9 Chinese Phrases for Travel: PLUS Chinese for Planes & Trains

Q: How do you say Travel in Chinese?

Travel in Chinese is 旅行 lǚxíng .

Q: How do you say Passport in Chinese?

Passport in Chinese is 护照 hùzhào.

Chinese for Travel: Essential Phrases & Vocab to Explore China with AUDIO 🔉

No matter your Chinese level, if you’re working or studying in China, chances are you’ll find yourself traveling around the country.

Whether you’re heading to the Great Wall or exploring the beaches of Beihai, having some essential travel vocabulary will make your journey smoother.

But don’t worry—we’ve got you covered with key Chinese travel phrases to help you navigate any challenges along the way!

And remember, travel isn’t just about reaching a destination—it’s an incredible opportunity to practice Chinese, meet new people, and gain unforgettable experiences. Don’t let your language level hold you back—China is full of wonders waiting to be explored!

Chinese for Travel – 9 Survival Phrases
Chinese for Travel – Tickets
Chinese for Travel – Trains
Chinese for Travel – Flights
Chinese for Travel – FAQ’s

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Chinese for Travel – 9 Survival Phrases

If you’re travelling to China, knowing a few essential phrases can make your trip much smoother. Here are nine must-know Chinese phrases to help you navigate everyday situations with ease!

^Xièxiè

谢谢

_{Thank you.}

A must-know phrase for showing gratitude in any situation!

^{X zài nǎlǐ?}

X 在哪里？

_{Where is X?}

Replace X with whatever you’re looking for, like 地铁站 (dìtiě zhàn – subway station) or 酒店 (jiǔdiàn – hotel).

^{Duōshǎo qián?}

多少钱？

_{How much does this cost?}

Essential for shopping, dining, or haggling in markets.

^{Nǐ huì shuō Yīngyǔ ma?}

你会说英语吗？

_{Can you speak English?}

Useful when you need some English explanations!

^{Yǒu méiyǒu Yīngwén càidān?}

有没有英文菜单？

_{Do you have an English menu?}

Helpful for ordering food if you can’t read Chinese characters.

^{Bù yào, xièxiè}

不要，谢谢

_{No, thank you.}

Helpful for ordering food if you can’t read Chinese characters.

^{Bù yào, xièxiè}

不要，谢谢

_{No, thank you.}

Perfect for politely declining something, whether it’s street vendors, an unwanted service, or extra spice on your food!

^{Wǒ yào zhège}

我要这个

_{I want this one.}

Perfect for ordering food or buying something when you don’t know the name. Just point and say this!

^{Kěyǐ bāng wǒ pāizhào ma?}

可以帮我拍照吗？

_{Can you take a picture for me?}

Did you REALLY visit the Great Wall if you didn’t get a picture for Instagram?

^{Xǐshǒujiān zài nǎlǐ?}

洗手间在哪里？

_{Where is the restroom?}

A polite and commonly used way to ask for a bathroom in China.

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Chinese for Travel – Buying Tickets

Whilst most tickets can now be bought on apps, sometimes you’ll still have to head to the counter and do it the old-fashioned way!

First things first, the word for ticket in Mandarin Chinese is 票 piào 🎟️

Here are some phrases to make buying your ticket a little smoother:

^{Wǒ xiǎng dìng zhāng dānchéng piào.}

我想订张单程票

_{I would like to book a one-way ticket.}

^{Wǒ xiǎng dìng wǎngfǎn piào}

我想订张往返票.

_{I would like to book a return ticket.}

^{Wǒ yào mǎi yì zhāng piào}

我要买一张票

_{I would like to buy a ticket.}

^{How much is a ticket to… ?}

一张到…的票多少钱?

_{Yī zhāng dào… de piào duōshǎo qián?}

Other important information you’ll need to know is your departure date ( 出发日期 ; chūfā rìqī) and return date ( 返回日期 ; fǎnhuí rìqī). The departure station ( 出发站 ; chūfā zhàn) and the arrival station ( 到达站 ; dàodá zhàn) are also very important.

Top Tip: make sure to buy your tickets in advance, especially before the major Chinese national holidays, because they tend to sell out fast!

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Chinese for Travel – Trains

If you want to know more about train travel in China, check out our guides to China’s High-Speed Rail and Chinese sleeper trains.

