How to Say Please in Chinese: 请, 麻烦你, 拜托 and More

There's no single Chinese word that does everything English "please" does. The closest is 请 (qǐng), but Mandarin speakers also use 麻烦你 (máfan nǐ), 拜托 (bàituō) and 劳驾 (láojià), and very often they make a request polite through the shape of the sentence rather than a special word. This guide explains which to use when, with example sentences you can borrow.

Why "Please" Doesn't Translate One-to-One

In English you can add "please" to almost any request. In Mandarin, politeness is spread across several tools: a polite word like 请 or 麻烦, a question form such as 能……吗？ ("can you…?"), softening words like 一下 ("a moment"), and your tone of voice. Which one fits depends on a few things:

• Who you're talking to: a close friend, a colleague, an older person or a stranger.
• What you're asking for: a routine action, a small favour, or something that costs the other person real time or effort.
• The setting: a busy noodle shop, an office, or a stranger on the street.

Here are the main options at a glance. Each is covered in more detail below.

Quick Guide to Polite Requests in Mandarin

请 (qǐng): The Standard "Please"

请 (qǐng) is the word most dictionaries give for "please", and the one you'll see on signs and hear from shop and restaurant staff. Put it in front of a verb to turn an instruction into a polite one. It sounds courteous and a little formal, which makes it ideal with strangers, customers and guests.

Making Polite Requests with 请

• 请坐。(qǐng zuò.) Please sit down. What a host says when you arrive at their home or office.
• 请进。(qǐng jìn.) Please come in. The standard reply when someone knocks.
• 请稍等。(qǐng shāo děng.) Please wait a moment. You'll hear this from receptionists and staff on the phone. A more everyday version is 请等一下 (qǐng děng yíxià).
• 请慢用。(qǐng màn yòng.) Enjoy your meal. Literally "please use slowly", said by waiting staff as they serve food.

请 also means "to invite" or "to treat": 我请你吃饭。(wǒ qǐng nǐ chīfàn.) means "I'll treat you to a meal", not "please eat". Context makes the meaning clear.

Asking Questions with 请问 (qǐngwèn)

To politely start a question, combine 请 with 问 (wèn, to ask). 请问 works like "excuse me, could I ask…", and it's the perfect opener for directions or prices.

• 请问，洗手间在哪里？(qǐngwèn, xǐshǒujiān zài nǎli?) Excuse me, where are the toilets?
• 请问，这个多少钱？(qǐngwèn, zhège duōshao qián?) Excuse me, how much is this?

请问 is one of the most useful phrases a beginner can learn; it's number five in our list of essential phrases in Chinese, and you'll lean on it constantly as a tourist in China.

Signs: 请勿 (qǐng wù)

On notices you'll often see 请勿, a formal written "please do not": 请勿吸烟 (qǐng wù xīyān), no smoking; 请勿拍照 (qǐng wù pāizhào), no photos. You read it on signs but wouldn't say it in conversation.

麻烦你 (máfan nǐ): "Sorry to Trouble You"

麻烦你 (máfan nǐ) literally means "(I) trouble you". Starting a request with it acknowledges that you're asking for the other person's time, a bit like "sorry to bother you, could you…" in English. It's very common in everyday life and sounds warmer than a bare 请.

When to Use 麻烦你 Instead of 请

Think about how much you're asking. For a routine action that's part of someone's job, or a polite instruction, 请 is fine. When you're asking someone to stop what they're doing and help you, 麻烦你 is usually the more natural choice:

• Asking a passer-by to take a photo or give you directions.
• Asking a colleague to look over something for you.
• Asking a shop assistant to fetch another size from the stockroom.

More Respect with 麻烦您 (máfan nín)

To be more respectful, for example with older people, teachers or a manager, swap 你 (nǐ) for the polite 您 (nín): 麻烦您. The meaning is the same, with added deference.

• 麻烦你帮我拍张照，可以吗？(máfan nǐ bāng wǒ pāi zhāng zhào, kěyǐ ma?) Sorry to bother you, could you take a photo for me?
• 麻烦您，去火车站怎么走？(máfan nín, qù huǒchēzhàn zěnme zǒu?) Excuse me, how do I get to the train station?
• 麻烦买单。(máfan mǎidān.) The bill, please. A very natural way to ask for the bill in a restaurant.

Once someone has helped you, you can thank them with 麻烦你了 (máfan nǐ le), "sorry for the trouble", often followed by 谢谢.

拜托 (bàituō): "I'm Counting on You"

拜托 (bàituō) is made of 拜 (bài), to pay respects, and 托 (tuō), to entrust. It means you're putting something in the other person's hands, so it's more emphatic than 请 or 麻烦你. It's mostly used with people you know, and it's common and casual between friends; it isn't reserved for emergencies.

• 拜托拜托！(bàituō bàituō!) Please, please! Doubling it makes it sound pleading and a bit playful.
• 拜托你帮我带杯咖啡。(bàituō nǐ bāng wǒ dài bēi kāfēi.) Would you mind getting me a coffee? A friend-to-friend favour.
• 这件事就拜托你了。(zhè jiàn shì jiù bàituō nǐ le.) I'm counting on you for this. Said when handing over a task that matters to you.
• 拜托，再给我一次机会吧！(bàituō, zài gěi wǒ yí cì jīhuì ba!) Please, give me one more chance!

