Language/Mandarin-chinese/Vocabulary/How-to-say-"thank-you"-the-right-way
你好 Chinese Learners! 😃
Saying "thank you" in Chinese seems simple!
This is also one of the first things you learn in Mandarin class: 谢谢, or "xièxie" pinyin. You can use it to thank a friend or the taxi. However, this translation is not appropriate in all situations! There are actually several ways to thank and show gratitude in Mandarin. I explain all this to you in this new lesson on the most common Chinese words so that you will never again be considered ungrateful by the Chinese!
The translation of thank you in Chinese: 谢谢[edit | edit source]
Writing[edit | edit source]
First, let's dive a little deeper into the most basic way to say thank you in Mandarin: 谢谢.
It's a character that's quite difficult to draw for a beginner, but I have a trick to make it easier to remember: break it down! The character 谢 consists of three parts:
- 讠 which means “word”;
- 身 meaning “body”;
- 寸 meaning "thumb".
From these different radicals, you can create a little story like: we can say thank you with the word and the body, accompanied by a thumbs up.
Pronunciation[edit | edit source]
Now let's see the pronunciation of 谢谢, whose pinyin is "xièxie".
The first “xie” is accented in the 4th tone and the second has no accent.
⚠⚠ I want to make this clear to prevent your interlocutor from bursting out laughing… Because xièxiè with two 4th tones means “having diarrhea”. You have been warned! 😉
Variations for thanking you in Mandarin[edit | edit source]
多谢 (duōxiè)[edit | edit source]
多谢 literally means "thank you very much". The Chinese generally use it in the messages they send to each other, but we hear more and more students using 多谢 in oral form in an informal way.
谢谢你 (xiè xie nǐ) or 谢谢您 (xiè xie nín)[edit | edit source]
- 谢谢你 literally means "thank you", it is a slightly more formal way of saying thank you.
- 谢谢您 means "thank you" and is used with hierarchical superiors or people whom one wishes to address as a mark of respect.
谢了(xièle)[edit | edit source]
The Chinese usually use this expression with close friends.
非常感谢你 (fēicháng gǎnxiè nǐ)[edit | edit source]
This expression means "I thank you very much". It is used in a formal setting to express deep gratitude when someone has done something good for you. In a less formal way, we can also say 感谢 (gǎn xiè) or 非常谢谢 (fēi cháng xiè xie).
Send specific thanks[edit | edit source]
You can be more specific in your acknowledgments. Instead of just saying “thank you”, you can say “thank you for…”.
Let's see some examples to use on a daily basis:
- 谢谢你的关注 (xièxie nǐ from guānzhù) – thank you for your attention
- 谢谢你的耐心 (xièxie nǐ de nàixīn) – thank you for your patience
- 谢谢你的帮忙 (xièxie nǐ from bāngmáng) – thank you for your help
- 谢谢你的礼物 (xièxie nǐ de lǐwù) – thank you for the gift
- 谢谢你们的倾听 (xièxie nǐmen from qīngtīng) – thank you for listening
- 谢谢你告诉我 (xièxiè nǐ gàosù wǒ) – thank you for telling me
- 谢谢你们邀请我们晚饭 (xièxie nǐmen yāoqǐng wǒmen wǎnfàn) – thank you for your invitation to dinner
- 感谢你为我做的一切 (gǎnxiè nǐ wèi wǒ zuò de yīqiè) – thank you for everything
- 谢谢你的咖啡 (xièxie nǐ de kā fēi!) – thanks for the coffee
- 感谢您今天的光临 (gǎnxiè nín jīntiān de guānglín) – thank you for coming today
- 谢谢您花时间和我们在一起 (xièxie nín huā shíjiān hé wǒmen zài yìqǐ) – thank you for spending time with us today.
Thanking an assembly with 谢谢大家[edit | edit source]
Have you just made a speech in front of an assembly or a presentation in front of your Chinese class? You can conclude with a "thank you to all", which will be said in Chinese "谢谢大家" (xièxie dàjiā).
To be more specific, you can also say:
- Thank you all for your attention.谢谢大家的关注。 (xiè xie dà jiā de ɡuān zhù.)
