean?
- "Thank you" 中文怎么说？How do you say "thank you" in Chinese?
- 你的名字怎么写？How do you write your name?
- 等一下，我马上来。Wait a moment, I'm coming.
- 哦，我明白了，谢谢！Oh, I see, thanks!
- 没问题，我帮你。No problem, I'll help you.
- 对不起，我中文不好。Sorry, my Chinese isn't very good.
- 帮帮我，我迷路了。Help me, I'm lost.
- 这是什么？好吃吗？What is this? Is it tasty?
- 我这样说，对吗？Is it right to say it like this?
- 我是外国人，在学中文。I'm a foreigner, I'm learning Chinese.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Survival phrases speaking island has 8 everyday questions about survival phrases to prepare your own answers to.