Basic Mandarin || 105 (Simple) Phrases To Make Your Life Easier

Q: Can I pass HSK 1 quickly?

Within a couple of weeks of intensive Chinese at LTL you'd be passing HSK 1 with no problem. You can take a free HSK 1 vocab test here .

Q: How do you say Mandarin in Chinese?

Mandarin in Chinese is 普通话 (Pǔtōnghuà) .

Basic Mandarin 🤩 105 Hugely Useful Phrases To Learn

Learning Mandarin may seem challenging, but a few key phrases can go a long way in making meaningful connections and navigating everyday situations.

In this guide, you’ll learn essential expressions like 你好 (nǐ hǎo), meaning “hello,” and 谢谢 (xièxiè), meaning “thank you,” along with many other practical phrases for common scenarios.

Whether you’re asking for directions with 在哪里 (zài nǎlǐ), ordering local dishes in a restaurant, or seeking help in a tricky situation, this guide has got you covered.

Perfect for beginners, these phrases will give you the confidence to communicate effectively and immerse yourself in the world of Mandarin Chinese 💪 And if you’re looking to keep that momentum going in a structured environment, consider exploring longer-term study options in Beijing that balance practical use with deeper learning.

How To Greet in Mandarin // 10+ Common Chinese Greetings

Basic Mandarin Greetings
Thanks in Chinese
Time in Chinese
Asking Questions in Chinese
Basic Mandarin Numbers
Places in Chinese
Vehicles in Chinese

Directions in Chinese
Likes and Dislikes in Chinese
Ordering in Chinese
Food in Chinese
Drinks in Chinese
Misunderstandings in Chinese
Help in Chinese

⬇️⬇️⬇️ Basic Mandarin Quiz ⬇️⬇️⬇️

Basic Mandarin Greetings

HANZI	PINYIN	ENGLISH
你好	nǐ hǎo	Hello
我是…	wǒ shì…	I am…
你好吗?	nǐ hǎo ma	How are you?
我很好的谢谢	wǒ hěn hǎo xiè xiè	I’m good thanks
你吃了吗?	nǐ chī le ma	Have you eaten?*
很高兴认识你	hěn gāo xìng rèn shi nǐ	Nice to meet you
你叫什么名字?	nǐ jiào shén me míng zì？	What is your name?
我叫…	wǒ jiào…	My name is…
我朋友叫…	wǒ péngyǒu jiào…	My friend’s name is…
我来自…	wǒ lái zì…	I’m from…
你来自哪里?	nǐ lái zì nǎ li?	Where are you from?
再见	zài jiàn	Goodbye

*This is used as a greeting in China and isn’t really a question about if you’ve eaten!

Check out some alternate ways to say hello in Mandarin or some more about basic greetings in Chinese here.

Thanks and Related Phrases in Mandarin

HANZI	PINYIN	ENGLISH
谢谢	xiè xiè	Thank you
请	qǐng	Please
不客气	bú kè qì	You’re welcome
对不起	duì bu qǐ	I’m sorry
打扰一下	dǎ rǎo yí xià	Excuse me
是	shì	Yes
不是	bú shì	No
我很好谢谢	wǒ hěn hǎo xiè xiè	I’m good thanks
你呢?	nǐ ne?	And you?:

Time-Related Phrases in Chinese

HANZI	PINYIN	ENGLISH
早上好	zǎo shàng hǎo	Good morning (early morning)
上午好	shàng wǔ hǎo	Good morning (late morning)
中午好	zhōng wǔ hǎo	Good afternoon (only to be used around midday)
下午好	xià wǔ hǎo	Good afternoon
晚上好	wǎn shàng hǎo	Good evening
晚安	wǎn ān	Goodnight

