Please, thanks & sorry
How to say Please in Chinese
请
qǐng
Literally: to please / to invite
请 (qǐng) is “please,” and it goes in front of the verb, not floating on its own: 请坐 (qǐng zuò) “please sit,” 请进 (qǐng jìn) “please come in.” On its own, 请 also means “to invite” or “to treat” someone.
Other ways to say it
- 麻烦你
máfan nǐ
may I trouble you
Softens a request by acknowledging the imposition — “sorry to bother you, but…”
- 拜托
bàituō
please, I’m counting on you
More pleading or urgent — “please, I’m begging you.” Also a mild “oh, come on!” in casual speech.
In a sentence
请给我一杯水。
Qǐng gěi wǒ yì bēi shuǐ.
Please give me a glass of water.
How do you say "Please" in Chinese?
To say “please” in Chinese, put 请 (qǐng) before a verb — 请坐 (qǐng zuò) means “please sit.” To soften a request, add 麻烦你 (máfan nǐ), “may I trouble you.”
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