How to say thank you in Chinese, plus please, sorry, and excuse me

谢谢 (xièxie) is how to say thank you in Chinese, and it covers nearly every situation a visitor meets. Add 您 for respect — 谢谢您 (xièxie nín) — or 非常感谢 (fēicháng gǎnxiè) when the favor was large. The reply coming back is usually 不客气 (bú kèqi).

How to say thank you in Chinese: xièxie and its heavier forms

谢谢 doubles one syllable — a standard Mandarin softening move, since 谢 alone sounds clipped. Say it xièxie, with the second syllable unstressed, not two hard fourth tones. Some textbooks write xièxiè; go by ear rather than the pinyin chart.

If you only learn one way to say thank you in Mandarin, learn that one. The rest is weight:

• 谢谢你 (xièxie nǐ) — warmer, for one favor.
• 谢谢您 (xièxie nín) — respectful "you": elders, teachers, officials, formal service.
• 多谢 (duōxiè) — "many thanks," brisk, common in writing and Cantonese.
• 非常感谢 (fēicháng gǎnxiè) — heavier than 谢: real favors, formal settings, speeches.
• 辛苦了 (xīnkǔ le) — "you've worked hard," thanks for effort — a driver, a guide at day's end.

On xie xie meaning: 谢 pairs the speech radical 讠 with 射 (shè) as its phonetic, and separately means to decline politely (谢绝) or to wilt, as in 花谢了.

When xièxie is the wrong move

Mandarin politeness tracks distance — the more formal you are, the further away you're standing. Thank a close friend for passing you a bowl and you may get 干嘛这么客气 (gàn má zhème kèqi), "why so polite?", or the pointed 你太见外了 (nǐ tài jiànwài le), "you're treating me like an outsider." 见外 is the idea to hold onto: over-thanking someone close reads as a request for distance.

Thank strangers and service staff freely; let it thin out with people you see daily.

How to say please in Chinese without leaning on qǐng

请 (qǐng) exists, but it isn't the English "please" — it's a verb meaning to invite or request, heading an instruction rather than softening one:

• 请坐 (qǐng zuò) — please sit
• 请进 (qǐng jìn) — please come in

Bolt 请 onto your own request and you sound stiff or bossy. Mandarin softens from other directions:

• 一下 (yíxià) after a verb shrinks it: 等一下 (děng yíxià), "hang on a second."
• 麻烦你 (máfan nǐ), "trouble you," is the closest equivalent to a polite please.
• 好吗 / 可以吗 (hǎo ma / kěyǐ ma) on the end turns a statement into a request.
• A trailing 谢谢 carries much of the load English gives "please."

How to say sorry in Chinese: duìbuqǐ, bù hǎoyìsi, bàoqiàn

Three weights, and picking the heavy one for a light offense is its own kind of awkward.

不好意思 (bù hǎoyìsi) is the workhorse — literally "not good meaning," closer to embarrassment than guilt. Bumping someone, showing up late, interrupting: it comes up far more often than 对不起.

对不起 (duìbuqǐ) is a real apology, literally "unable to face you." Keep it for actual fault: you broke it, missed the meeting, were wrong. For a light bump it sounds theatrical.

抱歉 (bàoqiàn) is the formal register — announcements, emails, customer service. 很抱歉 is what an airline says.

Two more: 我错了 (wǒ cuò le), "I was wrong"; 请原谅 (qǐng yuánliàng) is formal, "please forgive me."

不 shifts from bù to bú before a fourth tone — why 不客气 is bú kèqi while 不好意思 keeps its bù; the Chinese tones rules cover the pattern.

How to say excuse me in Chinese: qǐngwèn, láojià, jièguò

English "excuse me" does three jobs. Mandarin splits them.

To ask a stranger something, open with 请问 (qǐngwèn), "may I ask" — 请问，地铁站在哪儿？ Leading with a greeting is smoother still — see the guide to hello in Mandarin.

