How to Say “Hello,” “Thank You,” and “Sorry” in Mandarin
Most beginners learn 你好 (nǐ hǎo), 谢谢 (xièxie), and 对不起 (duìbuqǐ) almost immediately. The translations seem straightforward: hello, thank you, and sorry. You can memorize all three in a few minutes.
What takes longer is learning how Chinese speakers actually use them.
A traveler may arrive in China expecting to hear nǐ hǎo constantly and then notice that friends, coworkers, and family members often greet one another in other ways. A beginner may learn duìbuqǐ as the Chinese equivalent of “sorry” and then use it every time they bump into someone, only to discover that 不好意思 (bù hǎoyìsi) often sounds more natural for minor situations.
These are small differences, but they matter. They are also a good introduction to something every Mandarin learner eventually discovers: a correct translation does not always tell you what someone would naturally say in a particular situation.
A quick note about pinyin and tones
Mandarin is commonly written for learners using pinyin, a Romanization system that represents Chinese pronunciation. Pinyin uses familiar letters, but they do not always represent the sounds an English speaker expects.
Mandarin also has four main lexical tones, plus a neutral tone. Tone marks appear above the vowels in pinyin:
mā — first tone
má — second tone
mǎ — third tone
mà — fourth tone
You do not need perfect tones before you attempt a greeting, but tones are part of the words themselves. A beginner who reads pinyin exactly as though it were English will often develop pronunciation habits that are difficult to correct later.
Listening matters as much as reading. When you learn these expressions, it helps to hear them repeatedly rather than relying only on the written pinyin.
How to say “hello” in Mandarin: 你好 — nǐ hǎo
The most familiar Mandarin greeting is:
你好
nǐ hǎo
Hello / Hi
The two characters are:
你 — nǐ — you
好 — hǎo — good
You will sometimes see 你好 explained literally as “you good,” but that is more of a vocabulary breakdown than an actual translation. Chinese speakers use it as a conventional greeting.
There is one pronunciation detail worth learning early. Both nǐ and hǎo are written with third tones, but when two third tones appear together, the first normally changes in connected speech and is pronounced more like a rising second tone.
So the phrase is written:
nǐ hǎo
but the first syllable usually rises when people actually say it.
Beginners do not need to analyze this every time they greet someone. It is simply useful to know why the phrase may sound different from what you expect when you hear a native speaker pronounce it.
Do Chinese speakers say nǐ hǎo all the time?
Nǐ hǎo is completely correct, but beginners sometimes imagine that it works exactly like “hi” in American English and will therefore be heard constantly.
In reality, it is especially natural when meeting someone, addressing a stranger, beginning a neutral conversation, or interacting with someone in a polite or service setting. Among people who already know each other well, greetings can be much less formal.
Friends, relatives, or coworkers may say the person's name, ask where they are going, comment on what they are doing, or simply start talking.
You may also encounter 你吃了吗？ (nǐ chī le ma?), literally “Have you eaten?” Questions about eating have historically been used socially as greetings, but learners should be careful with the popular explanation that Chinese people simply say “Have you eaten?” instead of hello. It depends heavily on context, relationship, region, and generation.
Another expression beginners often encounter is:
你好吗？
nǐ hǎo ma?
How are you?
It is understandable and grammatically fine, but it can sound more textbook-like than many beginners expect. In ordinary conversation, speakers may ask something more specific or simply begin talking without an English-style “How are you?” exchange.
您好 — nín hǎo and 大家好 — dàjiā hǎo
Mandarin also has:
您好
nín hǎo
Hello
The difference is 您 (nín), a respectful form of “you.” You may hear nín hǎo when someone is addressing an older person, customer, client, or another person they wish to address with particular politeness.
That does not mean every younger person must automatically use nín with every older adult. Real usage varies by relationship and situation, but it is a useful form to recognize.
When greeting a group, you can say:
大家好
dàjiā hǎo
Hello, everyone
This is common at the beginning of a class, presentation, meeting, or group introduction.
How to say “thank you” in Mandarin: 谢谢 — xièxie
The standard way to say thank you is:
谢谢
xièxie
Thank you
The first xiè has a falling fourth tone. The second syllable is normally lighter and takes a neutral tone, so the two syllables should not sound equally heavy.
The Mandarin x is another sound that English speakers often need to practice. It is not exactly the English sh sound. The tongue sits farther forward, with the tip generally near the lower front teeth.
This is why English approximations such as “shay-shay” are not especially useful. They may look easier, but they can lead beginners away from the actual Mandarin sound.
You may also hear:
谢谢你
xièxie nǐ
Thank you
or the more respectful:
谢谢您
xièxie nín
Thank you
Adding 你 or 您 makes the person being thanked explicit, but ordinary 谢谢 is perfectly natural in most everyday situations.
Another expression is:
多谢
duōxiè
Many thanks / Thanks a lot
Its frequency varies by region and speaker, so beginners are usually better off becoming comfortable with 谢谢 first.
When “thank you” is not used exactly like English
The word itself is simple. The social habits around it are more interesting.
Americans often say “thank you” repeatedly for very small favors: passing a pen, holding a door, handing over a napkin, or bringing something from the next room. In some close Chinese family or friendship contexts, 谢谢 may be used less frequently because helping one another is already assumed as part of the relationship.
That does not mean Chinese speakers do not thank family members or close friends. They certainly do. The difference is more about frequency and what feels necessary in a particular relationship.
