How to Say “Thank You” in Chinese

To say “Thank you” properly in Chinese, it is necessary to see what dialect you want to say it in. There are many dialects spoken in each region of China and around the world. Here are some ways to say “Thank you” in common Chinese dialects.

Table of Contents

Mandarin Chinese

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/0/01/Say-Thank-You-in-Chinese-Step-1-Version-4.jpg/v4-460px-Say- Thank-You-in-Chinese-Step-1-Version-4.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/0/01/Say-Thank-You-in- Chinese-Step-1-Version-4.jpg/v4-728px-Say-Thank-You-in-Chinese-Step-1-Version-4.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,” bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”></div>”}

Say “xie xie”. ^{[1] X Research Source} This is the most common way to say “Thank you” in Mandarin.

Mandarin Chinese is spoken mainly in North and Southwestern China. This is the dialect used by more people than other dialects.
Xie cannot be translated directly into Vietnamese but when saying xiè xie it means “Thank you” and “‘xiè xie nǐ” means “Thank you”.
The pronunciation of xiè xie is syeh-syeh . The first word xiè will be pronounced by raising the voice first and falling at the end of the sound. The second xie has a transverse sound, meaning it is pronounced softly and unstressed.
In simplified Chinese spelling, xiè xie is written as 谢谢. In traditional Chinese, it would be written as 謝謝.
Some extended ways to say “thank you” from “xie xie” include “xiè xiè mui de bāng zhù” (谢您 ), which is a way of saying “thank you for your help”. formal, and “xiè xiè nǐ bāng wǒ” (谢谢你帮我), which is a common way of saying “thank you for your help”.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/8/81/Say-Thank-You-in-Chinese-Step-2-Version-4.jpg/v4-460px-Say- Thank-You-in-Chinese-Step-2-Version-4.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/8/81/Say-Thank-You-in- Chinese-Step-2-Version-4.jpg/v4-728px-Say-Thank-You-in-Chinese-Step-2-Version-4.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,” bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”></div>”}

Use “nǎlǐ, nǎlǐ” to say when you receive a compliment. ^{[2] X Research Source} This sentence, if translated literally, means “where, where!”

Chinese culture values humility, and saying “thank you” when you receive a compliment means you are arrogant. By saying “where, where” you are modestly reducing the compliment. Similar to Vietnamese culture, we often say “nowhere”.
The pronunciation of this sentence is na-lee na-lee .
In simplified Chinese writing, this sentence is written as 哪里哪里. In traditional Chinese, it is 哪裡哪裡.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/7/79/Say-Thank-You-in-Chinese-Step-3-Version-4.jpg/v4-460px-Say- Thank-You-in-Chinese-Step-3-Version-4.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/7/79/Say-Thank-You-in- Chinese-Step-3-Version-4.jpg/v4-728px-Say-Thank-You-in-Chinese-Step-3-Version-4.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,” bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”></div>”}

You can also say “compensate, compensate, compensate” when being praised. Similar to nǎlǐ, nǎlǐ , to say offset, compensate, compensate is a polite way to show humility when complimented.

This answer means “no, no, no” in Vietnamese.
The number of times you say the word “compensation” varies according to how badly you want to decline your compliment. If you receive a lot of compliments, you also have to refuse a lot.
Pronunciation of offset, offset, offset is boo boo boo
The offset in Chinese is 不.

Chinese

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/6/6c/Say-Thank-You-in-Chinese-Step-4-Version-4.jpg/v4-460px-Say- Thank-You-in-Chinese-Step-4-Version-4.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/6/6c/Say-Thank-You-in- Chinese-Step-4-Version-4.jpg/v4-728px-Say-Thank-You-in-Chinese-Step-4-Version-4.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,” bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”></div>”}

Say “doh je” when receiving a gift. This is the basic way to say “thank you” in Cantonese. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

Cantonese is spoken mainly in Southern China. Outside China, this dialect is spoken in Hong Kong and Macau. In addition, it is also used by the Chinese diaspora in Southeast Asia, Canada, Brazil, Peru, Cuba, Panama, Australia, New Zealand, Europe and the United States.
Although this is a common way to say “thank you” in Cantonese, it is usually only used when receiving material gifts. Thanking someone for their help will use a different sentence.
In terms of writing, the word do jeh is written as
The pronunciation of do jeh is daw-dyeh .
If you want to thank someone first for a gift, say “doh je sin” instead of “doh je”.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/1/1d/Say-Thank-You-in-Chinese-Step-5-Version-4.jpg/v4-460px-Say- Thank-You-in-Chinese-Step-5-Version-4.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/1/1d/Say-Thank-You-in- Chinese-Step-5-Version-4.jpg/v4-728px-Say-Thank-You-in-Chinese-Step-5-Version-4.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,” bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”></div>”}

Use “m goi” when being served. When being served or helped, this is how to say thank you in Cantonese.

This expression is not usually used to thank someone for a material gift. This is an expression used only when being served or helped. For example, you will say “m call” to the waiter at a restaurant after they refill your water, not using the same way as when receiving a gift.
The way to write m goi in Chinese is 唔該.
The pronunciation of the word m is called mm koi . The word mm is in the horizontal bar, and the word koi is raised.
Say “m goi nei sin” when you want to thank someone before being served or helped by them.

How to say it in some other dialects

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/0/0a/Say-Thank-You-in-Chinese-Step-6-Version-4.jpg/v4-460px-Say- Thank-You-in-Chinese-Step-6-Version-4.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/0/0a/Say-Thank-You-in- Chinese-Step-6-Version-4.jpg/v4-728px-Say-Thank-You-in-Chinese-Step-6-Version-4.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,” bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”></div>”}

Say “u de” in Taishan. Taishan Chinese is spoken in Taishan, a coastal city in southern Guangdong province (China) located in the Taishan region. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/a/a8/Say-Thank-You-in-Chinese-Step-7-Version-4.jpg/v4-460px-Say- Thank-You-in-Chinese-Step-7-Version-4.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/a/a8/Say-Thank-You-in- Chinese-Step-7-Version-4.jpg/v4-728px-Say-Thank-You-in-Chinese-Step-7-Version-4.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,” bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”></div>”}

Speak “gum xia” in Hokkien, Hakka, and Chaozhou languages. ^{[5] X Research Source} This expression “thank you” is suitable for all three dialects.

Hokkien is spoken by many overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia, especially in Taiwan and southern China’s Fujian province.
Hakka is spoken by the Han people living in the provinces of China such as Hunan, Fujian, Sichuan, Guangxi, Jianxi and Guangdong. In addition, it is also used by Chinese people in other countries such as Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, and the United States.
Chaozhou language is spoken mainly in Chaozhou area, a city in the western part of Guangdong province (China).
In writing, gum xia is 感謝.
The pronunciation of this expression is gahm syeh .

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/a/ab/Say-Thank-You-in-Chinese-Step-8-Version-4.jpg/v4-460px-Say- Thank-You-in-Chinese-Step-8-Version-4.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/a/ab/Say-Thank-You-in- Chinese-Step-8-Version-4.jpg/v4-728px-Say-Thank-You-in-Chinese-Step-8-Version-4.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,” bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”></div>”}

Say “do xia” in Hakka and Chinese used in Taiwan. Here’s how to say “thank you” in both of those dialects.

In terms of writing, do xia is 多謝.
The pronunciation of this word is do-syeh .

Steps

Mandarin Chinese

Chinese

How to say it in some other dialects

Related Posts