LTL Beijing School Tour // Ft. Linda // #learningchinese

Asking Questions in Chinese

HANZI	PINYIN	ENGLISH
…在哪里?	… zài nǎlǐ?	Where is …?
怎么去…?	zěn me qù …?	How do I get to …?
…有多远?	…yǒu duō yuǎn?	How far is …?
你能在地图上给我看看吗?	nǐ néng zài dì tú shàng gěi wǒ kàn kan ma？	Can you show me on a map?
你能把它写下来吗?	nǐ néng bǎ tā xiě xià lái ma？	Can you write that down?
它的价格是多少 ?	tā de jià gé shì duō shǎo？	How much does it cost?
这是什么?	zhè shì shén me?	What is this?
现在几点?	xiàn zài jǐ diǎn?	What time is it?
你有 … 吗?	nǐ yǒu … ma?	Do you have …?
你们有便宜一点的吗?	nǐ men yǒu pián yi yì diǎn de ma?	Do you have anything cheaper?
你喜欢 … 吗?	nǐ xǐ huan … ma?	Do you like …?
最好的 … 是什么?	zuì hǎo de … shì shénme?	What is the best …?
… 怎么说?	… zěn me shuō?	How do you say …?
北京哪里好玩儿?	Běijīng nǎ lǐ hǎo wán er?	What is fun to do in Beijing?
你有什么建议?	nǐ yǒu shén me jiàn yì?	What do you recommend?
我在哪里可以 …?	wǒ zài nǎ li kě yǐ …?	Where can I …?

Basic Mandarin Numbers

HANZI	PINYIN	ENGLISH
一	yī	One
二	ér	Two
三	sān	Three
四	sì	Four
五	wǔ	Five
六	liù	Six
七	qī	Seven
八	bā	Eight
九	jiǔ	Nine
十	shí	Ten
一百	yì bǎi	One hundred
一千	yì qiān	One thousand

Want to go all the way to a million? Listen to all the numbers
Learn the numbers in Chinese here.

Places in Chinese

HANZI	PINYIN	TRANSLATION
这里	zhè lǐ	Here
那里	nà lǐ	There
地方	dì fang	Place
餐厅	cān tīng	Restaurant
咖啡馆	kā fēi guǎn	Cafe
酒店	jiǔ diàn	Hotel
机场	jī chǎng	Airport
火车站	huǒ chē zhàn	Train station
汽车站	qì chē zhàn	Bus station
超市	chāo shì	Supermarket

5 Reasons YOU Should Live With a Homestay Family at LTL

Vehicles in Chinese

HANZI	PINYIN	ENGLISH
飞机	fēi jī	Airplane
火车	huǒ chē	Train
出租车	chū zū chē	Taxi
车	chē	Car
公共汽车	gōng gòng qì chē	Bus

Check out our useful tips for learning a language

Directions in Chinese

HANZI	PINYIN	ENGLISH
左边	zuǒ biān	Left
右边	yòu biān	Right
直	zhí	Straight
向后	xiàng hòu	Backwards

Learn the directions in Chinese here.

Likes and Dislikes in Chinese

HANZI	PINYIN	ENGLISH
我喜欢	wǒ xǐ huān	I like
我不喜欢	wǒ bù xǐ huān	I don’t like
我想去…	wǒ xiǎng qù…	I’d like to go to…
我对 … 过敏	wǒ duì … guò mǐn	I’m allergic to …

Ordering in Chinese

HANZI	PINYIN	ENGLISH
我想…	wǒ xiǎng …	I would like…
你们有 … 吗?	nǐmen yǒu … ma?	Do you have …?
你会说英语吗?	nǐ huì shuō yīng yǔ ma?	Do you speak English?
请给我菜单	qǐng gěi wǒ cài dān	Menu, please
买单	mǎi dān	Bill please
这	zhè	This
那	nà	That

Make sure your pronouncing your initials and finals correctly.

Food in Chinese

hANZI	PINYIN	ENGLISH
面条	miàn tiáo	Noodles
米饭	mǐ fàn	Rice
鸡肉	jī ròu	Chicken
牛肉	niú ròu	Beef
猪肉	zhū ròu	Pork
素食者	sù shí zhě	Vegetarian

Basic Mandarin tip: Expressing that you are vegetarian or vegan can be difficult in China. A good way to be understood is to say you are Buddhist (佛教) fó jiào. Typically people will understand your diet if you say this.

