150 Basic Chinese Words & Phrases to Jumpstart Your Journey

Foundations: Start Mastering Basic Chinese Words

Learning Chinese vocabulary is only one (albeit very important) aspect of communicating in this language. If you’re learning Mandarin, it’s best to start with basic Chinese words first.

In the vocabulary lists we’ve compiled, we’ve included the pinyin transcription, which can help you nail Mandarin pronunciation, in addition to the English translation.

However, a simple tonal error in spoken Chinese can transform the meaning of your words! So we encourage you to search for quality recordings of Chinese pronunciation and train yourself to repeat what you hear. You can use the online dictionary Forvo to search for audio clips of words you’re uncertain about.

It’s a good idea to start listening to spoken Chinese as early as possible because the language is so different from English.

Greetings

Salutations are the central aspect of beginning any new conversation. In general, people simply won’t speak to you if you don’t approach them with a minimum of courtesy. So knowing how to greet someone is very important!

Keep in mind that these phrases are just the basic Chinese words that you’ll need if you’re traveling or having a conversation with a native speaker. These are, in our opinion, the most important Chinese words to know.

English	Mandarin	Pinyin Transcription
Hello	你好！	Nǐ hǎo!
Hello (polite)	您好！	Nín hǎo!
Hello (to more than one person)	你们好	Nǐ men hǎo
Good evening	晚上好！	Wǎn shang hǎo!
Goodnight	晚安	Wǎn ān
Goodbye	再见！	Zài jiàn!
See you later	回见	Huí jiàn
How are you? (informal)	你好吗？	Nǐ hǎo ma?
I'm very well. Thank you!	我很好。谢谢你！	Wǒ hěn hǎo. Xiè xie nǐ!
What's your name?	你叫什么名字？	Nǐ jiào shén me míng zi?
My name is…	我是… / 我叫…	Wǒ shì… / Wǒ jiào…

If you’re a tourist, 您好 and 你好吗? are the two most simple ways to say “hello” and “how are you?” However, they are both fairly formal. As you begin to master the foundations of Mandarin vocabulary, you can branch out and use other manners of greeting people.

Polite phrases

English	Chinese	Pinyin
Please	请问	Qǐng wèn
Thank you	谢谢	Xiè xie
You're welcome	不用谢	Bú yòng xiè
Pardon/Excuse me	对不起	Duì bu qǐ
Good luck!	祝你好运!	Zhù nǐ hǎo yùn!
I'm sorry.	对不起。	Duì bu zhù.
It's not a big deal.	没关系。	Méi guān xi.

Important Chinese words for a first conversation

This is not meant to be an exhaustive Chinese travel guide, but rather a quick reference of the most common Mandarin phrases to prepare you for a successful first conversation. You won’t get very far without some of these everyday phrases, so this kind of focused vocabulary list can be very useful!

English	Chinese	Pinyin
I don't understand (anything).*	我听不懂。	Wǒ tīng bù dǒng.
I don't understand (what you're saying).**	我不明白。	Wǒ bù míng bai.
Could you repeat, please?	请您再说一次？	Qǐng nín zài shuō yī cì?
I don't know how to speak Chinese.	我不会说中文。	Wǒ bù huì shuō zhōng wén.
I don't speak Chinese well.	我的中文不太好。	Wǒ de zhōng wén bú tài hǎo.
Speak slower, please!	请讲慢一点！	Qǐng jiǎng màn yī diǎn!
I am learning Chinese.	我在学习中文。	Wǒ zǎi xué xí zhōng wén.
What does that mean?	这是什么意思？	Zhè shì shén me yì si?
What is that/this?	这是什么？	Zhè shì shén me?
What is your nationality?	你是哪国人？	Nǐ shì nǎ guó rén?
I am American.	我是美国人。	Wǒ shì měi guó rén.

*This phrase means that you didn’t understand a word someone said. This would be useful if it’s the first time you’re going to China and you haven’t learned much of the language yet.
**On the other hand, this phrase simply means that you didn’t catch a word or you missed a detail, but that you would like to continue the conversation in Chinese.

 

Family

Talking about your family in Mandarin can be very interesting. Each person has their own identifying name that reflects their specific place in the family tree.

You wouldn’t talk about simply your “brother” for example, but rather your “big brother” or your “little brother.” The same idea extends to grandparents – you must specify whether you’re talking about the maternal or paternal side because there are special names for each. Every person has a particular name for their role in the family.

Here, you’ll find a Chinese word list with the basic relationships.

