30+ Ways to Say 'Thank you' and 'You're Welcome' in Mandarin

When one sets their sights on learning a new language, ‘Thank you’ is usually one of the first expressions you’ll learn.

But what if I told you that saying ‘thank you’ is not the only way of expressing politeness and gratitude in Mandarin Chinese?

Given the many ways you can express thanks in Chinese, it’s a great opportunity to show how refined and superior you are… until you realise manners don’t really exist here, then you’ll feel like you’ve wasted your breath.

But as my mother would say, ‘Kindness costs nothing!’

谢谢 (Xièxie)

This is the most common way to say ‘thank you’ in Chinese. Even though it might look and sound like the same word repeated twice, there is a very subtle difference here. The difference comes from the first syllable, which is the fourth tone, while the second is neutral.

And as if its pronunciation wasn’t easy enough, the other great thing about the word ‘xiè xie’ is that it can be used as the basic formula for many variations of ‘thank you’. Here are some of the best variations of thank you in Chinese with this phrase:

谢了 (xiè le) – thanks (most commonly used between close friends)

谢谢你 (xiè xiè nǐ) – thank you (a more formal way of saying thank you)

谢谢您 (xiè xiè nín) – a more formal and courteous/suitable ‘thank you’ for when you are talking to a person that’s hierarchically higher than you)

多谢 (duō xiè) – thanks a lot (used a lot by the teenagers and mainly in texts between friends)

非常感谢 (Fēicháng gǎnxiè) – ‘Extremely thanks’ (a way to express loads and loads of gratitude)

Thank you for ____

If you want to say thank you for something specific (information that was provided to you, a gift that you received, etc.) there are many ways you can do that, too.

English	Chinese	Pinyin
Thank you for your coffee	谢谢你的咖啡	Xièxiè nǐ de kāfēi
Thank you for your help	谢谢你的帮助	Xièxiè nǐ de bāngzhù
Thank you for your concern	谢谢你的关心	Xièxiè nǐ de guānxīn
Thank you for coming	谢谢你的到来	Xièxiè nǐ de dàolái
Thank you for the gift	谢谢你的礼物	Xièxiè nǐ de lǐwù
Thank you for letting me know	谢谢你让我知道	Xièxiè nǐ ràng wǒ zhīdào

‘Big’ Thanks

Use the expressions below if you’re really grateful.

Thank you so much	太谢谢你了	tài xiè xiè nǐ le
Thanks so much	非常感谢	fēi cháng gǎn xiè
Thank you so much	非常感谢你	Fēicháng gǎnxiè nǐ
A shorter version of ‘Thank you so much.’	感谢	gǎn xiè

Other Versions of ‘Thank You’

There are quite a few other ways to express gratitude in Chinese, but many of them aren’t used that often. The following examples definitely make sense, but they might sound a bit weird for a couple of reasons:

Chinese people love downplaying stuff and projecting an air of modesty and humbleness. Being overly complimentary and polite in Chinese is just kind of weird. To be fair, it is in most cultures, but if you do that stuff here it’ll be like nails on a chalkboard.
Keep in mind that sarcasm exists in Chinese, too. I mean, they’re not as good at it as the British, but it’s still here. Be wary of this… but if you want to practice sarcasm, go for it. It’s so much fun! Say the below phrases harshly or with a straight face if some punk is ruining your day.

To be grateful/to appreciate	感激	Gǎnjī
To be grateful	感恩	Gǎn’ēn
You’ve worked hard	你辛苦了	Nǐ xīnkǔle
I’ve inconvenienced you	麻烦你了	Máfan nǐle
I owe you one	欠你一个人情	Qiàn nǐ yīgè rénqíng
You really helped me out	你真的帮了我个大忙	Nǐ zhēn de bāngle wǒ gè dàmáng
You are such a good person	你真是个大好人	Nǐ zhēnshi gè dàhǎo rén
I really don’t know how to thank you	真不知道怎么谢你	Zhēn bù zhīdào zěnme xiè nǐ
What would I do without you?	没有你, 我该怎么办?	Méiyǒu nǐ, wǒ gāi zěnme bàn
I can’t live without you	没有你我活不下去	Méiyǒu nǐ wǒ huó bù xiàqù

How to Say ‘You’re Welcome’

The two most common ways to say ‘You’re welcome’ in Chinese are:

不客气 (Bù kèqì) – literally meaning ‘No polite’.
别客气 (Bié kèqì) – literarally meaning ‘Don’t polite’.

However, there are a number of other ways to express this sentiment in Mandarin Chinese, so let’s take a look.

English	Chinese	Pinyin
No trouble	不麻烦	Bù máfan
Don’t mention it/’I don’t need your thanks’	不用谢	Bùyòng xiè
Don’t mention it	别提了	Biétíle
Don’t be polite	不要客气	Bùyào kèqì
No worries	不用担心	Bùyòng dānxīn
No worries/No matter	没事儿	Méishì er
No big deal	没什么大不了的	Méishénme dàbùliǎo de
No problem	没问题	Méi wèntí
It’s my honour	这是我的荣幸	Zhè shì wǒ de róngxìng

Where? Where？

Do you know how I said earlier that the Chinese like to be humble in the face of compliments?

A great phrase to remember is…

哪里, 哪里? (Nǎlǐ, nǎlǐ?)

This translates to, ‘Where? Where?’

Saying this is basically brushing off a compliment.

For example, if someone says you’re the most handsome man in the world, you can act all cool and say ‘Where? Where?’ whilst punching the air in your mind.

30+ Ways to Say ‘Thank you’ and ‘You’re Welcome’ in Mandarin