How to Say Please in Mandarin

The answer is qing (请) - "please." It is universal across the Mandarin-speaking world. But Mandarin politeness register differs from English in ways that matter: qing is positionally fixed (it always comes at the beginning of a request), the formal nin (you) carries politeness that English-speaking learners often miss, and the softener bu hao yi si plays a politeness role that English please does not have a clean parallel for. This article covers the basic phrase, the placement rules, the cultural register, the alternatives, and the regional variations.

The basic phrase

Qing (请) - "please" (literally "request" or "invite").

Pronunciation:

• Qing3 (qing, third tone) - falling-rising tone.

The character 请 means "to invite / to request" and functions as the polite-request marker. Unlike English "please," it is essentially always placed at the beginning of the request, not at the end.

Position in the sentence

Qing is positionally fixed at the beginning of the request:

• Qing zuo (请坐) - Please sit.
• Qing jin (请进) - Please come in.
• Qing gao su wo (请告诉我) - Please tell me.
• Qing wen (请问) - Please (allow me to) ask.

The English construction "do that, please" (verb + please at the end) does NOT translate directly. Mandarin uses qing at the start: "Qing zuo" not "zuo, qing."

This is the most consistent positional difference between English "please" and Mandarin qing, and the most common error English-speaking learners make in early Mandarin politeness register.

Standard Mandarin polite formulas

Mandarin politeness has several productive formulas:

Qing + verb

The standard request form:

• Qing jin (请进) - Please come in.
• Qing zuo (请坐) - Please sit.
• Qing he cha (请喝茶) - Please drink tea.
• Qing chi (请吃) - Please eat.
• Qing deng yi xia (请等一下) - Please wait a moment.

Qing wen

A distinctive Mandarin polite-request opener:

• Qing wen (请问) - literally "please ask" - used to introduce a polite question.
• Qing wen, xi shou jian zai na li? (请问, 洗手间在哪里?) - Please, where is the bathroom?
• Qing wen, nin gui xing? (请问, 您贵姓?) - Please, what is your honourable surname?

Qing wen is the universal polite opener when asking strangers questions. Using it marks the speaker as well-mannered in any Mandarin-speaking context.

The formal nin

Using nin (您, formal you) inherently signals politeness without requiring qing. A request directed at someone with nin is already polite at the pronoun level:

• Nin xian zou (您先走) - You go first (polite without needing "please").
• Nin he cha ma? (您喝茶吗?) - Will you drink tea? (formal polite).

Variations of please beyond qing

Mandarin has several phrases that function as politeness intensifiers:

Ma fan nin

Literally "to trouble you." Used to introduce a request as a small imposition. Carries the apologetic-politeness register that bu hao yi si also covers:

• Ma fan nin gei wo cai dan (麻烦您给我菜单) - Could I trouble you for the menu.
• Ma fan nin yi xia, qing wen... (麻烦您一下, 请问...) - Sorry to trouble you a moment, please may I ask...

The ma fan nin opener softens a request by acknowledging the imposition. It is widely used in service interactions and in any polite request to a stranger.

Bai tuo le

Literally "beg / please" - more emotive than qing. Used for stronger requests or pleading:

• Bai tuo le, bang wo yi ge mang (拜托了, 帮我一个忙) - Please, do me a favour.
• Bai tuo bai tuo (拜托拜托) - Please please (intensified).

Bai tuo le carries a slight begging or urging quality; reserve for genuinely substantial requests or for casual exaggerated emphasis.

Lao jia

Older formal phrase meaning "to inconvenience you" or "may I trouble you." Used by older speakers and in traditional contexts; less common in modern urban Mandarin but still understood and respected.

Bu hao yi si

The multi-purpose softener that covers excuse-me, sorry-to-trouble-you, and please-help-me territory in casual interactions:

• Bu hao yi si, qing wen... (不好意思, 请问...) - Excuse me / sorry, may I ask...
• Bu hao yi si, ke yi gei wo yi bei shui ma? (不好意思, 可以给我一杯水吗?) - Sorry / please, could I have a glass of water?

Bu hao yi si is more reflexively used in everyday Mandarin requests than qing is. Foreign learners who default to qing for every request sound technically correct but slightly formal; native speakers more often use bu hao yi si in casual service interactions.

The cultural register on politeness

Mandarin politeness has some specific conventions worth understanding:

Politeness is relationship-dependent

Mandarin politeness varies dramatically by relationship: highly formal with strangers and senior figures, considerably less formal with close friends and family. The reflexive English-speaker reflex to use "please" with everyone (including family) does not always translate; native Mandarin speakers often skip qing in close-family casual requests because the relationship itself signals the appropriate register.