English	Chinese	Pinyin
family	家庭	jiā tíng
family members	家人	jiā rén
(the) mother	母亲	mǔ qīn
Mom	妈妈	mā ma
(the) father	父亲	fù qin
Dad	爸爸	bà ba
child/children	孩子 / 孩子们	háizi / háizimen
daughter	女儿	nǚ ér
son	儿子	ér zi
little brother	弟弟	dì di
big brother	哥哥	gēge
little sister	妹妹	mèimei
big sister	姐姐	jiějie
husband	丈夫	zhàngfū
wife	妻子	qī zi
stepmother	后妈	hòu mā
stepfather	后爸	hòu bà
step-brother	继兄弟	jì xiōngdì
step-sister	继姐妹	jì jiěmèi

Of course, there are also cousins, aunts, uncles, in-laws, nieces, and nephews. But as I mentioned above, they’ll all have their own specific name. It depends if they are on your mother’s side or your father’s side, and if they are older or younger than you.

For example, your maternal aunt (for this example, let’s say the wife of your mother’s brother) will have a totally different name than your paternal aunt (your father’s little sister).

It is easiest to learn them (and use them) little by little, depending on your needs. Start with each of the roles in your own family. That way you can ease into it. And don’t worry – even native speakers get tripped up sometimes!

 

Food and drink

Here you’ll find one of the most important Chinese vocabulary lists (in our opinion!). To learn more about the names of specific fruits, vegetables, and condiments, and how to order food in a restaurant, be sure to download our Mandarin app.

English	Chinese	Pinyin
fruits	果实	guǒ shí
vegetables	蔬菜	shū cài
meat	肉	ròu
fish	鱼	yú
noodles	面条	miàn tiáo
rice	米饭	mǐ fàn
I'm hungry!	我饿了!	Wǒ è le!
I'm thirsty!	我口渴!	Wǒ kǒu kě!
breakfast	早饭	zǎofàn
lunch	午饭	wǔfàn
dinner	吃晚饭	chī wǎnfàn
chopsticks	筷子	kuài zi
It's very good!	很好吃!	Hěn hǎo chī!
Bon appétit!***	开动!	Kāi dòng!
Cheers!	干杯!	Gān bēi!
What would you like to eat?	你想吃什么?	Nǐ xiǎng chī shénme?
What would you like to drink?	你想喝点什么?	Nǐ xiǎng hē diǎn shénme?

*** 开动! literally means “Attack!” It’s used in Chinese as an equivalent to “bon appétit” or “dig in!” when it’s time for everyone to eat.

 

Dates and times

Giving the date and time in Chinese is fairly straightforward. All you need to know are the characters or pinyin for the words “day” and “month,” as well as the numbers in Chinese. Everything stems from those terms. Here is the basic vocabulary you’ll need.

English	Chinese	Pinyin
day	日 (formal) / 号 (informal)	rì / hào
month	月	yuè
year	年	nián
week	星期	xīngqī
Monday	星期一	xīngqī yī
Tuesday	星期二	xīngqī èr
Wednesday	星期三	xīngqī sān
Thursday	星期四	xīngqī sì
Friday	星期五	xīngqī wǔ
Saturday	星期六	xīngqī liù
Sunday	星期日	xīngqī rì
January	一月	yī yuè
February	二月	èr yuè
March	三月	sān yuè
April	四月	sì yuè
May	五月	wǔ yuè
June	六月	liù yuè
July	七月	qī yuè
August	八月	bā yuè
September	九月	jiǔ yuè
October	十月	shí yuè
November	十一月	shíyī yuè
December	十二月	shí’èr yuè
What time is it?	现在几点?	Xiànzài jǐ diǎn?
time	点	diǎn
today	今天	jīntiān
yesterday	昨天	zuótiān
tomorrow	明天	míngtiān
morning	上午	shàngwǔ
noon	中午	zhōngwǔ
afternoon	下午	xiàwǔ
evening	晚上	wǎnshàng

 

Most common Chinese verbs

Some verbs can be used very differently depending on their context. For example, “can” in English might have three different uses: to be capable of doing something, to ask permission, or even as a synonym for “willing to do something.” In Mandarin, there are three unique characters to describe these situations.

Auxiliary verbs

• to be – 是 shì / to be someplace – 在 zài

We use 是 when talking about things like nationality or occupation.

For example: 我是美国人 (wǒ shì měi guó rén), means “I am American.”

In Chinese, you won’t place the verb “to be” before an adjective. Instead, you’ll use another adjective. For example, “to say “he is tall,” you’ll say “he – (very) – tall.”

