How to say "excuse me" in Chinese

When To Use It

"excuse me" maps to 不好意思 (bù hǎo yìsi), a neutral polite phrase for everyday situations.

Use this phrase in the exact kind of real-life context named above, then listen for how native speakers shorten or soften it in reply.

Practice it first exactly as written, then swap in your own people, places, or objects so it becomes part of your active speaking repertoire.

Tone And Delivery

The register is neutral, which makes it flexible: safe in most daily situations without sounding stiff or overly intimate.

Because this is marked beginner, you should aim to recognize it instantly and reuse it with your own names, nouns, locations, or numbers.

A good practice target is the example sentence 不好意思，请问洗手间在哪里？ (bù hǎo yìsi, qǐngwèn xǐshǒujiān zài nǎlǐ?). Once that feels natural, shorten your pause and try it at conversation speed.

Practice Ideas

This phrase becomes more useful when you learn it as part of a mini-sequence. After saying it, a natural next step could be 谢谢 (xièxie).

A second nearby phrase to review is 不客气 (bú kèqi), which helps you stay in the same topic instead of translating from scratch again.

• Read the example “Excuse me, where is the restroom?” aloud, then replace one detail with your own information.
• Pair it with “Thank you” next so your conversation does not stop after a single line.
• Match the phrase to your tone of voice: soft for polite requests, flatter and quicker for routine daily use.
• If you hear a slightly different version in the wild, compare the tone and context before treating it as interchangeable.