What Chinese do I need to know for a road trip in China?
None. But a few words are welcome and useful, so here are the ten to learn, with the pronunciation written out, and fifty more grouped by situation for the fuel stop, the hotel desk and the restaurant.
None. You do not need Chinese to drive in China. Amap (高德地图, the Chinese Google Maps) gives every instruction in English, a translator app on your phone handles menus and signs, and hotels used to foreign guests manage check-in without a word. The apps are all in Getting your phone ready for a China road trip.
If you would like to learn a few words, they are useful as well as welcome. People in China are genuinely happy when a visitor tries, whatever the pronunciation, and at a fuel pump or a village restaurant where nobody speaks English, a few words get things done faster than a phone. A nǐ hǎo at the fuel pump and a xièxie at the hotel desk change the mood of the whole exchange. These ten, said slowly with a smile, get you through a fuel stop, a hotel desk and a restaurant, and people meet you more than halfway.
Ordering a coffee at a roadside stop, using simple Chinese phrases
The ten to learn
| English | Pinyin | Say it like | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hello | nǐ hǎo | nee how | 你好 |
| Thank you | xièxie | shyeh-shyeh | 谢谢 |
| Sorry | duìbuqǐ | dway-boo-chee | 对不起 |
| Refuel | jiāyóu | jyah-yoh | 加油 |
| Charge the car | chōngdiàn | chong dyen | 充电 |
| Where can I park? | zài nǎlǐ tíngchē | dzai nah-lee ting-chuh | 在哪里停车？ |
| Check in | bànlǐ rùzhù | bahn-lee roo-joo | 办理入住 |
| I want this one | wǒ yào zhège | waw yow juh-guh | 我要这个 |
| How much is it? | duōshao qián | dwaw-shaow chyen | 多少钱？ |
| I don't understand | wǒ tīng bù dǒng | waw ting boo dong | 我听不懂 |
How to read the "Say it like" column: ü is the French u in "tu" or the German ü, said with rounded lips. shr and jr are "sh" and "j" with no vowel after them, as in the start of "shrug". dz and ts are one sound, as at the end of "adds" and "cats". ow is as in "how", uh as in "the".
The marks on the vowels in the Pinyin column are tones. Get them roughly right and you are understood; get them wrong and people still understand from the context.
Practise with any translation app that speaks: type the Chinese, tap the speaker, and repeat after it. Ten minutes on the plane is enough for the ten above.
Greetings and manners
| English | Pinyin | Say it like | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hello | nǐ hǎo | nee how | 你好 |
| Thank you | xièxie | shyeh-shyeh | 谢谢 |
| Sorry, excuse me | duìbùqǐ | dway-boo-chee | 对不起 |
| No problem | méi guānxi | may gwan-shee | 没关系 |
| OK / Not OK | hǎo / bù hǎo | how / boo how | 好 / 不好 |
| Goodbye | zàijiàn | dzai-jyen | 再见 |
| May I ask | qǐng wèn | ching wun | 请问 |
| Excuse me (to get attention) | bù hǎo yìsi | boo how ee-suh | 不好意思 |
The car, fuel and the road
| English | Pinyin | Say it like | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent a car | zū chē | dzoo chuh | 租车 |
| Pick up the car | qǔ chē | chü chuh | 取车 |
| Return the car | huán chē | hwan chuh | 还车 |
| Refuel | jiā yóu | jyah yo | 加油 |
| Fill it up | jiā mǎn | jyah mahn | 加满 |
| 200 yuan (an amount rather than a full tank) | liǎng bǎi | lyang by | 两百 |
| 92 octane / 95 octane | jiǔshí'èr hào / jiǔshíwǔ hào | jyo-shr-ar how / jyo-shr-woo how | 九十二号 / 九十五号 |
| Charge the car | chōngdiàn | chong dyen | 充电 |
| Manual lane (at a toll gate) | réngōng | run-gong | 人工 |
| Parking | tíngchēchǎng | ting-chuh-chahng | 停车场 |
| Toll station | shōufèizhàn | show-fay-jahn | 收费站 |
| Toilet | xǐshǒujiān | shee-show-jyen | 洗手间 |
| Service area | fúwùqū | foo-woo-chü | 服务区 |
| Exit | chūkǒu | choo-koh | 出口 |
At a petrol station the attendant asks 加满吗 (jiā mǎn ma, "jyah mahn mah"), "fill it up?". Answer 加满 (jiā mǎn) or an amount.