Finally, to specify your location, you’ll use 在 (zài), as in 我在学校 (wǒ zài xué xiào), literally, “I – to be at – school.”

• to have – 有 yǒu

Unlike 是 and other verbs, the negation of 有 is done with 没, as in 没有 (méi yǒu). What’s more, it’s never used with an adjective, but rather to express possession.

For example, to say “I’m hungry,” you’d say 我饿 (wǒ è), literally “I – (to have) hunger.”

The same is true for giving your age in Chinese – you’ll say “I – 25 – years.”

Modal verbs

• to want – 想  xiǎng (in the sense “I’d like…”) / 要 yào
• can – 会  huì (capability) / 能 néng (possibility) / 可以  kě yǐ (permission)

会 is also used in the context of having special skills or training. 能 is used in the sense of being willing to do something. And finally, 可以 is used in cases of asking or giving permission to do something. For example:

Can you (= do you know how to) speak Chinese? – 你会说中文吗？Nǐ huì shuō Zhōngwén ma？

I can (= it’s possible for me to) come on Saturday – 我星期六能来 Wǒ xīngqíliù néng lái

I can (= it’s allowed; my parents gave me permission) come on Saturday – 我星期六可以来 Wǒ xīngqíliù kě yǐ lái

• have to/must – 得 děi

Common regular verbs

English	Chinese	Pinyin
to make (to create)	做	zuò
to watch	看	kàn
to take (with you)	带	dài
to take (with your hands)	拿	ná
to know (to understand)	知道	zhī dào
to know (to be acquainted with)	认识	rèn shi
to go	去	qù
to think (to be of a certain opinion)	认为	rèn wéi
to sell	卖	mài
to buy	买	mǎi
to study	学习	xuéxí

 

Travel

Again, in our opinion, this is another list of important Chinese words that we hope you’re able to make use of!

English	Chinese	Pinyin
to travel	旅行	lǚ xíng
luggage	行李	xíng lǐ
departure/arrival	出发 / 到达	chū fā / dào dá
passport	护照	hù zhào
plane ticket	飞机票	fēijī piào
boarding pass	登机证	dēng jī zhèng
ticket machine	取票	qǔpiào
Where are you going?	你要去哪里?	Nǐ yào qù nǎlǐ?
(the) car	汽车	qì chē
(the) metro	地铁	dì tiě
(the) plane	飞机	fēijī
reserve a hotel room	订房	dìng fáng

 

In case of emergency

And just in case…

English	Chinese	Pinyin
Be careful!	小心	xiǎo xīn
Help!	救命	jiù mìng
Can I borrow your phone, please?	我可以借你的电话吗?	Wǒ kě yǐ jiè nǐ de diànhuà ma?
It hurts here.	我这里疼。	Wǒ zhè li téng.
I have to go to the hospital.	我必须去医院 。	Wǒ bì xū qù yī yuàn.
I'm sick.	我病了。	Wǒ bìng le.
Where is the pharmacy?	药店在哪里?	Yào diàn zài nǎ lǐ?
Can I see a doctor?	我可以看医生吗?	Wǒ kě yǐ kàn yī shēng ma?

 

How to Learn Chinese Words

If you want to learn new Chinese words and phrases efficiently, you’ll have to memorize the foundations. To start, you can use our Chinese vocabulary app.

Study both the characters and pinyin at the same time. If you plan to go to China, you’ll need to be able to recognize and read the characters. As for pinyin, that will help you type words on a keyboard. Once you’ve learned words, use them in context as much as possible!

And remember – just because we use the word “study” doesn’t mean this has to be boring! Find a way to make the process fun for you: work on drawing characters as you learn them (because the order does matter!), watch videos or films, chat with language partners, etc.

Whatever you do, just make sure that you’re enjoying the learning process!

A few tips for learning Chinese words and phrases

Now, the question is: how can you integrate learning into your daily life (and also keep it fun)? Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Stick post-it notes on different objects while you’re learning their names in Mandarin. If you’re working in words for animals or family members, just stick the note on a photograph! Seeing words regularly and associating them visually with the object they represent is a very effective technique.
• Once you’ve learned basic Chinese vocab, we strongly recommend that you get out there and find a conversation partner. You can even ask them to incorporate the words you’re learning into your conversations.
• Finally, listen to podcasts, music, and books on tape, watch movies or short videos, read books, etc. The more exposure you give yourself, the more your vocabulary will grow!

 

Next Steps

If you enjoyed this article, be sure to check out:

• Tools and Techniques for Learning to Speak Mandarin
• Beginner’s Guide to Chinese Grammar