There are some basic Chinese words related to tour and travels. It may help you to travel across China comfortably up to some extent, if you know these little words. It may also help you to understand physiologically, what they try to say for charges, location & directions. This has been put in a very simplistic way to remember it. These aren’t word-to-word translations. Actually it has put in such way as we everyday use to in our home town in mother tougue or English. So situational sentences will be more or less similarly related to hire a taxi, talk to the driver and ask for location & directions etc.
How to Talk with Taxi Driver in China
你去哪儿? (nǐ qù nǎ ér?) ／ 你去哪里? (nǐ qù nǎli?) – Where do you want to go?
这儿, 知道吗? (zhè ér, zhī dào ma?) – I want to go here. Do you know where that is?
知道 (zhī dào) – I know where that is.
不知道 (bù zhī dào) – I don’t know where that is.
多少钱? (duō shǎo qián?) – How much?
可以走高速吗 (kě yǐ zǒu gāo sù ma?) – Is it okay if I take the highway?
可以 (kě yǐ) – Yes you can
是哪儿 (shì nǎ ér?) ／ 是哪里? (shì nǎli?) – Which place is it?
掉转 (diào zhuǎn) – Make a U-turn
这儿停车 (zhèr tíng chē) – You can stop here
How to speak at Bus Stop and Subway:
___号到这儿吗? ( ___ hào dào zhè ér ma?) – Is this the stop for the ___ route/line?
谢谢你帮我 (xiè xiè nǐ bang wǒ) – Thank you for helping me.
地铁站在哪儿? (dì tiě zhàn zài nǎr?) – Where is the subway/Metro station?
公交车站在哪儿? (gōng jiāo chē zhàn zài nǎ ér?) – Where is the bus stop?
几站? (jǐ zhàn?) – How many stops?
那站怎么读? (nà zhàn zěn me dú?) – How do you pronounce my stop?
需要转车吗? (xū yào zhuǎn chē ma?) – Do I have to transfer?
How to Ask for Directions:
去___怎么走? (qù ___ zěn me zǒu?) – How do I get to ___?
下车的时候 (xià chē de shí hou, ___) – When you get off, ___
出去的时候 (chū qù de shí hou, ___) – When you exit, ___
从___出口 (cóng ___ chūkǒu) – Use exit ___ (at a subway station)
左 (zǔo) – Left
右 (yòu) – Right
回去 (huí qù) – Go back
一直走 (yī zhī zǒu) – Go straight
___条路 (___ tiáo lù) – ___ (number of) streets
有___ (yǒu ___) – There is a ___
你看___的时候 (nǐ kàn ___ de shí hou) – When you see ___