To get past someone, 借过 (jièguò), "borrow passage," is the standard line nationwide, on a bus or through a crowd. 劳驾 (láojià) is a Beijing-flavored alternative, useful for both.

To apologize for the interruption itself, use 不好意思.

To call a server, don't translate "excuse me" at all — 你好 (nǐ hǎo) or 服务员 (fúwùyuán) in their direction is standard.

The core phrases and their standard replies

Situation	Phrase	Pinyin	Usual reply
Thanks, everyday	谢谢	xièxie	不客气 (bú kèqi)
Thanks, formal	非常感谢	fēicháng gǎnxiè	应该的 (yīnggāi de)
Please / request	麻烦你	máfan nǐ	— they just act
Sorry, light	不好意思	bù hǎoyìsi	没事儿 (méi shìr)
Sorry, real	对不起	duìbuqǐ	没关系 (méi guānxi)
Excuse me, asking	请问	qǐngwèn	你说 (nǐ shuō)

The error learners make is crossing the replies: 没关系 answers an apology, 不客气 answers a thank-you. Swap the pair and the exchange stalls — at a counter with a line behind, that's when people switch to English.

That's an argument for learning these in pairs, not as a vocabulary list. A phrasebook grouped by situation keeps the reply on the same page as the phrase, so you aren't searching mid-exchange — Chinese Phrasebook is a Chinese phrasebook app for iPhone.

Chinese honorifics: nín, guìxìng, and the title problem

Chinese honorifics absorb much of the politeness English spreads across "please" and "sir."

您 (nín) is the respectful "you" — 你 written over 心, heart. It's heavy in Beijing and the north (elders, customers, teachers) but rarer in casual southern speech and Taiwan, where 你 does the same job; aimed at a peer, it can read as deliberate distance.

您贵姓？ (nín guìxìng), "your honorable surname?", is the polite way to ask a name. The modest reply is 免贵姓王 (miǎn guì xìng Wáng), "drop the 'honorable,' my surname is Wang," though plain 我姓王 is normal too.

Occupational titles matter more than 先生 / 女士 (xiānsheng / nǚshì, Mr./Ms.):

• 老师 (lǎoshī) — teacher, extended respectfully to experts and senior colleagues
• 师傅 (shīfu) — drivers, cooks, tradespeople; standard for a taxi driver
• 服务员 (fúwùyuán) — restaurant server

One to handle carefully: 小姐 (xiǎojiě) alone is unremarkable in Taiwan and Hong Kong but carries a sex-work connotation in much of mainland China. 女士 or simply 你好 avoids it.

FAQ

Is xièxie the only way to say thank you in Mandarin?

No. 谢谢 covers most situations, but 非常感谢 (fēicháng gǎnxiè) is heavier, 多谢 (duōxiè) is brisk and common in writing, and 辛苦了 (xīnkǔ le) thanks someone for effort rather than a thing. Choose by weight.

What does xie xie literally mean?

谢 (xiè) is a verb meaning to thank, and separately to decline politely or to wilt. Doubling it — routine in Mandarin with single-syllable verbs — makes it conversational, closer to "thanks" than "I thank you."

How do I answer when someone says 谢谢 to me?

不客气 (bú kèqi) is the safe default anywhere. 不用谢 (búyòng xiè) and 没事儿 (méi shìr), "it's nothing," are more casual. If you're the one providing the service, 应该的 (yīnggāi de) is the standard line.

Is it rude to use 请 the wrong way?

Not rude, just off. 请 fronts an invitation or instruction — 请坐, 请进 — so attaching it to your own request sounds formal or bossy. 麻烦你 (máfan nǐ) or a trailing 谢谢 is what native speakers reach for.

Do I need the tones right for these to be understood?

Mostly, though context does a lot of work at a counter. The two that catch beginners are 不客气, where 不 shifts to second tone before a fourth (bú kèqi), and 谢谢, whose second syllable is neutral.