拜托 has a second, very colloquial use: on its own, with an exasperated tone, it means "oh, come on!", much like an eye-rolling "please!" in English. 拜托，这也太贵了吧！(bàituō, zhè yě tài guì le ba!) Come on, that's way too expensive!

Because it leans on the relationship, 拜托 can sound odd when asking a stranger for something trivial. With people you don't know, 麻烦你 or 请问 is the safer start.

劳驾 (láojià) and Other Ways to Ask Politely

劳驾 (láojià) is a polite "excuse me, would you mind", heard mostly in northern China and especially Beijing. It sounds slightly old-fashioned, and younger people more often say 不好意思 or 麻烦. You might hear it on a crowded bus: 劳驾，让一下。(láojià, ràng yíxià.) Excuse me, could I get past?

Very often, Mandarin speakers don't use any "please" word at all. These patterns do the same job:

• Ask a question instead of giving an instruction: 你能帮我一下吗？(nǐ néng bāng wǒ yíxià ma?) Could you help me for a moment? 可以再说一遍吗？(kěyǐ zài shuō yí biàn ma?) Could you say that again?
• Soften the verb with 一下 (yíxià): 你看一下。(nǐ kàn yíxià.) Have a look. 一下 makes the action sound quick and light.
• Open with 不好意思 (bù hǎoyìsi): "sorry" or "excuse me", for getting someone's attention before a request.
• In formal writing, use 烦请 (fánqǐng): a polite "please" in emails and notices, as in 烦请回复 (fánqǐng huífù), "please reply".

Choosing the Right "Please"

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Using 请 with close friends

请 is polite but slightly formal, so using it for every request between friends can sound distant, like saying "would you kindly…" to your best mate. With friends, a direct request or a question usually sounds warmer:

• Stiff with a friend: 请帮我一下。(qǐng bāng wǒ yíxià.) Please help me.
• More natural: 帮我一下！(bāng wǒ yíxià!) Give me a hand! Or: 能帮我个忙吗？(néng bāng wǒ ge máng ma?) Can you do me a favour?

Choosing the wrong weight for the favour

A heartfelt 拜托 to a stranger for something tiny sounds odd, while a bare 请 when asking a busy manager for help can sound like an instruction rather than a request. For a favour from someone senior, acknowledge the trouble and ask a question:

• Too abrupt: 王经理，请帮我改报告。(wáng jīnglǐ, qǐng bāng wǒ gǎi bàogào.) Manager Wang, please correct my report.
• Better: 王经理，麻烦您帮我看看这份报告，可以吗？(wáng jīnglǐ, máfan nín bāng wǒ kànkan zhè fèn bàogào, kěyǐ ma?) Manager Wang, sorry to trouble you, could you take a look at this report for me?

Notice that Chinese puts the surname before the title: 王经理, Manager Wang.

Practising These Phrases

Politeness in Chinese is carried by your voice as much as your words, and a request with muddled tones is simply harder to understand. To practise saying requests out loud, the Chunking Chinese fluency trainer, our sister app, gives you English prompts to answer in spoken Mandarin using reusable chunks such as 我想问一下 (wǒ xiǎng wèn yíxià, I'd like to ask), and scores the tone and pronunciation of each character. If tones are still a struggle, start with our guide to tones in Chinese.

To make the phrases stick, learn them inside real sentences rather than as single words. In Mandarin Mosaic you can add sentences like the ones above as Custom Sentences, or add 麻烦 and 拜托 as Focus Words, and the app builds lessons that show each one in a run of different sentences. Tap any word for its meaning and audio, and spaced repetition brings each sentence back just before you'd forget it.

Frequently Asked Questions About Saying Please

Is It Rude Not to Say Please When Ordering Food?

No. In most restaurants and street food stalls it's normal to state your order directly, and politeness comes through your tone and a 谢谢 (xièxie) when the food arrives. 我要这个。(wǒ yào zhège.) "I'd like this one" and 来一碗牛肉面。(lái yì wǎn niúròu miàn.) "A bowl of beef noodles, please" are both perfectly polite. Our guide to ordering food in Chinese has more.

Can I Use 谢谢 (xièxie) Instead of a Please Phrase?

They do different jobs. 谢谢 thanks someone for something they've done or offered, such as pouring you tea. When you're the one asking for something, start with 请, 麻烦你 or a polite question instead, then say 谢谢 afterwards.

How Do I Say You're Welcome in Chinese?

The standard reply to 谢谢 is 不客气 (bú kèqi), literally "don't be polite". Note that 不 changes to the second tone, bú, before the fourth-tone 客. 不用谢 (búyòng xiè), "no need to thank me", and the casual 没事 (méishì), "it's nothing", are also very common.

Want to learn polite phrases the way they're actually used? Mandarin Mosaic teaches Chinese through real sentences with one new word at a time, with audio and spaced repetition, on iOS and Android.

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