When you are buying your ticket, make sure you know the words for hard sleeper ( 硬卧 ; yìng wò) and the soft sleeper ( 软卧 ; ruǎn wò) tickets.

We definitely strongly recommend sleeper beds for longer journeys.

There’s no big difference between a soft and hard sleeper bed where beds are concerned, except that the soft one is a bit more spacious, and of course more expensive.

So if budget is an issue, you can buy your ticket for the hard sleeper bed.

Note: When you buy the sleeper ticket, you can get either the upper ( 上铺 shàng pù), middle ( 中铺 zhōng pù) or lower berth ( 下铺 xià pù).

There are also the soft seat ( 软座 ruănzuò), the hard seat ( 硬座 yìng zuò) and the standing ticket ( 无座 wú zuò) options.

Some other phrases you might find useful are:

🚂 Take the train 坐火车 (zuò huǒchē)

🚅 High speed rail 高铁 (gāotiě)

Useful sentences for train travel

^{Where is the train station?}

火车站在哪儿?

_{Huǒchēzhàn zàinǎr?}

^{When does the train leave?}

火车几点出发?

_{Huǒchē jǐdiǎn chūfā?}

^{When does the train arrive?}

火车几点到?

_{Huǒchē jǐdiǎn dào?}

^{The train is running late}

火车晚点了.

_{Huǒchē wǎndiǎn le.}

^{Where are the ticket machines?}

售票机在哪里?

_{Shòupiàojī zài nǎlǐ?}

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Chinese for Travel – Flights

Before your flight, you will need to buy your plane ticket ( 飞机票 fēijī piào), be it one-way ( 单程票 dānchéng piào) or return ( 往返票 wǎngfǎn piào).

Once you get to the airport ( 飞机场 fēijī chǎng) and check-in your luggage ( 托运行李 tuōyùn xínglǐ), the staff will give you the boarding pass ( 登机牌 dēngjīpái).

Some other words that you will find very useful are:

English	Chinese	Pinyin
Baggage/luggage	行李	xínglǐ
Passport	护照	hùzhào
Boarding gate	登机口	dēngjīkǒu
Check in	登记	dēngjì
Transfer	转机	zhuǎnjī
Window seat	靠窗户的座位	kào chuānghu de zuòwèi
Aisle seat	靠过道的座位	kào guòdào de zuòwèi
Hand luggage	手提行李	shǒu tí xínglǐ
Shuttle bus	机场摆渡车	jīchǎng bǎidù chē
Visa	签证	qiānzhèng
Flight attendant	空姐	kōngjiě

Useful Sentences for Plane Travel in Chinese:

^{Zuì hǎo shì kào chuānghu de zuòwei}

最好是靠窗户的座位

_{I’d prefer a window seat.}

^{Hángbān jǐdiǎn qǐfēi?}

航班几点起飞?

_{When does the flight depart?}

^{Hángbān jǐdiǎn dào?}

航班几点到?

_{When does the flight arrive?}

^{Wǒmen shénme shíhòu jiàngluò?}

我们什么时候降落?

_{When are we going to land?}

After all that vocabulary, we hope you’re feeling a bit more prepared for your China travels.

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China High-Speed Rail

Find out more about travelling via the high-speed train in China with our complete guide.

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Escape the city with our list of the five best day trips from Beijing!

How to Travel in China

What’s the best way to travel in China, is it by train, plane or something else? Check out this blog to see what will work best for you.

Chinese for Travel – FAQ’s

How do you say Travel in Chinese?

Travel in Chinese is 旅行 lǚxíng.

How do you say Passport in Chinese?

Passport in Chinese is 护照 hùzhào.

Can I travel in China if I do not speak Chinese?

Yes sure you can but you may stumble across some difficulties at times depending on your luck with a ticket officer for example.

Generally people will not speak English but in cities like Shanghai, Shenzhen and Beijing you may have more luck.

That said, this should not put you off travelling to China.

Are Chinese trains efficient?

China’s trains are some of the world most efficient and effective. Quick, always on time and incredibly smooth.

You can travel huge distances in a fraction of the time you can in most countries.

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9 Chinese Phrases for Travel: PLUS Chinese for Planes & Trains