Essential Chinese Phrases for Traveling in China: A Tourist's Survival Kit

First, the honest answer to the question you're really asking: can you travel in China in 2026 without speaking Chinese? Yes. Translation apps are very good, major tourist infrastructure has English signage, and younger service workers in Tier 1 cities (Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou) often have functional English. Can you travel well without it? Much better than you'd expect, but meaningfully worse than with a small kit of phrases.

This guide is that small kit. It won't make you fluent. It will get you through situations where pulling out your phone feels clunky or where a native phrase gets a warmer response than a translated one. Phrases first, then honest practical notes on how travel in China actually works right now.

Greetings and Everyday Politeness

The minimum viable politeness kit. Use these constantly — the goodwill they generate is enormous relative to the effort.

你好 — nǐ hǎo — Hello.
谢谢 — xièxie — Thank you.
不客气 — bú kèqi — You're welcome. (Literally "don't be kèqi" — don't be so politely modest.)
对不起 — duìbuqǐ — I'm sorry.
不好意思 — bù hǎoyìsi — Excuse me / sorry to trouble you. (More casual than 对不起; use this to interrupt, squeeze past, or get someone's attention.)
请问 — qǐng wèn — Excuse me, may I ask… (Polite opener for any question. Firm falling tone on wèn; mispronounced as wěn it means "kiss.")
再见 — zàijiàn — Goodbye.
没关系 — méi guānxi — It's okay / no worries.
我是外国人 — wǒ shì wàiguórén — I'm a foreigner. (Your reset button. The moment you say this, most people will slow down, simplify, or pull out their phone to help you translate. Works better than struggling through a long sentence.)

Pronunciation tip: Chinese people aren't grading your tones. A clear, unhurried 你好 with imperfect tones works better than a rushed perfect one. Slow down.

Numbers: One Through Ten

Small, cheap to memorize, disproportionately useful. Numbers handle prices, room numbers, train platforms, quantities when ordering food, and a surprising chunk of everyday transactions.

一 — yī — 1
二 — èr — 2 (but 两 liǎng is used when saying "two of something," e.g. 两个 liǎng gè — if you're curious why, it's a measure word thing)
三 — sān — 3
四 — sì — 4
五 — wǔ — 5
六 — liù — 6
七 — qī — 7
八 — bā — 8
九 — jiǔ — 9
十 — shí — 10

For prices, combine with 块 (kuài, the spoken word for RMB yuan): 三十五块 = 35 RMB. For "how much," you already have 多少钱 from the shopping section below — pair it with these and you can handle any market transaction.

Finger-counting tip: Chinese people count 6–10 on one hand using distinct gestures that differ from Western finger-counting. Don't be surprised if a vendor flashes what looks like a "hang loose" sign — that's six.

Asking for Directions

Directional vocabulary is heavy. You mostly need a few high-utility phrases that get you from "lost" to "pointed in the right direction."

在哪里？ — zài nǎlǐ? — Where is it? (Combine with a place name: 洗手间在哪里？ xǐshǒujiān zài nǎlǐ? — "Where's the bathroom?")
洗手间 — xǐshǒujiān — Bathroom / restroom. (More polite than 厕所 cèsuǒ.)
地铁站 — dìtiě zhàn — Subway station.
怎么走？ — zěnme zǒu? — How do I get there?
离这里远吗？ — lí zhèlǐ yuǎn ma? — Is it far from here?
多少米？ — duōshǎo mǐ? — How many meters? (Chinese people estimate walking distance in meters, not minutes.)
往前走 — wàng qián zǒu — Go straight ahead. (Useful to recognize even if you don't say it.)
左 / 右 — zuǒ / yòu — Left / right.

Practical tip: Instead of trying to parse a long spoken answer, hand over your phone with a map open. The opener that earns this help: 请问, 这个地方怎么走？ (qǐng wèn, zhège dìfang zěnme zǒu? — "Excuse me, how do I get to this place?").

Transportation: Taxi, Subway, and Rail

Most travelers use Didi (the Chinese Uber) for taxis — usable in English, though the driver may not be. Subways are bilingual. High-speed rail stations have English wayfinding but spotty English-speaking staff.

我要去这里 — wǒ yào qù zhèlǐ — I want to go here. (Paired with showing an address on your phone. The single most useful taxi sentence.)
多少钱？ — duōshǎo qián? — How much? / What's the fare?
请打表 — qǐng dǎ biǎo — Please use the meter. (Mostly relevant if you're taking a queued taxi at airports or train stations — Didi rides are pre-priced, so you won't need this one there.)
停这里 — tíng zhèlǐ — Stop here.
我要去火车站 — wǒ yào qù huǒchē zhàn — I want to go to the train station.
我要去机场 — wǒ yào qù jīchǎng — I want to go to the airport.

