🇨🇳 Chinese Greetings & Basics
The polite essentials — hello, thank you, sorry. Twelve phrases that set the tone of every conversation you'll ever have. Read them below — then actually say them: recognising a phrase and producing it out loud are different skills, and only one helps you in the moment.
| English | Chinese | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| Hello | 你好 | nǐ hǎo |
| Good morning | 早上好 | zǎoshang hǎo |
| Good evening | 晚上好 | wǎnshang hǎo |
| Goodbye | 再见 | zàijiàn |
| Please | 请 | qǐng |
| Thank you | 谢谢 | xièxie |
| You're welcome | 不客气 | bú kèqi |
| Yes | 是 | shì |
| No | 不是 | bú shì |
| Excuse me | 不好意思 | bù hǎoyìsi |
| I'm sorry | 对不起 | duìbuqǐ |
| How are you? | 你好吗？ | nǐ hǎo ma? |
How to make these stick
- Say each phrase out loud three times — your mouth learns separately from your eyes.
- Rehearse the scene: imagine the café or the street corner and act out both sides.
- Then use them in a real conversation — Yap gives you a 30-second spoken role-play with an AI tutor that responds, corrects gently, and never judges.
More Chinese phrases
Ordering Food & DrinksAsking for DirectionsNumbers 1–10Shopping & MoneyEmergencies & HealthSmall Talk & IntroductionsDays & Telling TimeHotel & Check-in