Hotels
| English | Pinyin | Say it like | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| Check in | rùzhù | roo-joo | 入住 |
| Check out | tuì fáng | tway fahng | 退房 |
| Reservation | yùdìng | yü-ding | 预订 |
| Passport | hùzhào | hoo-jow | 护照 |
| Entry stamp | rùjìng zhāng | roo-jing jahng | 入境章 |
| Room key | fáng kǎ | fahng kah | 房卡 |
| Breakfast | zǎocān | dzow-tsan | 早餐 |
| What time? | jǐ diǎn | jee dyen | 几点 |
| Where can I park? | nǎlǐ kěyǐ tíngchē | nah-lee kuh-yee ting-chuh | 哪里可以停车？ |
Directions
| English | Pinyin | Say it like | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| How do I get there? | zěnme zǒu | dzun-muh dzoh | 怎么走 |
| Where is it? | zài nǎlǐ | dzai nah-lee | 在哪里 |
| Turn left | zuǒ zhuǎn | dzwaw jwan | 左转 |
| Turn right | yòu zhuǎn | yo jwan | 右转 |
| Go straight | zhí zǒu | jr dzoh | 直走 |
| Stop for a moment | tíng yīxià | ting ee-shyah | 停一下 |
| Go back | huíqù | hway-chü | 回去 |
| Is it far? | yuǎn ma | ywen mah | 远吗 |
Eating and shopping
| English | Pinyin | Say it like | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| How much is it? | duōshǎo qián | dwaw-shao chyen | 多少钱 |
| Too expensive | tài guì le | tie gway luh | 太贵了 |
| Can it be cheaper? | piányí yīdiǎn kěyǐ ma | pyen-ee ee-dyen kuh-ee mah | 便宜一点可以吗 |
| Are you open now? | xiànzài yíngyè ma | shyen-dzai ying-yeh mah | 现在营业吗 |
| What do you recommend? | yǒu shénme cài tuījiàn | yo shun-muh tsai tway-jyen | 有什么菜推荐 |
| Not spicy | bú yào là | boo yow lah | 不要辣 |
| I want this one | wǒ yào zhège | waw yow juh-guh | 我要这个 |
| One / two | yī gè / liǎng gè | ee guh / lyang guh | 一个 / 两个 |
| Rice | mǐfàn | mee-fahn | 米饭 |
| Bottled water | kuàngquánshuǐ | kwahng-chwen-shway | 矿泉水 |
| The bill, please | mǎidān | my-dahn | 买单 |
| I only want vegetable dishes | wǒ zhǐ yào sùcài | waw jr yow soo-tsai | 我只要素菜 |
Joining a local pottery workshop without needing to speak much Chinese
Help and emergencies
| English | Pinyin | Say it like | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| Help me | bāng bāng wǒ | bahng bahng waw | 帮帮我 |
| The car has broken down | chē pāomáo le | chuh pow-mow luh | 车抛锚了 |
| There has been an accident | fāshēng shìgù le | fah-shung shr-goo luh | 发生事故了 |
| Call an ambulance | jiào jiùhùchē | jyow jyo-hoo-chuh | 叫救护车 |
| Hospital | yīyuàn | ee-ywen | 医院 |
| Pharmacy | yàodiàn | yow-dyen | 药店 |
| Police | jǐngchá | jing-chah | 警察 |
| Make a phone call | dǎ diànhuà | dah dyen-hwah | 打电话 |
| I feel unwell | wǒ bù shūfu | waw boo shoo-foo | 我不舒服 |
| I do not understand | wǒ tīng bù dǒng | waw ting boo dong | 我听不懂 |
Which translation app should I have?
One that works without Google. Microsoft Translator is not blocked in China, so it works on hotel Wi-Fi too, and WeChat has a translator built in: long-press a message to translate it, or point the camera at a menu. Google Translate works on a China eSIM but not on Wi-Fi. The setup for each, and the eSIM that keeps Google working, is in Getting your phone ready for a China road trip. On our itineraries, every hotel and stop carries its Chinese name, so you can show it rather than say it.
Questions we get asked
Will people understand my tones?
Mostly, from the context. A petrol station attendant hears "jia man" a hundred times a day. Say it slowly and point if needed, and if it still does not land, show the characters in the last column.
Is English spoken at hotels and restaurants?
At the big city hotels, yes. On the road, rarely. A translator app on your phone covers restaurants and hotels; some hotel staff speak English, and the hotel staff also uses WeChat messages to communicate with guests. We connect our clients with their hotels on WeChat before they arrive.
Should I learn to read characters?
Six are worth it for the road: 出口 (exit), 入口 (entrance), 服务区 (service area), 收费站 (toll station), 限速 (speed limit) and 禁止 (prohibited). They are on the road signs page, and Amap reads the place names for you, so these six are the whole list.
Next step
The signs those characters appear on, and the numbers to call when 帮帮我 is not enough.
