Shanghai phrasebook: speaking Mandarin as a visitor
Shanghai's local language is Shanghainese, a variety of Wu Chinese that is not mutually intelligible with Mandarin. In practice, Mandarin is the language of schools, business, transport and almost every interaction a visitor will have, so the Standard Mandarin on this page is what you need. You may hear older residents chatting in Shanghainese, and a local 'thank you' (often written xiaxia) will make people smile.
Shanghai is a large, international city, and English signage is common on the metro and in the main districts, but taxi drivers and small restaurants usually work in Mandarin only. Practise numbers, prices and directions, keep your hotel address written in Chinese characters, and remember that tones matter: mǎi (to buy) and mài (to sell) differ only in tone.
What you will hear in a taxi
Taxi drivers in Shanghai tend to use a few short, predictable phrases. Recognising them matters more than saying them:
| Mandarin | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 去哪儿？ | qù nǎr | Where to? (taxi) |
| 好的。 | hǎo de | OK. |
| 多少钱？ | duōshao qián | How much? |
Travel phrases for Shanghai
| Mandarin | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 一 | yī | 1 |
| 三 | sān | 3 |
| 百 | bǎi | 100 |
| 茶 | chá | tea |
| 买单 | mǎidān | the bill |
| 在哪里？ | zài nǎlǐ | where? |
| 右 | yòu | right |
| 机场 | jīchǎng | airport |
| 我不懂 | wǒ bù dǒng | I don't understand |
| 警察 | jǐngchá | police |
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) |
|---|---|
| Shanghai, China | PVG / SHA |
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Once you land
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Situations to practise before you go
Getting around
Key pieces: 在哪里 · 左/右 · 去
'Where?' is 在哪里 zài nǎlǐ. 'Toilet' is 厕所 cèsuǒ.
To say “Where is the toilet?” in Mandarin: 厕所在哪里？ (cèsuǒ zài nǎlǐ). Built from 厕所 = toilet; 在哪里 = where.
- 左 (zuǒ) — left
- 右 (yòu) — right
- 直走 (zhízǒu) — go straight
'Go' is 去 qù, 'hotel' is 酒店 jiǔdiàn. So 'I want to go to the hotel' = 我要去酒店.
To say “I want to go to the hotel” in Mandarin: 我要去酒店 (wǒ yào qù jiǔdiàn). Built from 我要 = I want; 去 qù = go; 酒店 = hotel.
To say “Where is the airport?” in Mandarin: 机场在哪里？ (jīchǎng zài nǎlǐ). Built from 机场 = airport; 在哪里 = where.
To say “I want a taxi” in Mandarin: 我要打车 (wǒ yào dǎchē). Built from 我要 = I want; 打车 = hail a taxi.
If you're lost: 'I don't understand' = 我不懂 wǒ bù dǒng.
To say “I don't understand” in Mandarin: 我不懂 (wǒ bù dǒng). Built from 不 bù = not; 懂 dǒng = understand.
Transport & tickets
Key pieces: 地铁 · 怎么去 · 多远
To hail a cab is 打车 dǎchē. 地铁 subway, 公交车 bus, 火车 train.
- 地铁 (dìtiě) — subway
- 公交车 (gōngjiāochē) — bus
- 火车 (huǒchē) — train
- 机场 (jīchǎng) — airport
'To take' transport uses 坐 zuò (sit). 我要坐地铁 = I want to take the subway.
To say “I want to take the subway” in Mandarin: 我要坐地铁 (wǒ yào zuò dìtiě). Built from 要 = want; 坐 = take (sit); 地铁 = subway.
'How do I get to…?' is …怎么去？
To say “How do I get to the airport?” in Mandarin: 机场怎么去？ (jīchǎng zěnme qù). Built from 机场 = airport; 怎么 = how; 去 = go.
To say “How far is it?” in Mandarin: 多远？ (duō yuǎn). Built from 多 = how; 远 = far.
To say “I want to buy a ticket” in Mandarin: 我要买票 (wǒ yào mǎi piào). Built from 买 = buy; 票 = ticket.
