The 30 Chinese phrases you actually need for a trip

How to use this. Learn the first five properly — say them out loud until they need no thought. The rest you can read off a screen. Then print the lot with our printable phrasebook, because the moment you need them most is the moment your phone is at 3%.

If you learn nothing else, learn these. They cover more of a day than the other twenty-five combined.

Emergency numbers in mainland China: 120 ambulance, 110 police, 119 fire. Not 911.

Every phrase above produces a reply, and the reply is where the conversation usually falls over. These five come back at you constantly, so recognising them is worth as much as anything on the lists above:

• 扫码还是现金？ sǎomǎ háishi xiànjīn — QR code or cash?
• 要辣吗？ yào là ma — do you want it spicy?
• 几位？ jǐ wèi — how many people?
• 走高速吗？ zǒu gāosù ma — shall we take the expressway?
• 请出示护照。 qǐng chūshì hùzhào — please show your passport.

Do my tones have to be right?

For short, high-context phrases, usually not — nobody at a till thinks 多少钱 could be anything but a price question, so the situation carries the meaning. Tones matter far more for names, for numbers said alone, and for longer sentences. Drill them properly with the tone trainer if you want to go further than survival.

Should I say things or show them?

Show anything containing a place name or an address; say the everyday short ones. A mispronounced 谢谢 costs nothing, a mispronounced district name costs an hour.

Where can I hear these?

Every phrase here appears on a situation page in Chinese for Travellers with a native audio button, the replies you'll hear, and the mistakes visitors make. Or drill them against a clock in Travel Survival Sprint.