How to Decode a Chinese Menu Like a Pro 🍜 Chinese Menus Explained + The Complete Cheat Sheet

Chinese Menus. How to read them, how to decode them? Not so easy right? Well with our FREE Chinese Menu cheat sheet and tips, you’ll have no problems!

Drinks in Chinese

HANZI	PINYIN	ENGLISH
水	shuǐ	Water
咖啡	kā fēi	Coffee
可乐	kě lè	Cola
啤酒	pí jiǔ	Beer
茶	chá	Tea

PRO TIP || gānbēi (干杯) means “dry cup”, or to finish your drink. So be careful to use the term loosely.
Find out the most popular traditional Chinese dishes here.

Also when clinking glasses, be sure your glasses are at even level as high will indicate you believe yourself to be of higher status and lower will be interpreted as the opposite.

Misunderstandings in Chinese

HANZI	PINYIN	ENGLISH
请再说一遍	qǐng zài shuō yībiàn	Please say that again
请慢嗲	qǐng màn diē	More slowly, please
我不明白	wǒ bù míng bái	I don’t understand
对不起, 我不会说汉语	duìbùqǐ, wǒ bù huì shuō hànyǔ	I’m sorry, I don’t speak Mandarin
… 是什么意思?	… shì shén me yì si	What does … mean?

🌍 Want to learn how to apologize in another language? Check out how to say Sorry in Japanese!

Help in Chinese

HANZI	PINYIN	ENGLISH
帮助	bāng zhù	Help
小心	xiǎo xīn	Be careful
危险	wēi xiǎn	Danger
紧急	jǐn jí	Emergency
火	huǒ	Fire

Want all these basic mandarin phrases on flashcards?

Check out our official Pinterest account.

If you want to dig deeper into your Chinese let’s get started on some grammar structures and techniques.

1 – Basic Grammar with LTL.
2 – Complete Guide to Chinese Grammar with Saporedicina.
3 – Visit our Chinese Grammar Bank for all the Grammar in one place.

Fancy trying your hand at some other languages? Check out our guide to the most basic Japanese phrases you need, useful Russian phrases and a beginners guide to Korean.

And what about Vietnamese? The popularity of the language is also growing quite fast. We teach you the absolute basics for Vietnamese here.

For groups keen to immerse themselves in Mandarin beyond the classroom, short-term study trips to any city China like Shanghai or Beijing school trip can be an inspiring next step

So much to discover with LTL! Happy studying 🤩

Basic Mandarin || Quiz

Basic Mandarin || FAQs

Can I pass HSK 1 quickly?

Within a couple of weeks of intensive Chinese at LTL you’d be passing HSK 1 with no problem.

You can take a free HSK 1 vocab test here.

How do you say Mandarin in Chinese?

Mandarin in Chinese is 普通话 (Pǔtōnghuà).

How do you say Hello in Chinese?

Hello in Chinese is 你好 (nǐ hǎo).

How can I learn Basic Mandarin?

There are proven neurological ways to retain basic mandarin with language learning such as using images, spaced repetition systems (SRS) and instant feedback to improve retention of any language.

How long does it take to learn the basics of Mandarin?

Two elements that contribute to the time taken to learn basic mandarin are the frequency of practice and learning methods used.

Completing 1 semester at LTL Mandarin School a low-level student could expect to pass HSK 3.

How can I speak basic Chinese?

Mandarin is a tonal language. Achieving speaking basic Chinese would involve several hours practising tones, initials and finals.

From this point, learners would be able to verbalise correctly basic mandarin words.

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⭐ Download our free ebook, your starter pack of essential Mandarin learning resources!

BONUS || Want to study Chinese with us in China? Why not check out our group and individual classes here

Basic Mandarin 📣 105 Simple Phrases To Make Your Life Easier