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 Play 你好 (nǐ hǎo), meaning “hello,” and Play 谢谢 (xièxiè), meaning “thank you,” along with many other practical phrases for common scenarios.

Whether you’re asking for directions with Play 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.

⬇️⬇️⬇️ Basic Mandarin Quiz ⬇️⬇️⬇️

Basic Mandarin Greetings

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

Time-Related Phrases in Chinese

Asking Questions in Chinese

Basic Mandarin Numbers

Want to go all the way to a million? Listen to all the numbers 

Learn the numbers in Chinese here.

Places in Chinese

Vehicles in Chinese

Check out our useful tips for learning a language

Directions in Chinese

Learn the directions in Chinese here.

Likes and Dislikes in Chinese

Ordering in Chinese

Make sure your pronouncing your initials and finals correctly.

Food in Chinese

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

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

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

Help in Chinese

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.

Basic Mandarin || Quiz

[qsm quiz=7]

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 || FAQs

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