Speaking • Practical Situations
Asking for Directions in Mandarin Chinese
Getting around in a Chinese-speaking city requires a handful of essential navigation phrases. This page covers how to ask for and understand directions, key landmarks, and transport vocabulary.
Asking for Directions
| 汉字 Chinese | 拼音 Pīnyīn | English |
|---|---|---|
请问，…在哪里？ | qǐngwèn, … zài nǎlǐ? | Excuse me, where is…? (the standard question) |
怎么去…？ | zěnme qù…? | How do I get to…? |
这附近有…吗？ | zhè fùjìn yǒu… ma? | Is there a… nearby? (e.g. 地铁站 — metro station) |
离这里远吗？ | lí zhèlǐ yuǎn ma? | Is it far from here? |
走路要多久？ | zǒulù yào duōjiǔ? | How long does it take to walk? |
可以坐几路公交车？ | kěyǐ zuò jǐ lù gōngjiāo chē? | Which bus number can I take? |
我迷路了 | wǒ mí lù le | I'm lost |
能帮我看一下地图吗？ | néng bāng wǒ kàn yīxià dìtú ma? | Can you help me look at the map? |
Giving Directions
| 汉字 Chinese | 拼音 Pīnyīn | English |
|---|---|---|
一直走 | yīzhí zǒu | Go straight ahead |
左转 | zuǒ zhuǎn | Turn left |
右转 | yòu zhuǎn | Turn right |
往前走，然后右转 | wǎng qián zǒu, rán hòu yòu zhuǎn | Go forward, then turn right |
过了红绿灯再转 | guò le hónglǜdēng zài zhuǎn | Turn after the traffic lights |
大概走五分钟 | dàgài zǒu wǔ fēnzhōng | About a five-minute walk |
就在那栋大楼旁边 | jiù zài nà dòng dàlóu pángbiān | It's right next to that building |
不远，走路就可以 | bù yuǎn, zǒulù jiù kěyǐ | Not far — you can walk there |
Landmarks and Reference Points
| 汉字 Chinese | 拼音 Pīnyīn | English |
|---|---|---|
地铁站 | dìtiě zhàn | Metro / subway station |
公交车站 | gōngjiāo chē zhàn | Bus stop |
红绿灯 | hónglǜdēng | Traffic lights |
十字路口 | shízì lùkǒu | Crossroads / intersection |
天桥 | tiānqiáo | Overpass / pedestrian bridge (Taiwan: 陸橋 lù qiáo) |
地下道 | dìxiàdào | Underpass / underground walkway |
出口 | chūkǒu | Exit |
入口 | rùkǒu | Entrance |
商场 | shāngchǎng | Shopping mall / commercial centre |
Transport Phrases
| 汉字 Chinese | 拼音 Pīnyīn | English |
|---|---|---|
打车去 | dǎ chē qù | Take a taxi there (also: 打的 dǎ dī) |
叫个滴滴 | jiào gè dīdī | Order a DiDi (ride-hailing app, like Uber in China) |
坐地铁 | zuò dìtiě | Take the metro |
骑共享单车 | qí gòngxiǎng dānchē | Ride a shared bicycle (bikeshare) |
在哪里下车？ | zài nǎlǐ xià chē? | Where do I get off? (bus or taxi) |
到…站下车 | dào… zhàn xià chē | Get off at the … stop / station |
这趟车去…吗？ | zhè tàng chē qù… ma? | Does this bus / train go to…? |
Usage Notes
Always start a direction request with 请问 (qǐngwèn — 'may I ask') before your question. It signals politeness and gets people's attention naturally. Jumping straight to 地铁在哪里 without 请问 can come across as abrupt, especially to strangers.
Chinese addresses are written from largest to smallest unit: province → city → district → street → building number. When giving or reading an address, the logic is the opposite of English. Street signs and navigation apps in China also typically show character form only.
DiDi (滴滴 dīdī) is the dominant ride-hailing platform in mainland China, similar to Uber. It has an international version with English support. In Taiwan, LINE Taxi and Uber both operate. Knowing 叫个滴滴 is practical for any mainland China trip.