Survival Chinese: 50 Essential Phrases Every Foreigner Needs in China
You don't need to be fluent in Mandarin to survive in China — but knowing a handful of key phrases will make your daily life dramatically easier. Most Chinese people you interact with (taxi drivers, restaurant staff, shop owners) speak little to no English, even in major cities like Shanghai and Beijing. Having 50 essential phrases in your back pocket turns stressful interactions into smooth ones.
This guide gives you the exact phrases you need, organized by real situations you'll face every day. Each phrase includes Chinese characters (so you can show your phone), pinyin (so you can attempt pronunciation), and the English meaning. You don't need to memorize all 50 on day one — bookmark this page and learn a few per scene as you need them.
In this guide
Quick Pronunciation Guide: The Four Tones
Mandarin Chinese is a tonal language — the same syllable can mean completely different things depending on the tone you use. There are four tones plus a neutral tone:
→ 1st tone (ā) — High and flat, like sustaining a musical note. Example: mā (妈) = mother
→ 2nd tone (á) — Rising, like asking "huh?" in English. Example: má (麻) = hemp
→ 3rd tone (ǎ) — Dips down then rises, like a drawn-out "well...". Example: mǎ (马) = horse
→ 4th tone (à) — Sharp falling, like a firm command. Example: mà (骂) = scold
Don't panic about tones. In context, Chinese speakers can usually understand you even if your tones aren't perfect. The more important thing is to try — locals genuinely appreciate the effort. When pronunciation fails, just show the Chinese characters on your phone screen.
1. Basic Greetings & Politeness
These are the phrases you'll use dozens of times a day. Start here.
Pro tip: In daily life, 不好意思 (bù hǎo yì si) is used far more often than 对不起 (duì bu qǐ). Use it when you need to get someone's attention, squeeze past someone, or make a minor social faux pas. It's the Swiss Army knife of Chinese politeness.
2. Transportation
Whether you're in a taxi, on the metro, or trying to find a bus stop, these phrases will get you where you need to go.
Taxi tip: Most taxi drivers in Shanghai don't speak English. Your best strategy: open your destination in Gaode Maps (高德地图) or Baidu Maps and show the driver your phone screen with the Chinese address. This works better than trying to pronounce the destination. For more on getting around, check our bilingual phrase templates.
3. Restaurant & Food
Eating out is one of the great joys of living in China, and these phrases will help you navigate everything from street food stalls to sit-down restaurants.
Ordering hack: In most restaurants, you can simply point at menu items and say 这个 (zhè ge — "this one"). Many restaurants also use QR code ordering from your phone, which you can run through a translator. For detailed food ordering phrases, check our bilingual templates.
4. Shopping
Whether you're at a street market, convenience store, or mall, these phrases cover the basics of buying things.
Haggling note: Bargaining is expected at markets and small shops, but never at malls, chain stores, or restaurants. Saying 太贵了 with a friendly smile is usually enough to start a negotiation. If you're at a fixed-price store, the price is the price.
5. Accommodation
For hotels, Airbnbs, and dealing with building management — these are the phrases you'll need when something goes right (or wrong) with your accommodation.
Many Chinese appliances and controls have buttons labeled only in Chinese. Our Chinese Button Translator guide covers washing machines, air conditioners, rice cookers, and more — invaluable when you move into your first apartment.
6. Medical
When you're not feeling well, these phrases help you communicate basic symptoms at a pharmacy or hospital.
Medical tip: Write down any allergies and current medications in Chinese before you need them. If you have serious allergies, carry a card that says 我对___过敏 (wǒ duì ___ guò mǐn — "I am allergic to ___"). Generate a bilingual card with our Emergency Card tool.
7. Emergency
Hopefully you'll never need these, but if you do, they're critical.
Emergency numbers:
→ 110 — Police
→ 120 — Ambulance
→ 119 — Fire
8. Numbers 1–10 & Basic Measure Words
Numbers are foundational — you need them for prices, addresses, phone numbers, and ordering quantities. Chinese also uses "measure words" between numbers and nouns (similar to saying "a piece of paper" or "a cup of coffee" in English, but for everything).
Essential measure words:
Number hack: When in doubt, just use 个 (gè) as your measure word. Chinese speakers will understand you even if it's technically the wrong measure word. Saying 两个咖啡 (liǎng gè kā fēi — "two coffees") instead of the correct 两杯咖啡 (liǎng bēi kā fēi) is perfectly understandable. Also note: when saying "two" of something, use 两 (liǎng) instead of 二 (èr).
9. Learning Tools & Translation Apps
Memorizing phrases is great, but you also need backup. Here are the tools that every foreigner in China relies on daily.
Must-Have Apps
→ Pleco — The best Chinese dictionary app, period. Look up words by typing English, pinyin, or drawing Chinese characters with your finger. The free version is excellent; the paid OCR add-on lets you point your camera at Chinese text for instant translation. Every foreigner in China has this app.
→ HelloChinese — The best app for learning Mandarin from scratch. Gamified lessons with speech recognition that actually works. Better than Duolingo for Chinese specifically because it teaches you to read characters and understand tones from day one.
→ Google Translate / Apple Translate — Useful for real-time conversation translation. Speak in English, and it speaks back in Chinese (and vice versa). Works offline if you download the Chinese language pack first. Note: Google Translate requires a VPN in China, while Apple Translate does not.
→ WeChat built-in translator — Long-press any Chinese text message in WeChat and tap "Translate" to get an English translation. This is incredibly useful for reading messages from landlords, delivery drivers, and anyone else who texts you in Chinese.
For our complete guide to essential apps, check the Apps Guide.
Camera Translation: Your Secret Weapon
One of the most practical skills in China is using your phone's camera to translate Chinese text in real time. This works for restaurant menus, street signs, product labels, and those mysterious buttons on your washing machine. Pleco's OCR feature (paid add-on, around $10) is the gold standard, but Google Lens and Apple's built-in camera translation also work well. For common appliance buttons specifically, bookmark our Chinese Button Translator — it covers every button you'll encounter in a Chinese apartment.
The "Show Your Phone" Strategy
Here's the most important Chinese learning tip nobody tells you: you don't always need to speak Chinese — you just need to show it. Keep key phrases saved in your phone's notes app. When you need to communicate something specific (your address, an allergy, a request), just show the screen. Most interactions in China — taxis, restaurants, shopping — can be handled by pointing at Chinese text on your phone. This is not cheating; this is how millions of foreigners navigate daily life in China successfully.
Build your phrase book: Our Bilingual Phrase Templates are organized by scene (taxi, hotel, restaurant, hospital) with copy-paste Chinese text ready to show on your phone. Save them as screenshots for offline access.
Disclaimer: Pinyin romanizations and translations are simplified for practical use by beginners. Tonal marks are included for reference but some phrases may have tone changes (tone sandhi) in natural speech. Language is living and regional variations exist — these phrases are based on standard Mandarin (普通话) as spoken in Shanghai and major Chinese cities. Last updated April 2026.
Found this helpful?
Language is just one piece of the puzzle. Our First 72 Hours guide walks you through everything you need to do when you land in China — from SIM cards and payments to police registration and getting around.
Start your first 72 hours checklist →