What Mandarin do I actually need to get around?
Short answer
You can manage on about twenty phrases and a translation app. Learn the numbers first, then how to ask what something costs, how to say what you do not eat, and how to ask for help.
The ones you will use every day
| English | Mandarin | Roughly |
|---|---|---|
| Hello | 你好 | nee-how |
| Thank you | 谢谢 | shyeh-shyeh |
| How much? | 多少钱？ | dwor-shaow chyen |
| Too expensive | 太贵了 | tie gway luh |
| I don’t understand | 我不懂 | wor boo dong |
| I don’t speak Chinese | 我不会说中文 | wor boo hway shwor jong-wen |
| Where is the toilet? | 洗手间在哪里？ | shee-show-jyen dzai na-lee |
| This one | 这个 | jay-guh |
| No thank you | 不用了，谢谢 | boo yong luh, shyeh-shyeh |
Food, which is where it gets personal
| English | Mandarin |
|---|---|
| I don’t eat pork | 我不吃猪肉 |
| No meat | 不要肉 |
| Not spicy | 不要辣 |
| A little spicy | 微辣 |
| Is there halal food? | 有清真食品吗？ |
Halal food is easier to find than people expect. Look for 清真 on a sign; there are Muslim-run restaurants near most large universities and through parts of Futian.
When something goes wrong
| English | Mandarin |
|---|---|
| Help | 救命 |
| Please call the police | 请报警 |
| Please call an ambulance | 请叫救护车 |
| I want to contact my consulate | 我要联系我的领事馆 |
| Please find someone who speaks English | 请找会说英语的人 |
Screenshot these five into your photo album so you can reach them without a network. They are also on the emergency page, set large enough to hold up to a stranger.
Tones, briefly
Mandarin has four tones and you will get them wrong for a long time. Say the phrase anyway, because context does most of the work and people are generous with someone who is trying.
Also asked
Will people speak English?
Often in universities, international companies and large hotels. Much less in the market, the clinic, the police station and the noodle shop, and those are the places where a few phrases save you.
Which translation app works in China?
Pleco for looking up a character you are staring at, and Baidu Translate or the translation built into WeChat for a conversation. Google Translate does not work on Chinese networks.