For learners, this is useful because it shows why vocabulary alone cannot tell you everything. You may know exactly what xièxie means while still needing time to develop a feel for when people naturally use it.
How to say “you're welcome”
The standard beginner response to xièxie is:
不客气
bú kèqi
You're welcome / Don't mention it
There is another useful pronunciation rule here. 不 (bù) normally has a fourth tone, but before another fourth-tone syllable it changes to a rising second tone.
Because 客 (kè) has a fourth tone, the phrase is pronounced:
bú kèqi
rather than bù kèqi.
You can also say:
不用谢
bú yòng xiè
No need to thank me
The same tone change happens because 用 (yòng) begins with a fourth tone.
Another expression you may hear is:
没事
méi shì
It's nothing / No problem
Méi shì is useful in many other situations as well, so it is better learned as a flexible expression rather than as a direct substitute for “you're welcome.”
How to say “sorry” in Mandarin: 对不起 — duìbuqǐ
Most beginner textbooks teach:
对不起
duìbuqǐ
I'm sorry
This is correct, but English speakers often use it too broadly because English “sorry” covers an enormous range of situations.
We say “sorry” when we have genuinely hurt someone, but we also say it when squeezing past someone on a train, interrupting a conversation, or arriving a few minutes late. Mandarin does not always use duìbuqǐ across that whole range.
对不起 can carry a stronger sense of apology. It works well when you have made a meaningful mistake, caused real inconvenience, hurt someone's feelings, forgotten something important, or need to apologize sincerely.
For smaller everyday situations, another expression is often more natural.
不好意思 — bù hǎoyìsi: the other “sorry” beginners need
One of the most useful expressions to learn early is:
不好意思
bù hǎoyìsi
Sorry / Excuse me / I feel embarrassed
The English translation depends on the situation.
You might say bù hǎoyìsi when squeezing past someone, interrupting, asking a small favor, getting someone's attention, arriving slightly late, or creating a minor inconvenience. It can carry a sense of “sorry to bother you” or mild embarrassment.
Imagine you are trying to get past someone in a crowded restaurant. Bù hǎoyìsi fits naturally. If you have made a serious mistake that has caused someone real trouble, duìbuqǐ is more likely to fit the situation.
There is overlap, and native speakers do not apply a rigid rule every time. Tone of voice, relationship, and the seriousness of the situation all influence the choice.
How to respond to an apology
A common response is:
没关系
méi guānxi
It's okay / It doesn't matter
You may also hear:
没事
méi shì
It's okay / No problem
A simple exchange might be:
A: 对不起。
Duìbuqǐ.
I'm sorry.
B: 没关系。
Méi guānxi.
It's okay.
For a smaller inconvenience:
A: 不好意思。
Bù hǎoyìsi.
Sorry / Excuse me.
B: 没事。
Méi shì.
No problem.
A few short dialogues in context
These expressions are easier to remember when you see what people are doing while they say them.
Greeting someone at a hotel
A: 你好。
Nǐ hǎo.
Hello.
B: 你好。
Nǐ hǎo.
Hello.
Someone helps you
A: 谢谢！
Xièxie!
Thank you!
B: 不客气。
Bú kèqi.
You're welcome.
You need to squeeze past someone
不好意思。
Bù hǎoyìsi.
Excuse me / Sorry.
You make a genuine mistake
A: 对不起。
Duìbuqǐ.
I'm sorry.
B: 没关系。
Méi guānxi.
It's okay.
The dialogues are short, but they show why it helps to learn phrases as part of situations rather than as isolated English equivalents.
Pronunciation and usage develop together
Students often learn tone marks correctly on paper long before the tones stay stable when they speak in full sentences. They may know that nǐ and hǎo are both third tone while still pronouncing them unnaturally together, or know that bùchanges before a fourth tone while forgetting the change in conversation.
The same thing happens with usage. A student may know that duìbuqǐ means “sorry” and pronounce it perfectly but still choose it in a situation where bù hǎoyìsi would sound more relaxed and natural.
These are not really separate problems. Pronunciation, listening, vocabulary, and social context gradually start working together as the learner gets more exposure to the language.
That is usually the point where Mandarin begins to feel less like a collection of translations and more like something you can actually use.
Seven useful expressions to know first
For a beginner or traveler, these are worth becoming comfortable with:
Chinese Pinyin Meaning
你好 nǐ hǎo Hello
您好 nín hǎo Hello (respectful)
谢谢 xièxie Thank you
不客气 bú kèqi You're welcome
不好意思 bù hǎoyìsi Sorry / Excuse me
对不起 duìbuqǐ I'm sorry
没关系 méi guānxi It's okay
If you want to move beyond memorized phrases, Polyglottist Language Academy offers Mandarin classes for adult learners, including beginner instruction in pinyin, tones, pronunciation, listening, useful sentence patterns, and everyday conversation. Explore Mandarin classes at Polyglottist Language Academy
你好, 谢谢, and 对不起 may be among the first Mandarin expressions you learn, but very quickly you begin noticing the details around them. Nǐ hǎo is correct without being the greeting people use in every interaction. Xièxie is simple to translate but has its own pronunciation and social rhythm. Duìbuqǐ means “sorry,” yet sometimes bù hǎoyìsi is the phrase that actually fits.
Those distinctions are small, but they are where real language learning begins. The phrases stop being English words with Chinese equivalents and start becoming choices you make according to the person, the situation, and what you are actually trying to say.