Survival Chinese
Don't learn tones. Just show these screens to locals to survive.
You Don’t Need to Be Fluent — Chinese is a tonal language, so a wrong pitch can change the meaning entirely, and locals may not understand you even if you say the right word. For anything important, skip the guesswork: tap the cards below to display them large on your screen, and just show your phone to the person. For casual interactions, don’t be shy — locals appreciate the effort!
The Absolute Essentials
You only really need to learn how to say these three words.
Navigation Lifesavers
Show these to taxi drivers or people on the street.
🤝 Polite & Social
A little politeness goes a long way. Locals love it when you try.
🍜 Food & Ordering
Pointing works, but these phrases make ordering much smoother.
🛍️ Shopping & Money
Survive markets, negotiate prices, and pay the local way.
🚨 Emergency & Medical
Hopefully you never need these — but you absolutely must have them ready.
🏨 Hotel & Accommodation
Check in, get connected, and sort out your stay.
Translation Apps
Google Translate
Download the Offline Chinese pack before flying. The camera translation mode is a lifesaver for reading menus and signs.
Baidu Translate
The local standard. Works without a VPN and has excellent voice translation for real-time conversations.
WeChat
Built-in translation. Long-press any text message or image inside WeChat and tap “Translate” — perfect for reading messages from locals.