Getting Started with Essential Mandarin Vocabulary
Mandarin Chinese may look intimidating, but you can start communicating quickly with a focused set of essential words and phrases. This guide gives you practical, everyday Mandarin with pinyin (pronunciation) and English translations, so you can begin speaking with confidence.
Note: Tones matter in Mandarin, so pinyin includes tone marks. For example:
- mā (妈) = mother (high level tone)
- má (麻) = hemp (rising tone)
- mǎ (马) = horse (falling-rising tone)
- mà (骂) = to scold (falling tone)
Core Survival Phrases
Greetings and Polite Expressions
These are your social basics for any interaction.
- 你好 (nǐ hǎo) – Hello
- 您好 (nín hǎo) – Hello (polite/formal “you”)
- 早上好 (zǎo shang hǎo) – Good morning
- 晚上好 (wǎn shang hǎo) – Good evening
- 再见 (zài jiàn) – Goodbye
- 拜拜 (bāi bāi) – Bye-bye (casual, from English)
- 谢谢 (xiè xie) – Thank you
- 非常感谢 (fēi cháng gǎn xiè) – Thank you very much
- 不用谢 (bú yòng xiè) – You’re welcome / No need to thank
- 对不起 (duì bu qǐ) – I’m sorry
- 不好意思 (bù hǎo yì si) – Excuse me / Sorry (softer, often for small inconveniences)
Polite Conversation Starters
- 请 (qǐng) – Please
- 请问 (qǐng wèn) – Excuse me, may I ask…
- 没关系 (méi guān xi) – It’s okay / No problem
- 没事 (méi shì) – It’s nothing / Don’t worry about it
Example:
请问，洗手间在哪里？ (qǐng wèn, xǐ shǒu jiān zài nǎ lǐ?) – Excuse me, where is the restroom?
Introducing Yourself
Names and Nationalities
- 我 (wǒ) – I / me
- 你 (nǐ) – you
- 您 (nín) – you (polite)
- 他 (tā) – he / him
- 她 (tā) – she / her
- 我们 (wǒ men) – we / us
- 他们 (tā men) – they / them (for males or mixed group)
- 她们 (tā men) – they / them (for females)
Useful phrases:
- 我叫… (wǒ jiào …) – My name is …
- 我是…人 (wǒ shì … rén) – I am … (nationality)
- 很高兴认识你 (hěn gāo xìng rèn shi nǐ) – Nice to meet you
Examples:
- 我叫 Mike。 (wǒ jiào Mike.) – My name is Mike.
- 我是美国人。 (wǒ shì měi guó rén.) – I am American.
- 很高兴认识你。 (hěn gāo xìng rèn shi nǐ.) – Nice to meet you.
Numbers and Time Basics
Numbers 1–10 (and how they help you say more)
- 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
Once you know these, you can build bigger numbers, for example:
- 十一 (shí yī) – 11
- 二十 (èr shí) – 20
- 二十一 (èr shí yī) – 21
Days and Simple Time Words
- 今天 (jīn tiān) – today
- 昨天 (zuó tiān) – yesterday
- 明天 (míng tiān) – tomorrow
- 现在 (xiàn zài) – now
- 等一下 (děng yí xià) – wait a moment / just a second
Example:
我今天很忙。 (wǒ jīn tiān hěn máng.) – I’m very busy today.
Yes, No, and Basic Grammar Helpers
Affirmation and Negation
- 是 (shì) – to be / is / am / are
- 不是 (bú shì) – to not be / is not
- 有 (yǒu) – to have
- 没有 (méi yǒu) – to not have / there is not
- 要 (yào) – to want / need
- 不要 (bú yào) – don’t want / don’t (do something)
Mandarin doesn’t have a single word for “yes” or “no.” Instead, you often repeat the verb.
Examples:
- 你是老师吗？ (nǐ shì lǎo shī ma?) – Are you a teacher?
我是。 (wǒ shì.) – I am. (Yes.)
我不是。 (wǒ bú shì.) – I’m not. (No.)
- 你有水吗？ (nǐ yǒu shuǐ ma?) – Do you have water?
我有。 (wǒ yǒu.) – I have. (Yes.)
我没有。 (wǒ méi yǒu.) – I don’t have. (No.)
Very Common Little Words
- 的 (de) – of / ’s (possessive particle)
- 和 (hé) – and
- 在 (zài) – at / in / on
- 也 (yě) – also / too
- 很 (hěn) – very (often used simply to link subject and adjective)
Examples:
- 这是我的朋友。 (zhè shì wǒ de péng you.) – This is my friend.
