Mandarin for Tourists - Essential Travel Phrases

100 flashcards · Beginner · Language Learning

Master essential Mandarin vocabulary and phrases for tourists. Learn greetings, food ordering, directions, and basic conversations for your China travel.

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吃

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Food & Dining

Eat

吃

Pronunciation

chī

What you'll learn

Navigate Chinese cities confidently
Order authentic local food easily
Understand basic directions clearly
Engage in simple conversations

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Food & Dining · 25

吃/ chī /: Eat
喝/ hē /: Drink
米饭/ mǐ fàn /: Rice
面条/ miàn tiáo /: Noodles
咖啡/ kā fēi /: Coffee
啤酒/ pí jiǔ /: Beer
菜单/ cài dān /: Menu
辣/ là /: Spicy
不辣/ bú là /: Not spicy
甜/ tián /: Sweet
咸/ xián /: Salty
饭店/ fàn diàn /: Restaurant
筷子/ kuài zi /: Chopsticks
碗/ wǎn /: Bowl
饿/ è /: Hungry
渴/ kě /: Thirsty
冰/ bīng /: Ice
热/ rè /: Hot (temperature)
肉/ ròu /: Meat
汤/ tāng /: Soup
点菜/ diǎn cài /: Order food
水/ shuǐ /: Water
茶/ chá /: Tea
买单/ mǎi dān /: Bill/Check
菜/ cài /: Dish/Vegetable

Greetings · 9

你好/ nǐ hǎo /: Hello
谢谢/ xiè xie /: Thank you
不客气/ bú kè qì /: You're welcome
对不起/ duì bu qǐ /: Sorry
没关系/ méi guān xi /: It's okay/No problem
再见/ zài jiàn /: Goodbye
早上/ zǎo shàng /: Morning
晚上/ wǎn shàng /: Evening
慢走/ màn zǒu /: Take care (lit. walk slowly)

Basic Courtesy · 4

请/ qǐng /: Please
是/ shì /: Yes/Is/Are
不/ bù /: No/Not
我/ wǒ /: I/Me

Transportation · 10

地铁/ dì tiě /: Subway
公交/ gōng jiāo /: Bus
火车站/ huǒ chē zhàn /: Train station
机场/ jī chǎng /: Airport
酒店/ jiǔ diàn /: Hotel
停/ tíng /: Stop
到/ dào /: Arrive/To
站/ zhàn /: Station/Stop
票/ piào /: Ticket
出租车/ chū zū chē /: Taxi

Directions · 15

左/ zuǒ /: Left
右/ yòu /: Right
前/ qián /: Front/Forward
后/ hòu /: Back/Behind
走/ zǒu /: Go/Walk
那里/ nà lǐ /: There
远/ yuǎn /: Far
近/ jìn /: Near
路/ lù /: Road/Route
入口/ rù kǒu /: Entrance
直走/ zhí zǒu /: Go straight
拐/ guǎi /: Turn
哪里/ nǎ lǐ /: Where?
这里/ zhè lǐ /: Here
出口/ chū kǒu /: Exit

Shopping · 9

多少钱/ duō shǎo qián /: How much?
买/ mǎi /: Buy
钱/ qián /: Money
贵/ guì /: Expensive
大/ dà /: Big
小/ xiǎo /: Small
元/ yuán /: Yuan (currency unit)
便宜/ pián yi /: Cheap
商店/ shāng diàn /: Shop

Numbers · 11

一/ yī /: One
二/ èr /: Two
三/ sān /: Three
四/ sì /: Four
五/ wǔ /: Five
六/ liù /: Six
七/ qī /: Seven
八/ bā /: Eight
九/ jiǔ /: Nine
十/ shí /: Ten
百/ bǎi /: Hundred

Common Questions · 2

什么/ shén me /: What?
怎么/ zěn me /: How?

Common Phrases · 8

可以/ kě yǐ /: Can/May
有/ yǒu /: Have/There is
懂/ dǒng /: Understand
不懂/ bù dǒng /: Don't understand
帮助/ bāng zhù /: Help
厕所/ cè suǒ /: Toilet/Restroom
请问/ qǐng wèn /: Excuse me/May I ask
没有/ méi yǒu /: Don't have/There isn't

Emergency · 3

医生/ yī shēng /: Doctor
医院/ yī yuàn /: Hospital
紧急/ jǐn jí /: Emergency

Time · 4

现在/ xiàn zài /: Now
明天/ míng tiān /: Tomorrow
时间/ shí jiān /: Time
今天/ jīn tiān /: Today

Mandarin for Tourists - Essential Travel Phrases

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Frequently asked questions

Why should I learn basic Mandarin for my trip to China?

Learning essential Mandarin for tourists significantly enhances your travel experience. It allows you to connect with locals, navigate more easily, order food confidently, and avoid common misunderstandings, making your China travel more enriching and less stressful.

Is 100 flashcards enough to get by as a tourist in China?

Yes, this set of 100 flashcards focuses on the most crucial Mandarin travel phrases and vocabulary. It covers common tourist situations like greetings, ordering food, asking for directions, shopping, and handling emergencies, providing a solid foundation for your trip.

How do these flashcards help with Mandarin pronunciation for tourists?

Each flashcard includes Pinyin, the phonetic system for Mandarin Chinese, which guides your pronunciation. Focusing on practical, conversational phrases, this set helps you speak and understand essential Chinese phrases quickly, even without deep linguistic study.

Can I use these essential Mandarin phrases outside of mainland China?

Absolutely! While tailored for mainland China, these essential Mandarin phrases are widely understood in many Chinese-speaking regions and communities around the world, including Hong Kong (with some dialect differences), Singapore, Malaysia, and Chinatowns globally. It's a great foundation for any Chinese-speaking environment.