How to say “please” in Chinese
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Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.
Word by word
Tone tip
请 is a third tone - dip low. It goes at the START of a request: 请坐 (please sit), 请进 (please come in), 请问 (excuse me, may I ask).
In a sentence
Qǐng zuò.
Please sit down.
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Start freeFrequently asked questions
How do you say "please" in Chinese?+
"please" in Mandarin Chinese is 请, pronounced qǐng. 请 is a third tone - dip low. It goes at the START of a request: 请坐 (please sit), 请进 (please come in), 请问 (excuse me, may I ask).
What does 请 mean literally?+
请 breaks down as 请 (qǐng) = please / to invite. Together it means "please".
How do I get the tones right in qǐng?+
请 is a third tone - dip low. It goes at the START of a request: 请坐 (please sit), 请进 (please come in), 请问 (excuse me, may I ask).
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.
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See all the phrases on the how to say things in Chinese index, or read how to learn Mandarin tones.