Lesson 4: Thank You and Sorry
Express appreciation and apologize is a "must learn" lesson in any language. There are many ways of saying "thank you" and "sorry" in Chinese. This lesson will teach you the most commonly used terms and they are so universal that you probably never need to learn the other forms.
Vocabulary:
| Chinese Character | Pinyin | Pronunciation | English Translation | |
| 谢谢 | xiè xiè | thanks | ||
| 不客气 | bú kèqi | no problem | ||
| 不 | bú | no, not | ||
| 客气 | kèqi | polite | ||
| 对不起 | duì bù qǐ | sorry | ||
| 没关系 | méi guānxi | that's all right | ||
| 没 | méi | not | ||
| 关系 | guānxi | relation | ||
Tips:
- both 不 "bú" and 没 "méi" means no but they can be used in combination with other words to describe "not to do". Their differences will be explained in the later lessons.
- Please note, in many situations, Chinese people say "thanks" instead of "thank you" and "no problem" instead of "you are welcome".
- In Chinese, there is also no direct translation of "I am sorry", just "sorry".
Dialog:
Click to hear the above dialog.
English Translation:
Thanks!
No problem.
Sorry!
That's all right. .
Chinese Calligraphy:
Questions and Comments