Practical tip: Screenshots. Before you leave the hotel, screenshot your destination address in Chinese characters. Most hotel cards already include this. Drivers can zoom in and read the street name instantly.

Restaurant and Ordering Food

You'll eat three times a day; this section will get the most use. Chinese restaurant culture has its own rhythm — you seat yourself in casual places, flag down the server, order, then ask for the bill when you're ready.

你们有英文菜单吗？ — nǐmen yǒu yīngwén càidān ma? — Do you have an English menu? (Worth asking; many tourist-area restaurants do. If not, camera-translate the Chinese menu.)
来一份这个 — lái yí fèn zhège — I'll have one of this. (Point at the menu or at another table's dish while saying it. Technically imperfect grammar, universally understood.)
两份 — liǎng fèn — Two portions. (Swap in any number: 三份, 四份…)
不辣，谢谢 — bú là, xièxie — Not spicy, please. (Say this firmly in Sichuan and Hunan. Your definition of "spicy" is not theirs. Note: in Sichuan, 不辣 removes chili heat, but you may still get 麻 — the numbing tingle of Sichuan peppercorn. If you want neither: 不要辣也不要麻 bú yào là yě bú yào má.)
买单 — mǎidān — Bill, please. / Check, please. (Also heard as 结账 jiézhàng — same meaning, slightly more formal.)
打包 — dǎbāo — To go / doggy bag. (Taking leftovers is completely normal and expected in China. No awkwardness.)
有叉子吗？ — yǒu chāzi ma? — Do you have a fork? (No shame. Most places catering to tourists do.)
我过敏 — wǒ guòmǐn — I have an allergy. (Follow with the allergen, or — much safer — show a pre-written card in Chinese listing your allergies. Serious allergies deserve a printed card, not improvised pronunciation.)
好吃！ — hǎochī! — Delicious! (Say this to the cook or server and watch the reaction. Instant warmth.)

Practical tip: In most casual Chinese restaurants, there is no tipping. The bill is the bill. In high-end or hotel restaurants, a service charge may be included, but leaving extra cash on the table is uncommon and sometimes confusing for staff.

Hotel Check-in

Most hotels licensed for foreign guests have at least one English-capable staff member, but these phrases will speed things up.

我有预订 — wǒ yǒu yùdìng — I have a reservation.
我的护照 — wǒ de hùzhào — My passport. (Hand it over — Chinese hotels are legally required to register foreign guests' passports.)
WiFi 密码是什么？ — WiFi mìmǎ shì shénme? — What's the WiFi password?
几点退房？ — jǐ diǎn tuì fáng? — What time is check-out?
可以帮我叫个车吗？ — kěyǐ bāng wǒ jiào gè chē ma? — Can you help me call a car?
房间里没有热水 — fángjiān lǐ méiyǒu rèshuǐ — There's no hot water. (Swap in what's missing: 毛巾 máojīn towels, 纸 zhǐ paper.)

Shopping and Bargaining

Real markets and small shops still expect some negotiation. Chain stores, supermarkets, and malls have fixed prices — don't try to bargain at a Uniqlo.

这个多少钱？ — zhège duōshǎo qián? — How much is this?
太贵了 — tài guì le — Too expensive.
便宜一点？ — piányi yìdiǎn? — A little cheaper? (Rising tone on piányi, said with a friendly smile, is the universal bargaining opener.)
可以刷卡吗？ — kěyǐ shuā kǎ ma? — Can I pay by card? (In practice this mostly fails at small vendors — see the mobile-payment section below.)
我再看看 — wǒ zài kànkan — I'll keep looking. (The polite way to walk away from a vendor without being rude. Also often triggers a final price drop.)

Practical bargaining note: In tourist markets, vendors often open at 3–5x the real price. Start your counter-offer around 30% of asking and settle in the middle. In non-tourist local shops, prices are usually close to fair — heavy bargaining there just makes you look rude.

Emergency and Help Phrases

Hopefully you never need these. Keep them accessible anyway.

救命！ — jiùmìng! — Help! (Literally "save life" — used only for real emergencies.)
帮我一下 — bāng wǒ yíxià — Help me for a second. (For non-emergency help.)
我生病了 — wǒ shēngbìng le — I'm sick.
我需要医生 — wǒ xūyào yīshēng — I need a doctor.
医院在哪里？ — yīyuàn zài nǎlǐ? — Where is the hospital?
请叫警察 — qǐng jiào jǐngchá — Please call the police.
我不舒服 — wǒ bù shūfu — I don't feel well.

