How to Write an Email in Chinese: The Business-ready Guide

Emails are a form of formal communication in Chinese. So if you find yourself in the position of needing to write an email in Chinese, this guide is for you.

Check out this post to learn how to write an email in Chinese, be it for business or another polite purpose.

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

1. Subject Line

Any business culture in the East or West appreciates brevity, clarity and politeness. So if your email is work-related, your subject line should take that into account.

Similarly, even a subject line to a pen pal or other non-business entity is usually best if brief and clear.

Example:

新钢笔需求
(xīn gāng bǐ xū qiú)
Request for new pens

Note: For the sake of learning and pronunciation, we’ll include pinyin in these instructions. Note that your final email should be solely composed of hanzi.

2. Addressing and Greeting

Be sure to personally greet everyone who will be reading the email and include business-appropriate labels. If you don’t know the exact name of the person you’re emailing, the Chinese version of “to whom it may concern” (below) is perfectly acceptable.

In many English-speaking cultures, a little bit of friendly informality is normal, but this isn’t so much the case in Chinese culture. When it comes to requests or bad news, it’s very common in Chinese business culture to apologize for inconvenience even if there is no substantial inconvenience.

If you’re writing an email to a Chinese pen pal, on the other hand, then using informal (though still polite) language is a great way to make an emotional connection with a new friend.

Example:

致相关人士：
(zhì xiāng guān rén shì:)
To whom it may concern:

如有不便之处，敬请见谅。
(rú yǒu bú biàn zhī chù, jìng qǐng jiàn liàng.)
I apologize for any inconvenience, I kindly ask your forgiveness.

Other Chinese Phrases:

3. Body

The body of your email doesn’t need to be incredibly short, but it should be quick and to the point if you’re writing for business purposes. This is especially the case if you’re asking for something or your email is time-sensitive.

Non-business emails can be a little longer, depending on the context, but it’s wise for the beginner to keep it brief to avoid too many mistakes that could leave the recipient scratching their head.

Example:

这是214办公室的艾米丽。
(zhè shì 214 bàn gōng shì de ài mǐ lì.)
This is Emily from office #214. 

财务部门需要一些黑色钢笔。
(cái wù bù mén xū yào yì xiē hēi sè gāng bǐ.)
The finance department is in need of some new black ink pens.

请问您能给我们寄500包笔吗？
(qǐng wèn nín néng gěi wǒ men jì 500 bāo bǐ ma?)
Would you please send me 500 packages of pens? 

请在方便时尽早将包裹寄来。
(qǐng zài fāng biàn shí jǐn zǎo jiāng bāo guǒ jì lái.)
Please send us the package at your earliest convenience.

Other Chinese Phrases: 

4. Closing

Always thank your readers thoroughly for reading your email. Again, politeness, modesty and humility are key to coming off as someone who cares about saving face. Not every email you send needs to end with an apology and a gratuitous thankful statement, but make it clear you care about them taking the time.

Example: 

麻烦您了！
(má fán nín le!)
Sorry for the trouble!

多谢！
(duō xiè!)
Thanks a lot!

Other Chinese Phrases:

5. Signature

Business card culture is very important in China and Japan, so your signature should include your contact information and relevant information. This is even so for non-business emails; you’ll look quite professional with a dense signature.

Remember, your signature should be entirely in hanzi except for the tail end of the email address. You can also write your name in English if you don’t have a Chinese translation of your name.

Example:

艾米丽
(ài mǐ lì)
Emily

财务专家
(cái wù zhuān jiā)
Financial specialist

西猫巷1234号
(xī māo xiàng 1234 hào)
1234 West Cat Lane

555-555-555

艾米丽@sina.com
(ài mǐ lì @sina.com)
emily@sina.com

What Do I Need to Write an Email in Chinese?

• A hanzi keyboard. If you’re writing your email on a smartphone or tablet, this is especially necessary. Luckily, it’s a quick and easy process to find and install a hanzi keyboard.

• A Chinese-English dictionary with both hanzi and 拼音 (pīn yīn) — Chinese romanization. When you get stuck on certain vocabulary words, a translating dictionary is vital. This in-depth dictionary from Chinese-Tools is one this writer uses on the regular for its accuracy and links to example sentences for context.

• A translator app or site. You can’t really copy and paste an entire English email into a translator app and come up with an accurate Chinese version. Mandarin sentence structure is different from English, as you know, so you’ll have to actually use your Mandarin language skills to write this piece of literature. (Bummer, right?) Still, a translator app like DeepL is handy to have around just in case.
• A script of what you want to say in English. It’s wise to write your email in English before breaking it down into Mandarin so you make sure to cover everything you want to say. Don’t just play as you go.

Additional Tips for Writing Emails in Chinese

• Keep your emails concise. Since emails are seen as formal in Chinese (and often for business purposes), be direct and straight to the point while remaining polite. 
• Practice the vocabulary above. These are common in emails, so you’ll likely use at least a few of them! Language learning programs are also helpful for picking up more business Chinese and other practical expressions. For instance, FluentU comes with Chinese videos that cover topics like renting a conference room and talking about your work history.

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• Always run through your email several times and properly proofread it. Make sure your sentence structures are correct, your vocabulary words are accurate and you’ve used correct Chinese punctuation such as 。or 、instead of English periods and commas.

• For intermediate and advanced learners: Try to stick as close to your English script as possible and use this opportunity to learn vocabulary words that may be more difficult in Chinese. You could always dumb down your email to make translation easier, but where’s the challenge in that?

Are you feeling a little less overwhelmed by writing an email in Chinese?

It’s not hard at all!

Even if your email doesn’t come out perfect, you’ve taken an important step towards mastering Chinese emails—and Chinese as a language as well.

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

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