Hotel & booking
Key pieces: 预订 · 房间 · 钥匙
预订 yùdìng reservation, 房间 fángjiān room, 一个晚上 = one night.
To say “I have a reservation” in Mandarin: 我有预订 (wǒ yǒu yùdìng). Built from 有 = have; 预订 = reservation.
To say “I'd like a room” in Mandarin: 我要一个房间 (wǒ yào yí gè fángjiān). Built from 要 = want; 一个 = a; 房间 = room.
To say “for one night” in Mandarin: 一个晚上 (yí gè wǎnshàng). Built from 一个 = one; 晚上 = night.
钥匙 yàoshi key, 退房 tuìfáng check out, 空调 kōngtiáo air-con.
To say “Where is the key?” in Mandarin: 钥匙在哪里？ (yàoshi zài nǎlǐ). Built from 钥匙 = key; 在哪里 = where.
To say “Is there air-conditioning?” in Mandarin: 有空调吗？ (yǒu kōngtiáo ma). Built from 有 = is there; 空调 = air-con; 吗 = ?.
Politeness & survival
Key pieces: 没关系 · 慢一点 · 再说一遍
The social glue: 没关系 méi guānxi = 'it's OK / no worries'; 不客气 bú kèqi = 'you're welcome'.
To say “No worries / it's OK” in Mandarin: 没关系 (méi guānxi). Built from 没关系 = it doesn't matter.
To say “You're welcome” in Mandarin: 不客气 (bú kèqi). Built from 不客气 = don't be polite → you're welcome.
To get help politely: 麻烦你 máfan nǐ ('sorry to trouble you'), 等一下 děng yíxià ('one moment').
To say “Please wait a moment” in Mandarin: 等一下 (děng yíxià). Built from 等 = wait; 一下 = a moment.
And the two lifesavers when they speak too fast:
To say “Please speak slower” in Mandarin: 请慢一点 (qǐng màn yìdiǎn). Built from 请 = please; 慢 = slow; 一点 = a bit.
To say “Please say it again” in Mandarin: 请再说一遍 (qǐng zài shuō yíbiàn). Built from 再 = again; 说 = say; 一遍 = one time.
Last two things that unlock real conversation: saying what you think, and putting events in order. 我觉得 wǒ juéde = I think; 先...然后 xiān...ránhòu = first...then.
- 我觉得 (wǒ juéde) — I think
- 我同意 (wǒ tóngyì) — I agree
- 真的吗？ (zhēn de ma) — really?
- 我也是 (wǒ yěshì) — me too
- 先 / 然后 / 之后 (xiān / ránhòu / zhīhòu) — first / then / after that
Example dialogue
Taking a taxi
You: 你好，我要去机场。 (nǐ hǎo, wǒ yào qù jīchǎng) — Hello, I want to go to the airport.
Driver: 好的。 (hǎo de) — OK.
You: 多长时间？ (duō cháng shíjiān) — How long does it take?
Driver: 二十分钟。 (èrshí fēnzhōng) — Twenty minutes.
You: 在这里停，谢谢。 (zài zhèlǐ tíng, xièxie) — Stop here, thanks.
Shopping & bargaining
Seller: 你要买什么？ (nǐ yào mǎi shénme) — What would you like to buy?
You: 这个多少钱？ (zhège duōshao qián) — How much is this?
Seller: 一百块。 (yìbǎi kuài) — A hundred kuai.
You: 太贵了！便宜一点？ (tài guì le! piányi yìdiǎn) — Too expensive! A bit cheaper?
Seller: 八十块。 (bāshí kuài) — Eighty kuai.
You: 好，我要了。谢谢！ (hǎo, wǒ yào le, xièxie) — OK, I'll take it. Thanks!
Mandarin etiquette that helps in Shanghai
Use both hands
Offer and receive business cards, gifts and money with both hands — a simple gesture that reads as respectful.
Saving face
Avoid blunt 'no' and public criticism. Keep things indirect and harmonious — a smile and 'maybe' often means no.
The finger-tap thanks
When someone pours your tea, lightly tapping two fingers on the table is a quiet 'thank you'.
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.