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com/english/

Chinese/English Travel Phrasebook

http://saporedicina.com

This phrasebook is part of our comprehensive guide to traveling in China. Click

here to read the guide on our website, Saporedicina.com. This e-book contains the
most common greetings, the most common food and drinks, numbers, how to ask
for help or directions, as well as some useful sentences for taking a taxi and
shopping. Enjoy!

A Quick Note on Pronunciation

Chinese is a tonal language. This means that the way you say a word affects its meaning.
There are 4 tones in Mandarin Chinese. The tones are indicated in the following way:
The first tone () is pronounced as if you were singing a high note.
The second tone () is pronounced it as if you were asking a question in English.
The third tone () goes down and then raises, but less than the second tone. It is usually
longer than the other tones.
The fourth tone () is pronounced abruptly, as when you say No! in English.

Greetings and Other Useful Sentences

English

Chinese characters

Pronunciation (pinyin)

Hello

nho

Good-bye

zijin

How are you?

nho ma?

Yes

shde

No

bsh

Thank you

xixi

No, thanks

b yng le, xixi

You are welcome

bkqi

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Excuse me

du bu q

I dont understand

w tng b dng

I, You, He, She

, , ,

w, n, t, t

Asking for Help

English

Chinese characters

Pronunciation (pinyin)

Can you help me?

n ky bng w ma?

Where is the hospital?

() ?

yyun zi nli (nr)?

Where is the police station?

jngj zi nli?

Where is the bathroom?

csu zi nli?

Note: (nli) is used pretty much everywhere while (nr) is more typical of Beijing
and North East China in general.

Asking for Directions

English

Chinese characters

Pronunciation (pinyin)

Where is the subway station?

dtizhn zi nl?

Where is the train station?

huchzhn zi nl?

Where is the entrance?

rku zi nl?

Where is the exit?

chku zi nl?

North, South, East, West

, , ,

bi, nn, dng, x

Note: In China, the street panels always indicate the geographical coordinates. Thus, you
can use this information to avoid getting lost and help you reach your destination.

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In a Taxi

English

Chinese characters

Pronunciation (pinyin)

Hi driver, I want to go to

nho shfu, w q

the airport

fi j chng

the train station

huchzhn

xxx hotel

xxx

xxx bngun

Ive arrived at my destination

do le

Note: Many foreigners that live in China dont speak any Chinese, especially in Beijing and
Shanghai. Thus, if you start the conversation by greeting the driver with nho shfu (Hi
driver), he will probably think that you live in China and speak Chinese. This will minimize
the possibility of getting cheated, as fraudulent taxi drivers tend to target tourists and
newcomers.

Shopping

English

Chinese characters

Pronunciation (pinyin)

How much is it?

Zh ge du sho qin?

Its too expensive!

ti gu le!

Could it be cheaper?

pin yi y din

Its too big

ti d le

Its too small

ti xio le

Note: The Chinese currency is called Renminbi. However people will say (yun) or,
much more often, (kui), which literally means "pieces."

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Drinks

English

Chinese characters

Pronunciation (pinyin)

May I have a bottle of

m fan gi w y png

... water

shu

beer

pji

red wine

hng ji

coke

kl

sprite

xub

orange juice

chng zh

May I have a cup

m fan gi w y bi

tea

ch

coffee

kfi

I want it cold

bng de

I want it hot

r de

Note: When you order a drink you should always specify whether you want it cold or not.
Otherwise, you might end up with a beer that isnt cold at all.

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Food
English

Chinese characters

Pronunciation (pinyin)

Bill, please

midn

Not spicy

b yo l

No meat, Im vegetarian

()

b yo ru, w chs
(w b ch ru)

For take away

dbo

May I have (a)

()

m fan gi w (y ge)

fork

chzi

... knife

cn do

... spoon

shozi

... glass

bizi

... fruit

shugu

vegetables

shci

green salad

shl

... eggs

jdn

chicken

jru

beef

niru

pork

zhru

mutton

yngru

fish

shrimp

xi

rice

mfn

noodles

min tio

potatoes

tdu

tofu

dufu

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Numbers

English

Chinese characters

Pronunciation (pinyin)

lng

sn

li

ji

10

sh

11

sh y

20

r sh

21

sh y

100

y bi

1000

y qin

P.S. Here you find all our articles dedicated to Chinese food.
You will discover our favorite dishes, and how to find as well
as order them. If you have any questions or comments, you
can find us at http://saporedicina.com. We are also on
Facebook and Twitter.