How Do You Say...

So. You have your visa in hand, bags almost packed, and suddenly you realize that you won't have a clue as to how to communicate once you arrive in China. Before you begin pulling your hair out trying to make heads or tails of a Chinese-English dictionary, remember that for the most part, you will not be expected to know the language immediately. To begin with, every city and town in China has it's own local dialect; often completely unrelated to what we think of as Mandarin. Even Mandarin has sub-dialects. What you need to do is build a short list of common phrases and words, learn to recognize them in writing and learn how to say them. 


Some Common "Survival" Phrases: 
(note that I am not an expert in Mandarin, so some of these translations may be off a bit. However, I have done my best to translate them accurately.)

English Translation	Chinese Characters	Pin Yin
(that is) Not good.	也不好	Yě bù hǎo. (saying "bù hǎo' will suffice)
Good	好	Hǎo.
Hello (to answer the telephone)	为你好	Wei, Nǐ hǎo.
Hello/ How are you? (formal-singular)	您好	Nín hǎo.
Hello/How are you? (familiar-singular)	你好	Nǐ hǎo.
How much does it cost?	多少钱?	Duōshǎo qián?
I would like to send this money to the (United States).	我想送这笔钱到(美国)	Wǒ xiǎng sòng zhè bǐ qián dào (měiguó).
No.	号	Hào
Sorry, I do not understand	对不起, 我不明白	Duìbùqǐ, Wǒ tīng bù dǒng.
Sorry. (as an apology for example when you run into someone)	对不起	Duìbùqǐ.
Thank you	谢谢	Xièxiè.
Where is the restroom?	厕所在哪里?	Cèsuǒ zài nǎlǐ?
Yes, that's correct/right. (as in response to a question).	是的	Shì de.

If you are staring at this table wondering how to pronounce the words, have a look at the third column. The pin yin is a pronunciation guide that was developed by Westerners for Westerners. There are several versions or styles, but they all have the same basic rules. The important rules are in the accent marks. These represent the "tones" of speech in Chinese. Since most Western languages only have two tones (rising and neutral) learning the four tones in Mandarin can be difficult. Pronouncing a word with the wrong tone can seriously affect the meaning of the word. But don't worry. As long as you give it your best effort, people will be able to understand you.


The Tones: 


First tone: Neutral-indicated by a level or horizontal line over the vowel (mā). It is pronounced without variation in the vowel sound.


Second tone: Rising-indicated by a rising accent mark above the vowel (má). Closely approximates the rising at the end of a question that is found in English. 


Third tone: Falling then Rising. Indicated by a 'v' shape above the vowel (mǎ). Pronounced by starting at a neutral pronunciation, descending and then ascending back to the original tone.


Fourth tone: Falling. Indicated by a downward accent mark above the vowel (mà). Pronounced by making a sharp, descending tone. Some people call it the "angry" tone because the pronunciation sounds a little cross.


*Note: in these examples: mā = mother, má = hemp, mǎ = horse, and mà = scold


Below are some additional words that might be good to know.

Numbers:

English Name	Chinese Characters	Pin Yin
Zero (0)	零	Líng
One (1)	一	Yī
Two (2)	二	Èr
Three (3)	三	Sān
Four (4)	四	Sì
Five (5)	五	Wǔ
Six (6)	六	Liù
Seven (7)	七	Qī
Eight (8)	八	Bā
Nine (9)	九	Jiǔ
Ten (10)	十	Shí
Eleven (11)	十一	Shíyī
Twelve (12)	十二	Shí'èr
Thirteen (13)	十三	Shísān
Fourteen (14)	十四	Shísì
Fifteen (15)	十五	Shíwǔ
Sixteen (16)	十六	Shíliù
Seventeen (17)	十七	Shíqī
Eighteen (18)	十八	Shíbā
Nineteen (19)	十九	Shíjiǔ
Twenty (20)	二十	Èrshí
Thirty (30)	三十	Sānshí
Forty (40)	四十	Sìshí
Fifty (50)	五十	Wǔshí
Sixty (60)	六十	Liùshí
Seventy (70)	七十	Qīshí
Eighty (80)	八十	Bāshí
Ninety (90)	九十	Jiǔshí
One Hundred (100)	百	Bǎi
One Thousand (1000)	一千	Yīqiān
One Hundred Thousand (100000)	十万	Shí wàn
One Million (1000000)	百万	Bǎiwàn

Country Names:

English Name	Chinese Characters	Pin Yin
Australia	澳大利亚	Àodàlìyǎ
Belarus	白俄罗斯	Bái'èluósī
Brazil	巴西	Bāxī
Canada	加拿大	Jiānádà
Egypt	埃及	Āijí
Ethiopia	埃塞俄比亚	Āisāi'ébǐyǎ
France	法国	Fàguó
Germany	德国	Déguó
Greece	希腊	Xīlà
India	印度	Yìndù
Ireland	爱尔兰	Ài'ěrlán
Italy	意大利	Yìdàlì
Japan	日本	Rìběn
Korea (also refers to South Korea)	韩国	Hánguó
Mexico	墨西哥	Mòxīgē
Mongolia	蒙古	Ménggǔ
New Zealand	新西兰	Xīnxīlán
Russia	俄国	Éguó
Scotland	苏格兰	Sūgélán
South Africa	南非	Nánfēi
Spain	西班牙	Xībānyá
Switzerland	瑞士	Ruìshì
Turkey	土耳其	Tǔ'ěrqí
United Kingdom	英国	Yīngguó
Untied States	美国	Měiguó

Common Food Items:

English Name	Chinese Characters	Pin Yin
(not) Spicy	(不)辣的	(Bù) là de
Apple	苹果	Píngguǒ
Banana/Plantain	香蕉	Xiāngjiāo
Beef	牛肉	Niúròu
Beer	啤酒	Píjiǔ
Carrot	胡萝卜	Húluóbo
Chicken/Fowl	鸡	Jī
Chinese Cabbage (Bok Choy)	白菜	Báicài
Coffee	咖啡	Kāfēi
Cola	可口可乐	Kěkǒukělè
Corn/Maize	玉米	Yùmǐ
Crab	蟹	Xiè
Dragon Fruit	火龙果	Huǒlóng guǒ
Durian	榴莲	Liúlián
Fish	鱼	Yú
Fried Noodles	炒面	Chǎomiàn
Fried Rice	炒饭	Chǎo fàn
Frog	青蛙	Qīngwā
Fruit	水果	Shuǐguǒ
Green Beans	绿豆	Lǜdòu
Kale	羽衣甘蓝	Yǔyī gānlán
Lemon	柠檬	Níngméng
Milk	牛奶	Niúnǎi
Orange/Tangerine	桔子	Júzi
Peanut/goober/monkey nut	花生	Huāshēng
Pork	猪肉	Zhū ròu
Rice	饭	Fàn
Shrimp	虾	Xiā
Squash (pumpkin)	南瓜	Nánguā
Squid	乌贼	Wūzéi
Tea	茶	Chá
Tomato	西红柿	Xīhóngshì
Vegetable	蔬菜	Shūcài
Water	水	Shuǐ
Wine/liquor	酒	Jiǔ
Yogurt	酸奶	Suānnǎi