How to say “how do you say this in Chinese” in Chinese

"how do you say this in Chinese" in Mandarin Chinese is 这个用中文怎么说, pronounced zhège yòng zhōngwén zěnme shuō. Swap 这个 for the word you're asking about: 'apple' 用中文怎么说？ Both 个 and the 么 in 怎么 are neutral tones, so the question has two light syllables tucked between full ones. This is the most useful question a learner can carry, because the answer is new vocabulary every time.

这个用中文怎么说 breaks down as 这个 (zhège) = this, 用 (yòng) = to use / in (a language), 中文 (zhōngwén) = Chinese (language), 怎么 (zěnme) = how, 说 (shuō) = to say. Together it means "how do you say this in Chinese".

Swap 这个 for the word you're asking about: 'apple' 用中文怎么说？ Both 个 and the 么 in 怎么 are neutral tones, so the question has two light syllables tucked between full ones. This is the most useful question a learner can carry, because the answer is new vocabulary every time.