Chinese Language Basics for Travellers: Numbers, Directions, Food and Bargaining

How pinyin actually sounds

Mandarin is a tonal language: the same syllable spoken at a different pitch is a different word. The standard demonstration is ma, which is four different words depending on tone — mother, hemp, horse, scold. Mandarin has four main tones plus a neutral one, and the marks above the vowels (ā á ǎ à) tell you which is which.

Here is the reassuring part: for travellers, tones are forgiving. Context, pointing and the fact that people are used to foreigners speaking tonelessly fill in most of the gaps. Nobody will hand you the wrong dish because you flattened a vowel.

• q sounds like "ch" as in cheese, qǐng → "ching"
• x is a soft "sh", xièxie → "shyeh-shyeh"
• zh sounds like "j" as in judge, zhè → "juh"
• c sounds like "ts" as in cats, cài → "tsai"
• r sits between an English "r" and "zh", rén → a soft "ren"
• ü is "ee" with rounded lips, lǜ → "lyoo"

One pronunciation quirk you will hear constantly: when two third-tone syllables meet, the first one shifts to a rising tone. So nǐ hǎo is written with two dipping tones but spoken closer to "ní hǎo". Do not try to fix it, just say it the way you hear it.

Numbers: the highest-value ten minutes you will spend

Chinese numbers build by stacking. Eleven is "ten-one", twenty is "two-ten", twenty-five is "two-ten-five". Learn the ten digits plus shí (ten) and bǎi (hundred) and you can hear and say any price you will meet in a shop.

Use liǎng instead of èr when counting things rather than reading a digit, "two bottles of water" is liǎng píng shuǐ. And when a price is quoted, listen for yìbǎi wǔ: "one hundred five" usually means 150, not 105, because the trailing unit is dropped in speech. If unsure, ask the vendor to show you the number on a calculator.

Getting around: directions and transport

The single most useful sentence pattern is ___ 在哪里?, "where is ___?" Say it as ___ zài nǎlǐ? and you can insert almost any place name, ideally with the destination shown in characters on your phone.

Ordering food

Menus in tourist areas usually have pictures or English. Elsewhere, pointing works. These are the phrases that add the details a picture cannot tell you.

• 我要这个, wǒ yào zhège, "I want this one." Point as you say it.
• 不要辣, bú yào là, "not spicy." Useful across Sichuan, Hunan and much of the south; it is not rude to ask.
• 我吃素, wǒ chī sù, "I'm vegetarian." Note that many dishes are flavoured with meat stock, so follow up with the translation app if it matters.
• 买单, mǎidān, "the bill, please." Also heard as 结账 (jiézhàng).
• 水, shuǐ, water. Ask for 热水 (rè shuǐ) if you want it hot, which is the default in many restaurants.
• 好吃, hǎo chī, "delicious." Saying this to a restaurant owner is the cheapest goodwill in the country.

On tipping: it is not expected in most Chinese restaurants and hotels, and some high-end places add a service charge to the bill instead. Leaving money on the table can cause mild confusion rather than pleasure. Tipping is more common for private tour guides and for help with luggage.

Bargaining: where it works and where it does not

Bargaining is normal, expected and friendly, in the right places. The rule of thumb is simple: if the price is printed on a tag, do not haggle. If there is no tag, the first number you hear is an opening bid, not the price.

• Tourist markets (silk, pearl and antique streets), yes, expected. These are built around negotiation and the first quote is set high.
• Street stalls and independent craft shops, yes. No printed prices, and the owner sets them.
• Supermarkets, convenience stores and malls, no. Fixed prices, and staff have no discretion.
• Restaurants and food courts, no. Prices are on the menu.
• Hotel room rates at the desk, rarely. Book online instead; the app price is the real price.
• Taxi and DiDi fares, no. Metered, or fixed by the app.

The vocabulary is short: 多少钱? (duōshǎo qián, how much?), 太贵了 (tài guì le, too expensive), 便宜一点吧 (piányi yīdiǎn ba, a bit cheaper please), and 算了，我再看看 (suàn le, wǒ zài kànkan, never mind, I'll look around).

Two behaviours matter more than the words. First, check two or three stalls selling the same thing before you commit; that is what gives your counter-offer credibility. Second, stay friendly and unhurried. Raised voices end negotiations rather than move them; a smile and a willingness to walk away do the real work. If the vendor calls you back with a better number, you have found the price.

Hand gestures for numbers

Chinese number gestures differ from the Western ones, and in a noisy market vendors often show a price with their fingers instead of saying it. One to five are shown in the familiar way. Six looks like a "hang loose" sign, thumb and little finger extended. Eight is an L-shape made with thumb and index finger. Ten is a fist or two crossed index fingers. If a gesture is ambiguous, write the number on your phone.

Frequently asked questions

Related reading

Pinyin conventions, tone rules and the phrase list follow standard Mandarin romanisation and pronunciation references. Bargaining and tipping norms vary by city and venue, treat the guidance here as the general pattern and read the room. None of the phrases above require perfect tones to be understood.