Practical emergency note: The emergency numbers in China are 110 (police), 120 (medical ambulance), and 119 (fire). If you can only remember one number, 112 also works — it's a universal relay that will route you to the right service. If something actually goes wrong, calling one of these numbers and handing your phone to a local bystander is often faster than trying to explain the situation yourself.

Digital Life, Payment, and the Internet

This is the section that's changed most in the last few years, and it's the stuff generic travel guides get wrong. Here's the situation in 2026.

Mobile payment is the default, not the exception. WeChat Pay and Alipay are how people pay for everything — street food, taxis, supermarkets, even buskers. Both apps opened foreign-card support in 2023–2024, and coverage has kept improving. You can link a Visa/Mastercard to Alipay (and to a lesser extent WeChat Pay) and pay by QR code for most things. Set this up before you land.

支付宝 — Zhīfùbǎo — Alipay.
微信 — Wēixìn — WeChat (and WeChat Pay, since the payment lives inside the messaging app).
扫码 — sǎo mǎ — Scan the QR code. (What the cashier will say or point at.)
用支付宝可以吗？ — yòng Zhīfùbǎo kěyǐ ma? — Can I use Alipay?

Cash still works, but is increasingly awkward. Many small vendors no longer keep change on hand and will visibly hesitate if you offer a 100 RMB note. Carry some for backup, but don't rely on it.

WiFi, the internet, and the Great Firewall. Chinese WiFi is everywhere, but Google, Gmail, Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook, and most Western news sites are blocked on the domestic internet. You have two main options. The first is a VPN installed before you arrive — most VPN provider sites are blocked inside China, so downloading one on arrival is often impossible, and even pre-installed VPNs can be unreliable during sensitive periods. The second — and increasingly the simpler choice — is an eSIM from a Hong Kong or international carrier (Airalo, Nomad, etc.). These route your data through a non-Chinese network, which means Google, WhatsApp, and everything else just work out of the box with no VPN needed. Buy and install the eSIM before you fly; activation takes minutes. If your phone doesn't support eSIM, a physical SIM from the same providers does the same thing.

可以连 WiFi 吗？ — kěyǐ lián WiFi ma? — Can I connect to WiFi?

Translation apps work very well for short, concrete things. Baidu Translate and Alipay's built-in translator are smoother inside China since they don't require a VPN; Google Translate's offline Chinese pack is a reasonable backup. The killer feature for travel is camera translation — point your phone at a menu or sign and you get usable English in real time. Apps still struggle with long conversations, jokes, and regional speech.

我用翻译 — wǒ yòng fānyì — I'll use a translator. (Polite signal before holding up your phone.)

How English Actually Plays Out (By City)

This varies more than guides admit.

Tier 1 cities (Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou): Younger service workers in hotels, tourist sites, and malls often speak passable English. Taxi drivers and older staff usually don't. Subway and airport signage is fully bilingual.

Major tourist destinations (Xi'an, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Guilin): Hit-or-miss. Tourist-site staff can usually handle transactions in English; outside that bubble, expect very little.

Smaller cities and rural areas: Budget zero English. Your phone and phrases are the kit — and this is where the phrases pay off most, because every sentence you produce lands.

Good news: Chinese people are, in my experience, remarkably patient with foreigners attempting their language. A grandmother selling baozi will not care that your third tone is wrong. She will care that you said 你好 and 谢谢, and she'll probably hand you an extra one.

A Few Closing Tips

Screenshot everything in Chinese. Your hotel address, the restaurant you want to find, the subway stop you need. Showing a Chinese-character screenshot to a driver or passerby eliminates 90% of the language barrier in one gesture. And if you're curious about how those characters actually work — the logic is more visual and intuitive than you'd expect.

Drill a few phrases before you fly. 你好, 谢谢, 多少钱, and 请问… 在哪里 will cover a shocking amount of tourist life. A tone trainer can help you get those core tones right so your 买 ("buy") doesn't come out as 卖 ("sell") at a market stall — a genuinely common mix-up.

Smile and slow down. The biggest factor in how Chinese people respond to foreign travelers isn't accuracy — it's whether you come across as respectful and at ease. A slightly wrong 你好 with warm eye contact gets a much better response than perfect Mandarin delivered with visible anxiety.

You don't need fluency to have a great trip. You need about 30 phrases, a charged phone, an eSIM or VPN for your regular apps, an Alipay account, and an openness to being laughed with. That's the survival kit. The rest of China will largely take care of you if you meet it halfway. And if this trip sparks something and you want to actually start learning the language, well — you've already got a head start.