<p>It's difficult for westerners to master the four tones in a few days, but if you have a few months, you can try! It's also difficult to learn how to read Chinese characters, but you can memorize some common words in a few days, such as restaurant, hotel, supermarket, museum, park etc, so that you can know where to go (most places have English signs in Beijing &amp; Shanghai). In Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong, you don't need to worry about the language barrier because most young people there can talk with you in English.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-08-31T00:34:32.380Z
2014-08-31T00:34:32.380Z
OhLook
<p>There are several books that are aimed at travellers with a short time to learn some basic words before they travel. I'm pretty sure I used a book called, <a href="http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/0835125335" rel="nofollow">I Can Read That</a> before my second trip to China, and it had things like the characters for man 男 and woman 女 so you can find the right toilet. My big triumph on that trip was that I read a sign that said 天安门, and I recognized that it was pointing the way to Tiananmen square.</p>

<p>Good luck on your trip.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-09-06T04:08:20.163Z
2014-09-06T04:08:20.163Z
Don Kirkby
<p>A combination of things worked pretty well for me. <strong>As early as possible,</strong> download "Chinese Lite" phone app. It's free and 6 categories of basic words, phrases, questions and answers are free, including "General Conversation," "Numbers," Directions &amp; Places," "Transportation," and "Eating Out." At first, it will seem that the speaker talks way too fast, but if you keep playing them over and over, you will catch on to a few before your departure. <strong>Also download</strong> "Chinese Radicals" and start learning to recognize the radicals. It's a free game that will test your memory of them with multiple choice answers. Play the game <strong>during your flight</strong>: learn simple signs that you see around you, like "Exit" (2 stacked mountains + a mouth). <strong>On arrival,</strong> imitate the sounds of words you'll say a lot (hello, excuse me, tasty). I fell in love with street dumplings, so I learned "Jiao zi" the second day! I think the keys are repetition &amp; imitation, and feeling free to <em>write down your own phonetic clues.</em></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-09-11T03:13:35.680Z
2014-09-11T03:13:35.680Z
PostAc glyph doc
<p>How about someone visiting China in the next few months, who does not understand their language? Is there a way to learn common words and sentences with the correct pronunciation quickly?</p>

<p>Thanks in advance.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-08-31T04:46:05.827Z
I'm a Chinese. If you only stay in city, most young people can speak English. If you can live in youth hotel, their worker can help you a lot. You can book youth hotel in [YHA China](http://www.yhachina.com/index.php?hostID=2). And you will meet many travellers there, you can do anything together.
worldask
<pronunciation><spoken>
Tourists in China but can not understand Chinese
# Tourists in China but can not understand Chinese

(Asked by: username_0 on 2014-08-30)

How about someone visiting China in the next few months, who does not understand their language? Is there a way to learn common words and sentences with the correct pronunciation quickly?

Thanks in advance.

**Tags:** pronunciation, spoken

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I'm a Chinese. If you only stay in city, most young people can speak English. If you can live in youth hotel, their worker can help you a lot. You can book youth hotel in [YHA China](http://www.yhachina.com/index.php?hostID=2). And you will meet many travellers there, you can do anything together.  

---

## 3 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2014-08-31. Score: 3

It's difficult for westerners to master the four tones in a few days, but if you have a few months, you can try! It's also difficult to learn how to read Chinese characters, but you can memorize some common words in a few days, such as restaurant, hotel, supermarket, museum, park etc, so that you can know where to go (most places have English signs in Beijing & Shanghai). In Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong, you don't need to worry about the language barrier because most young people there can talk with you in English.


---

### Answer by username_3 on 2014-09-06. Score: 0

There are several books that are aimed at travellers with a short time to learn some basic words before they travel. I'm pretty sure I used a book called, [I Can Read That](http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/0835125335) before my second trip to China, and it had things like the characters for man 男 and woman 女 so you can find the right toilet. My big triumph on that trip was that I read a sign that said 天安门, and I recognized that it was pointing the way to Tiananmen square.

Good luck on your trip.


---

### Answer by username_4 on 2014-09-11. Score: 0

A combination of things worked pretty well for me. **As early as possible,** download "Chinese Lite" phone app. It's free and 6 categories of basic words, phrases, questions and answers are free, including "General Conversation," "Numbers," Directions & Places," "Transportation," and "Eating Out." At first, it will seem that the speaker talks way too fast, but if you keep playing them over and over, you will catch on to a few before your departure. **Also download** "Chinese Radicals" and start learning to recognize the radicals. It's a free game that will test your memory of them with multiple choice answers. Play the game **during your flight**: learn simple signs that you see around you, like "Exit" (2 stacked mountains + a mouth). **On arrival,** imitate the sounds of words you'll say a lot (hello, excuse me, tasty). I fell in love with street dumplings, so I learned "Jiao zi" the second day! I think the keys are repetition & imitation, and feeling free to *write down your own phonetic clues.*


---

