Shopping in Chinese: Money Words, Prices and Bargaining Phrases

A price like 12.50 can be said 十二块五 (shí'èr kuài wǔ), dropping the last unit.

Asking prices

• 多少钱？ (Duōshao qián?) — How much is it?
• 这个多少钱？ (Zhège duōshao qián?) — How much is this?
• 一共多少？ (Yígòng duōshao?) — How much altogether?

Bargaining

Bargaining (讲价, jiǎngjià) is common in markets, but not in malls or supermarkets.

• 太贵了！ (Tài guì le!) — Too expensive!
• 便宜一点儿吧。 (Piányi yìdiǎnr ba.) — Make it a bit cheaper.
• 能打折吗？ (Néng dǎzhé ma?) — Can you give a discount?
• 最低多少钱？ (Zuìdī duōshao qián?) — What's the lowest price?
• 我再看看。 (Wǒ zài kànkan.) — I'll look around some more.
• 好的，我买了。 (Hǎo de, wǒ mǎi le.) — OK, I'll take it.

Start at a fraction of the first price, smile, and walk away politely if it doesn't work; sellers may call you back with a lower price.

Discounts

• 打折 (dǎzhé) — discount
• 八折 (bā zhé) — 20% off (literally "80%")
• 优惠 (yōuhuì) — special offer
• 免费 (miǎnfèi) — free

Note that 八折 means you pay 80% of the price, so 五折 (wǔ zhé) is half price.

Paying

• 现金 (xiànjīn) — cash
• 刷卡 (shuākǎ) — pay by card
• 微信支付 (Wēixìn zhīfù) — WeChat Pay
• 支付宝 (Zhīfùbǎo) — Alipay
• 扫码 (sǎomǎ) — scan the QR code

Mobile payments are widespread across China, even in small shops. Foreign visitors can link some international cards to these services, but it's a good idea to carry some cash and check your setup before you travel.

Receipts and returns

• 发票 (fāpiào) — official invoice
• 收据 (shōujù) — receipt
• 退货 (tuìhuò) — return goods
• 找钱 (zhǎo qián) — give change

Useful shop words

• 商店 (shāngdiàn) — shop
• 市场 (shìchǎng) — market
• 超市 (chāoshì) — supermarket
• 尺码 (chǐmǎ) — size
• 试穿 (shìchuān) — try on
• 颜色 (yánsè) — colour

Practice

1. Learn the numbers to 100 and practise prices.
2. Role-play a bargaining conversation.
3. Learn the payment vocabulary.
4. Look up shop-related words in a dictionary.

Look up shopping words with English Chinese Dictionary →