For foreign learners: continue using qing liberally with strangers and in service contexts. In close-friend or family contexts, less reflexive qing is appropriate.

Direct requests are not necessarily rude

Mandarin direct-request forms ("ni gei wo..." - you give me...) are not as direct-sounding as their English equivalents. The directness is moderated by the relationship and tone rather than by mandatory politeness tags. This does not give foreign visitors licence to skip qing with strangers; the register is more contextual than English's reflexive politeness, but the safe default for visitors is still to include qing.

Face considerations shape requests

Substantial requests in Mandarin often acknowledge the imposition explicitly: ma fan nin ("to trouble you"), bu hao yi si ("sorry to bother"), or bai tuo le ("please / I beg"). These openers acknowledge that the request asks something of the other person and let them grant the favour with their face intact.

Responding to requests with qing

When someone makes a request with qing, the standard responses:

• Hao de (好的) - "okay"
• Hao (好) - "okay" (briefer)
• Mei wen ti (没问题) - "no problem"
• Dang ran (当然) - "of course"
• Qing zhi guan shuo (请直管说) - "please speak directly" - inviting them to continue.

Special situations

Ordering at a restaurant

• Qing gei wo cai dan (请给我菜单) - Please give me the menu.
• Lao jia, ke yi dian cai le ma? (劳驾, 可以点菜了吗?) - May I order now?
• Ma fan nin, wo yao yi ge... (麻烦您, 我要一个...) - Sorry to trouble you, I would like a...

Asking for directions

• Qing wen, ___ zai na li? (请问, _ 在哪里?) - Please, where is _?
• Bu hao yi si, qing wen lu jiu zen me zou? (不好意思, 请问路就怎么走?) - Excuse me, how do I get there?

Asking for repetition

• Qing nin zai shuo yi bian (请您再说一遍) - Please say it again.
• Bu hao yi si, mei ting qing chu (不好意思, 没听清楚) - Sorry, I did not hear clearly.

Asking someone to wait

• Qing deng yi xia (请等一下) - Please wait a moment.
• Shao deng (稍等) - Wait a bit (casual).

In writing (emails, letters)

• Jing qing (敬请) - "respectfully request" - very formal written.
• Qing fei xin hui fu (请回复) - Please reply.
• Wei pan zao fu wei he (盼早复为荷) - "hope for early reply is favoured" - very formal classical phrasing.

Regional variations

Mainland China (Putonghua)

• Qing is universal in formal contexts.
• Bu hao yi si dominates casual requests.
• Ma fan nin is the workhorse polite softener.

Taiwan (Guoyu)

• Qing is universal.
• Bu hao yi si is used even more reflexively in Taiwan than mainland China.
• The phrase Tuan dui (please cooperate) appears in some Taiwanese politeness registers.
• Taiwanese politeness register is generally slightly more elaborate than mainland.

Singapore (Huayu)

• Qing is universal.
• English please is widely used in casual Mandarin-English code-switching contexts.
• The Singapore Mandarin register inherits both mainland and Taiwan politeness conventions.

Hong Kong

• Hong Kong operates primarily in Cantonese. The Mandarin qing is understood but the local Cantonese ching (请, same character, different pronunciation) is the local idiomatic version.
• The Cantonese m goi (唔該) handles much of the casual "please" territory in everyday Hong Kong service interactions.

A few useful related phrases

How to actually internalise these

Three practical recommendations:

1. Place qing at the beginning, not the end. "Qing zuo," not "zuo, qing." The positional rule is the single most consistent error English-speaking learners make.
2. Master qing wen as the polite question opener. Using qing wen before asking strangers questions marks you as well-mannered in any Mandarin context. It is the universal polite stranger-to-stranger opener.
3. Layer ma fan nin and bu hao yi si. Native Mandarin speakers use these acknowledgment-of-imposition openers alongside or instead of qing in everyday casual requests. Learning to deploy them shifts your register from textbook-polite to natural-polite.

Cross-references

• The Mandarin for adult learners pillar covers the wider Mandarin learning approach.
• The how to say hello in Mandarin article covers the greeting register.
• The how to say thank you in Mandarin article covers the gratitude vocabulary including the bu hao yi si softener.
• The how to say sorry in Mandarin article covers the bu hao yi si softener in detail.
• The Mandarin variety guide covers the regional variety choice.
• The Mandarin grammar cheatsheet covers the structures underlying these requests.