Chinese for Travel: 30 Useful Mandarin Phrases for Your Journey

If you’ve got plans to travel to China in the near future, then you’ve come to the right place. I’ve rounded up the most helpful travel phrases in Chinese to ensure a smooth 旅游 (lǚ yóu) — trip.

Here are 30 useful phrases that you should know for your travels, or 旅行 (lǚ xíng). The phrases also come with audio so you know exactly how to pronounce them.

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

In the Airport

1. 登机手续柜台在哪里？

Pinyin: dēng jī shǒu xù guì tái zài nǎ li?
English: Where is the check-in counter?

To name the specific check-in counter, add any of these words to the beginning of the phrase:

经济舱 (jīng jì cāng) — Economy Class
公务舱 (gōng wù cāng) — Business Class
头等舱 (tóu děng cāng) — First Class

2. __号登机口往哪边走？

Pinyin: __ hào dēng jī kŏu wăng nă biān zŏu?
English: Which way is boarding gate number __?

3. 请帮我安排靠窗户的座位。

Pinyin: qǐng bāng wǒ ān pái kào chuāng hù de zuò wèi.
English: Please arrange a window seat for me.

4. 请帮我安排靠走廊的座位。

Pinyin: qǐng bāng wǒ ān pái kào zŏu láng de zuò wèi.
English: Please arrange an aisle seat for me.

5. 我现在到起飞的时间还有多久？

Pinyin: wǒ xiàn zài dào qǐ fēi de shí jiān hái yǒu duō jiǔ?
English: How long do I have until departure time?

Taking a Taxi

5. 的士站在哪儿？

Pinyin: di shì zhàn zài nǎ ér?
English: Where is the taxi stand?

6. 你去哪儿？

Pinyin: nǐ qù nǎ ér?
English: Where do you want to go?

7. 这儿，知道吗？

Pinyin: zhè ér, zhī dào ma?
English: Here. Do you know where that is?

8. 知道。

Pinyin: zhī dào.
English: I know [where that is].

9. 不知道。

Pinyin: bù zhī dào.
English: I don’t know [where that is].

10. 多少钱？

Pinyin: duō shǎo qián?
English: How much? 

11. 这儿停车。

Pinyin: zhè ér tíng chē.
English: You can stop here.

Buses and Trains

12. __号到这儿吗？

Pinyin: __ hào dào zhè ér ma?
English: Is this the stop for the __ route/line?

13. 谢谢你帮我。

Pinyin: xiè xiè nǐ bāng wǒ.
English: Thank you for helping me.

14. 地铁站在哪儿？

Pinyin: dì tiě zhàn zài nǎ ér?
English: Where is the subway station?

15. 在哪里买票？

Pinyin: zài nǎ lǐ mǎi piào?
English: Where can I buy a ticket?

16. 公交车站在哪儿？

Pinyin: gōng jiāo chē zhàn zài nǎ ér?
English: Where is the bus stop?

17. 几站？

Pinyin: jǐ zhàn?
English: How many stops?

18. 需要转车吗？

Pinyin: xū yào zhuǎn chē ma?
English: Do I have to transfer?

At the Hotel

19. 我预订了两间___。

Pinyin: wǒ yù dìng le liǎng jiān ___.
English: I have made a reservation for two ___ rooms.

You can obviously replace the number of rooms with however many you booked. To indicate the type of room, fill in the blank with one of the following:

标准房 (biāo zhǔn fáng) — Standard room
套房 (tào fáng) — Suite

20. 我想要___房。

Pinyin: wǒ xiǎng yào ___ fáng.
English: I want a ___ room.

To say the type of room you’d like, fill in the blank with:

单人 (dān rén) — Single room
双人 (shuāng rén) — Double room

21. 电梯在哪儿？

Pinyin: diàn tī zài nǎ ér?
English: Where is the elevator?

22. 我们现在要退房了。

Pinyin: wǒ men xiàn zài yào tuì fáng le.
English: We’re going to check out now.

Asking for Directions

23. 去___怎么走？

Pinyin: qù ___ zěn me zǒu?
English: How do I get to ___?

24. 下车的时候，___。

Pinyin: xià chē de shí hou, ___.
English: When you get off, ___.

25. 出去的时候，___。

Pinyin: chū qù de shí hou, ___.
English: When you exit, ___.

26. 左

Pinyin: zǔo
English: Left

27. 右

Pinyin: yòu
English: Right

28. 回去

Pinyin: huí qù
English: Go back

29. 一直走

Pinyin: yī zhī zǒu
English: Go straight

30. 你看___的时候，___。

Pinyin: nǐ kàn ___ de shí hou, ___.
English: When you see ___, ___.

Tips for Using Chinese Travel Phrases 

• Pronunciation is way more important than grammar. If you’re concerned about how to structure your “How do I get there?” question, forget it. Pronouncing the name of the place you’re going to is enough to get you there. 
• Listen to how native speakers use these phrases. You can use FluentU to learn Chinese with hundreds of native Mandarin videos that will show you how natives actually speak. There are also plenty of learning tools to help you retain information.

  FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.

  You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.

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• Complete sentences are often not necessary in conversation.
• Learn the names of a few landmarks that are close to where you’re staying. Banks, parks, intersections, restaurants, grocery stores, convenience stores, shopping malls, hotels and schools can all serve as points of identification.
• Ask the bus driver if they pass your destination before you get on the bus.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Most people are happy to be of assistance. 
• Download an app or e-Book for travel phrases. This way you have a reference to help you out when you forget how to say something.
• Record the phrases as voice notes. Not only is this great for pronunciation practice, but it’s also extremely helpful as backup, in case the nerves get to you in the heat of the moment and cause you to say the phrases incorrectly.

Now you have all the Mandarin Chinese travel phrases you need to get around. Use them as much as you can and enjoy your trip!

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

And One More Thing...

If you want to continue learning Chinese with interactive and authentic Chinese content, then you'll love FluentU.

FluentU naturally eases you into learning Chinese language. Native Chinese content comes within reach, and you'll learn Chinese as it's spoken in real life.

FluentU has a wide range of contemporary videos—like dramas, TV shows, commercials and music videos.

FluentU App Browse Screen

FluentU brings these native Chinese videos within reach via interactive captions. You can tap on any word to instantly look it up. All words have carefully written definitions and examples that will help you understand how a word is used. Tap to add words you'd like to review to a vocab list.

Interactive Transcripts on FluentU

FluentU's Learn Mode turns every video into a language learning lesson. You can always swipe left or right to see more examples for the word you're learning.

FluentU Has Quizzes for Every Video

The best part is that FluentU always keeps track of your vocabulary. It customizes quizzes to focus on areas that need attention and reminds you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned. You have a 100% personalized experience.

Start using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)