- 我也很忙。 (wǒ yě hěn máng.) – I’m also very busy.
Asking Questions
Question Words You’ll Use All the Time
- 吗 (ma) – question particle for yes/no questions
- 什么 (shén me) – what
- 谁 (shéi) – who
- 哪儿 / 哪里 (nǎr / nǎ lǐ) – where (nǎr is more northern)
- 什么时候 (shén me shí hou) – when
- 为什么 (wèi shén me) – why
- 怎么 (zěn me) – how
- 多少 (duō shǎo) – how many / how much
Examples:
- 你叫什么名字？ (nǐ jiào shén me míng zi?) – What’s your name?
- 你来自哪儿？ (nǐ lái zì nǎr?) – Where are you from?
- 这个多少钱？ (zhè ge duō shǎo qián?) – How much is this?
Daily Life Vocabulary
Food and Drink Essentials
- 水 (shuǐ) – water
- 茶 (chá) – tea
- 咖啡 (kā fēi) – coffee
- 米饭 (mǐ fàn) – (cooked) rice
- 面条 (miàn tiáo) – noodles
- 菜 (cài) – dish / vegetable / cuisine
- 肉 (ròu) – meat
- 鸡肉 (jī ròu) – chicken (meat)
- 牛肉 (niú ròu) – beef
- 猪肉 (zhū ròu) – pork
Useful restaurant phrases:
- 我要这个。 (wǒ yào zhè ge.) – I want this one.
- 不要辣。 (bú yào là.) – Don’t make it spicy.
- 请给我一杯水。 (qǐng gěi wǒ yì bēi shuǐ.) – Please give me a glass of water.
Places and Directions
- 这儿 / 这里 (zhèr / zhè lǐ) – here
- 那儿 / 那里 (nàr / nà lǐ) – there
- 上 (shàng) – up / on / above
- 下 (xià) – down / under
- 左 (zuǒ) – left
- 右 (yòu) – right
- 前面 (qián miàn) – in front
- 后面 (hòu miàn) – behind
Useful location phrases:
- 厕所在哪里？ (cè suǒ zài nǎ lǐ?) – Where is the toilet?
- 地铁站在这儿。 (dì tiě zhàn zài zhèr.) – The subway station is here.
- 往左走。 (wǎng zuǒ zǒu.) – Go left.
People and Relationships
- 朋友 (péng you) – friend
- 家人 (jiā rén) – family (members)
- 爸爸 (bà ba) – dad
- 妈妈 (mā ma) – mom
- 同事 (tóng shì) – colleague
- 老师 (lǎo shī) – teacher
- 学生 (xué sheng) – student
Talking About How You Feel
Common Adjectives and Feelings
- 好 (hǎo) – good / fine
- 不好 (bù hǎo) – not good
- 累 (lèi) – tired
- 饿 (è) – hungry
- 渴 (kě) – thirsty
- 忙 (máng) – busy
- 开心 (kāi xīn) – happy
- 难过 (nán guò) – sad / upset
Examples:
- 我很好。 (wǒ hěn hǎo.) – I’m very well / I’m fine.
- 我有点儿累。 (wǒ yǒu diǎnr lèi.) – I’m a little tired.
- 我很开心。 (wǒ hěn kāi xīn.) – I’m very happy.
Essential Travel and Emergency Phrases
Getting Help and Clarification
- 我不懂。 (wǒ bù dǒng.) – I don’t understand.
- 请说慢一点。 (qǐng shuō màn yì diǎn.) – Please speak more slowly.
- 可以再说一遍吗？ (kě yǐ zài shuō yí biàn ma?) – Can you say it again?
- 你会说英语吗？ (nǐ huì shuō yīng yǔ ma?) – Can you speak English?
- 帮帮我！ (bāng bang wǒ!) – Help me!
- 我需要医生。 (wǒ xū yào yī shēng.) – I need a doctor.
How to Practice These Words Effectively
- Make mini-dialogues. Combine 3–5 phrases into short, realistic conversations. For example, greeting, introducing yourself, asking where someone is from.
- Shadow native audio. Listen to short clips and repeat aloud, copying rhythm and tones.
- Use them daily. Even when alone, describe what you’re doing in Mandarin with simple sentences like “我在家。” (wǒ zài jiā. – I am at home.)
- Focus on chunks. Memorize whole phrases like “这个多少钱？” instead of only single words.
With this core vocabulary, you can greet people, introduce yourself, ask basic questions, order food, and handle simple daily situations in Mandarin. Revisit these words often, speak them out loud, and build your confidence step by step.
