How to say “excuse me” in Chinese
🔊 Tap to hear it
Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.
Word by word
Tone tip
请问 (literally 'may I ask') is the polite way to get attention before a question. To say excuse me for bumping someone, use 不好意思 (bù hǎoyìsi).
In a sentence
Qǐngwèn, xǐshǒujiān zài nǎlǐ?
Excuse me, where is the toilet?
Hear it and say it right
Reading pinyin only gets you halfway. ToneDeck plays native audio and scores your pronunciation so your tones land. HSK 1 is free, no install.
Start freeFrequently asked questions
How do you say "excuse me" in Chinese?+
"excuse me" in Mandarin Chinese is 请问, pronounced qǐngwèn. 请问 (literally 'may I ask') is the polite way to get attention before a question. To say excuse me for bumping someone, use 不好意思 (bù hǎoyìsi).
What does 请问 mean literally?+
请问 breaks down as 请 (qǐng) = please, 问 (wèn) = to ask. Together it means "excuse me".
How do I get the tones right in qǐngwèn?+
请问 (literally 'may I ask') is the polite way to get attention before a question. To say excuse me for bumping someone, use 不好意思 (bù hǎoyìsi).
More phrases like this
Master the tones behind it
What each tone sounds like and why it matters.
Why some tones change in connected speech.
Now on iPhone · Android coming soon
ToneDeck is on the App Store. The trainer works right now.
Download ToneDeck for iPhone today, and your progress syncs across every device. Prefer the browser? The full tone trainer runs at tonedeck.app right now, no install, free to start.
See all the phrases on the how to say things in Chinese index, or read how to learn Mandarin tones.