Beijing phrasebook: speaking Mandarin as a visitor
Beijing is the capital of China, and Standard Mandarin (Pǔtōnghuà) is based on the pronunciation of the Beijing area, so the Mandarin you learn here is the form you will hear on national television and in schools across the country. Locals often add the -r ending known as érhuà to many words — yìdiǎnr instead of yìdiǎn (a little), zhèr for 'here' — which is a distinctive Beijing sound worth recognising.
Because Mandarin is a tonal language, the same syllable said with a different tone can be a different word, so copy the audio closely and do not worry about sounding exaggerated at first. Cash is far less common than mobile payment in everyday life, taxi drivers rarely speak English, and showing a destination written in Chinese characters is the most reliable way to get where you are going.
Conversation lifelines
When a conversation in Beijing moves faster than you can follow, these keep it going instead of switching to English:
| Mandarin | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 我不明白 | wǒ bù míngbai | I don't understand |
| 请再说一遍 | qǐng zài shuō yí biàn | please say that again |
| 请慢一点 | qǐng màn yìdiǎn | a little slower, please |
Travel phrases for Beijing
| Mandarin | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 二 | èr | 2 |
| 十 | shí | 10 |
| 水 | shuǐ | water |
| 米饭 | mǐfàn | rice |
| 好吃 | hǎochī | delicious |
| 左 | zuǒ | left |
| 厕所 | cèsuǒ | toilet |
| 救命！ | jiùmìng | Help! |
| 医院 | yīyuàn | hospital |
Flight search and trip essentials
Compare flights on Kiwi.com, our flight-search partner. Enter the airport code below as your destination when the search opens.
| Destination | Airport code (IATA) |
|---|---|
| Beijing, China | PEK / PKX |
Flight delayed or cancelled? Check compensation with AirHelp → · or Compensair →
Once you land
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Situations to practise before you go
Numbers & prices
Key pieces: 一 to 十 · 块
- 一 (yī) — 1
- 二 (èr) — 2
- 三 (sān) — 3
- 四 (sì) — 4
- 五 (wǔ) — 5
- 六 (liù) — 6
- 七 (qī) — 7
- 八 (bā) — 8
- 九 (jiǔ) — 9
- 十 (shí) — 10
Beautifully logical: 11 = 十一 (ten-one), 12 = 十二 (ten-two). And 20 = 二十 (two-ten).
To say “12” in Mandarin: 十二 (shí'èr). Built from 十 ten; 二 two.
To say “20” in Mandarin: 二十 (èrshí). Built from 二 two; 十 ten.
To say “50” in Mandarin: 五十 (wǔshí). Built from 五 five; 十 ten.
100 is 百 bǎi. In speech, money is counted in 块 kuài.
To say “How much is this?” in Mandarin: 这个多少钱？ (zhège duōshao qián). Built from 这个 = this; 多少钱 = how much.
At the restaurant
Key pieces: 点菜 · 不要辣 · 我吃素
To order is 点菜 diǎncài; the waiter is 服务员 fúwùyuán (just call it out to get attention).
To say “I'd like to order” in Mandarin: 我要点菜 (wǒ yào diǎncài). Built from 要 = want; 点菜 = to order food.
辣 là = spicy. Sichuan food is very spicy, so this is gold: 不要辣 = not spicy.
To say “Not spicy, please” in Mandarin: 不要辣 (bú yào là). Built from 不要 = don't want; 辣 = spicy.
'I'm vegetarian' is 我吃素 wǒ chī sù (literally 'I eat vegetarian').
To say “I'm vegetarian” in Mandarin: 我吃素 (wǒ chī sù). Built from 吃 = eat; 素 = vegetarian.
To say “The bill, please” in Mandarin: 结账 (jiézhàng). Built from 结 = settle; 账 = the bill.
And a toast when drinking: 干杯 gānbēi — 'cheers!' (dry the cup).
Money & prices
Key pieces: 百 · 千 · 块
Bigger numbers stay logical: 百 bǎi = 100, 千 qiān = 1000, 万 wàn = 10,000. In speech, money is counted in 块 kuài.
- 百 (bǎi) — 100
- 千 (qiān) — 1,000
- 万 (wàn) — 10,000
To say “three hundred” in Mandarin: 三百 (sānbǎi). Built from 三 = 3; 百 = hundred.
To say “fifty yuan” in Mandarin: 五十块 (wǔshí kuài). Built from 五十 = 50; 块 = yuan.
To say “This is a hundred yuan” in Mandarin: 这个一百块 (zhège yìbǎi kuài). Built from 这个 = this; 一百块 = 100 yuan.
Almost everyone pays by phone. 'Can I pay by WeChat?' = 可以微信支付吗？
To say “Can I pay by WeChat?” in Mandarin: 可以微信支付吗？ (kěyǐ wēixìn zhīfù ma). Built from 可以 = can; 微信 = WeChat; 支付 = pay; 吗 = ?.
Feeling ill
Key pieces: 头疼 · 发烧 · 感冒 · 药
Body + 疼 (téng, hurts) tells a doctor everything: 头 tóu head, 肚子 dùzi stomach, 牙 yá tooth.
To say “I have a headache” in Mandarin: 我头疼 (wǒ tóu téng). Built from 头 = head; 疼 = hurts.
To say “I have a toothache” in Mandarin: 我牙疼 (wǒ yá téng). Built from 牙 = tooth; 疼 = hurts.
发烧 fāshāo = a fever, 感冒 gǎnmào = a cold, 药 yào = medicine.
To say “I have a fever” in Mandarin: 我发烧了 (wǒ fāshāo le). Built from 发烧 = fever; 了 = (now).
To say “I have a cold” in Mandarin: 我感冒了 (wǒ gǎnmào le). Built from 感冒 = cold; 了 = (now).
To say “I need medicine” in Mandarin: 我需要药 (wǒ xūyào yào). Built from 需要 = need; 药 = medicine.
Example dialogue
Ordering tea
Server: 你好，要什么？ (nǐ hǎo, yào shénme) — Hello, what would you like?
You: 我要一杯茶。 (wǒ yào yì bēi chá) — I'd like a (cup of) tea.
Server: 还要别的吗？ (hái yào bié de ma) — Anything else?
You: 多少钱？ (duōshao qián) — How much?
Server: 十五块。 (shíwǔ kuài) — Fifteen kuai.
You: 谢谢！ (xièxie) — Thanks!
Meeting someone
Local: 你好！你叫什么名字？ (nǐ hǎo! nǐ jiào shénme míngzi) — Hello! What's your name?
You: 我叫Alex。 (wǒ jiào Alex) — My name is Alex.
Local: 你是哪国人？ (nǐ shì nǎ guó rén) — What country are you from?
You: 我是印度人。 (wǒ shì yìndù rén) — I'm Indian.
Local: 欢迎！ (huānyíng) — Welcome!
Mandarin etiquette that helps in Beijing
Chopstick etiquette
Never stand chopsticks upright in a bowl of rice — it echoes incense at funerals. Rest them flat on the holder or bowl edge.
Lucky & unlucky numbers
8 (bā) sounds like 'prosper' and is lucky; 4 (sì) sounds like 'death' and is avoided. You'll see it in prices and floors.
Everything is by phone
WeChat Pay and Alipay QR codes rule; cash is increasingly rare. As a visitor, carry some cash as backup.
Written by the LanguagePath editorial team from our own course material. Pronunciation guides are approximate English respellings; tap any phrase in the app above to hear it. Native-speaker review of every course is ongoing — tell us if you spot an error.