As the world enhances the possibility for people from all around the globe to travel between countries, China has become one of the most popular tourist destinations for travellers. As the language in China is quite complex, it is most helpful for visitors or newcomers to Shanghai to learn some important phrases that they can use during their time here. The following are ten phrases that will help you a lot:

1) First, we have “ 你好”, pronounced “knee-how”. This is usually the first greeting you ever say in Chinese. This is a way of greeting anyone you meet; it’s the same as saying “hello”.

2) Second, we have “再见”, pronounced “zai-jian”. If you greet someone, this is how you say “goodbye” when you depart.

3) Next, we have “多少钱”, pronounced “duo-shao-chian”. When you purchase something, it’s essential to know how much you need to pay.

4) Following this, when you find expensive items, you will want to bargain for a more reasonable price. Here you will want to use “太贵了”, pronounced “tai-gui-la”, to let the seller know that an item costs too much. They would then either explain why it’s so expensive, or they would haggle with you for a better price.

5) When eating in restaurants, you will want to give compliments to make a good impression. When saying something tastes good, you will want to say “好吃”, pronounced “hao-chir”.

6) When you no longer want any more food or any other things in general, you will want to say “不要了”, pronounced “boo-yow-le”.

7) Wherever you go, you will definitely need wifi for your social media and search engines. You will want to say “有网络吗”, pronounced “yo-wang-luo-ma”, meaning “Is there wi-fi?”.

8) After you have wifi, you’ll want the password, so you will want to ask “有密码吗?” pronounced “you-mi-ma-ma?”.

9) Finally, you will want to be polite to anyone that helped you along your journey, so you can say thank you or “谢谢”, pronounced “xie-xie”.

10) When you are thanked by someone, you would want to say “you’re welcome” or “不客气” pronounced “boo-ke-qi”.

Hopefully these ten phrases can be helpful for you when you visit because these sayings are appropriate for all situations. I hope you have a wonderful time in China and that it’s a memory worth keeping!

By Jocelyn, Year 12, YCIS Puxi Secondary