🇨🇳🤬
Mandarin Street talk Phrases
Swear words, slang, colorful expressions. 12+ essential phrases with phonetic pronunciation and 4 full conversation flows for street talk situations in China.
Start learning freeEssential Street talk Phrases in Mandarin
Sorted by usefulness. Phonetic pronunciation included.
他妈的
tah mah duh
Damn / F**k
干杯
gahn-bay
Cheers! / Bottoms up!
牛逼
nyoh-bee
Awesome / Badass (vulgar)
来一杯
lie ee bay
One drink (ordering)
操
tsow
F**k (vulgar)
太棒了
tie bahng luh
Awesome! / Great!
啤酒
pee-jyo
Beer
靠
cow
Crap / Damn (milder)
喝醉了
huh dzway luh
To be drunk
我靠
waw cow
Holy crap! (surprise)
滚
gwun
Get lost! / Scram!
给力
gay-lee
Awesome / Cool
...and 41 more street talk phrases in the app.
Sample: Chatting with people on the street
A real street talk conversation in Mandarin -- both sides of the interaction.
Them
Someone starts talking to you
你是哪里来的？
nee shuh nah-lee lai duh
Where are you from?
You
我是法国人！你知道法国吗
waw shuh fah-gwaw run nee juh-dow fah-gwaw mah
I'm from France! Do you know France?
Them
They know Paris!
知道！巴黎！哈哈
juh-dow bah-lee hah-hah
Yes! Paris! (laughs)
You
这里的菜比法国好吃多了
juh-lee duh tsai bee fah-gwaw hun how-chuh dwaw luh
The food here is so much better than France!
Them
They're surprised and delighted you speak Chinese
你会说中文！太厉害了！
nee hway shwaw jong-wun tie lee-hai luh
You speak Chinese! That's great!
You
就一点点！但是我在努力
jyo yee-dyen-dyen dahn-shuh waw dzai noo-lee
Just a little! But I'm trying!
4 street talk conversations available in the app.
FAQ
What happens when they answer back at the street talk in China?
That's the hard part -- and exactly what TalkThere prepares you for. Each of the 4 street talk conversations shows you the full back-and-forth: what you say, what they'll likely respond, and how to keep going. You won't freeze when they answer in Mandarin.
Is this enough to get by at a street talk in China?
Yes. These are the 12+ phrases that actually come up in real street talk interactions -- not textbook phrases. Sorted by how often you'll need them, with pronunciation you can read at a glance.
Do I need to learn Mandarin script to use this?
No. Every Mandarin phrase has phonetic pronunciation written in plain English. You read it like English and say it out loud. The script is there for reference, but you don't need it.
Ready for China?
14 days free. No credit card required.
Start learning Mandarin free