- Thanks all for coming.谢谢大家的来临。 (xiè xie dà jiā de lái lín.)
To say thank you in Chinese after a compliment: 哪里哪里[edit | edit source]
If you are learning Chinese, you have surely already noticed that all you need to do is say a simple 你好 to receive an avalanche of compliments from natives who will congratulate you on the quality of your Mandarin.
In other languages, we would tend to want to answer "thank you", but in this situation 谢谢 is not the right translation. You could come across as arrogant...
To act polite in the eyes of a Chinese, you must decline the compliment. The most common way is to answer with 哪里哪里 which means "but no, but no, you flatter me too much". You will look like a modest person, which is very popular in China.
Express gratitude when someone gives way: 麻烦你了![edit | edit source]
In other languages, when someone gives us the right of way, we answer “thank you”. In Chinese, we tend to say “sorry for the inconvenience”, which translates to 麻烦你了 (máfannǐle).
You can also use this expression to thank someone who has done something for you when you didn't ask them to. Out of politeness, the Chinese use this expression even if the work was poorly done!
Say thank you with the expression 你太好啦![edit | edit source]
你太好啦 (Nǐ tài hǎo la) literally means “you are the best”. It is used in China to thank someone while highlighting them.
It's a way to make the other feel recognized! For example, if a friend has done us a favor, we can say: “wow, you really are the best” (你太好啦) instead of a simple 谢谢.
We will not use this phrase in a formal situation with someone we do not know well or with a superior. It is rather an expression to be used “among friends”.
Say “You are welcome!” in Mandarin[edit | edit source]
You now know how to say thank you in Chinese in many everyday situations, well done!
Now let's see very briefly how to answer "you're welcome".
The three most common translations are:
- 没关系 （méi guān xi): “there is nothing”, it does not matter”, “it does not matter”.
- 不客气 (bù kèqì): “nothing”, “nothing”.
- 不用谢 (bú yòng xiè): “please”, “nothing to worry about”.
Summary Table: The main Ways to Say "Thank you" in Mandarin Chinese[edit | edit source]
| English | Chinese | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| I appreciate your hard work. | 辛苦了！ | Xīnkǔ le! |
| I can’t thank you enough | 感激不尽 | gǎnjī bù jìn |
| I don’t know what to do without you. | 没有你我不知道该怎么办。 | Méiyǒu nǐ wǒ bù zhīdào gāi zěnme bàn. |
| I owe you one. | 我欠你个人情。 | Wǒ qiàn nǐ gè rénqíng. |
| I really don’t know how to repay you. | 真不知道该怎么感谢你。 | Zhēn bù zhīdào gāi zěnme gǎnxiè nǐ |
| I really need to thank you well. | 我得好好谢谢你。 | Wǒ děi hǎohǎo xièxie nǐ. |
| It’s so kind of you. | 你真好。 | Nǐ zhēn hǎo |
| Many thanks | 多谢 | Duōxiè! |
| Sorry to bother you. | 麻烦你了！ | Máfan nǐ le! |
| Thank you all. | 谢谢你们 | Xièxie nǐmen. |
| Thank you for doing me this big favor. | 多亏你帮了我个大忙。 | Duōkuī nǐ bāngle wǒ gè dàmáng. |
| Thank you for everything. | 感谢你做的一切。 | Gǎnxiè nǐ zuò de yīqiè. |
| Thank you for your encouragement.. | 谢谢你的鼓励。 | Xièxie nǐ de gǔlì. |
| Thank you for your help. | 谢谢你的帮助。 | Xièxie nǐ de bāngzhù. |
| Thank you very much. | 非常感谢 | fēicháng gǎnxiè |
| Thank you. | 谢谢你 | Xièxie nǐ. |
| Thanks | 谢了 | Xièle. |
| Thanks a million. | 万分感谢 | wànfēn gǎnxiè |
| Thanks to everyone. | 谢谢大家 | Xièxie dàjiā. |
| Thanks to my family. | 感谢我的家人 | Gǎnxiè wǒ de jiārén. |
| You are the best. | 你最好了。 | Nǐ zuì hǎole. |
| Your support is greatly appreciated. | 感谢你的支持。 | Gǎnxiè nǐ de zhīchí. |