Ask for directions in Chinese
Learn to ask where the station is in Mandarin, understand left, right and straight ahead, and politely ask someone to repeat directions using clear, beginner-level Chinese.
By SofiaGetting around · Yapr Learn
When you travel in a Chinese-speaking city, the most useful question you can ask is where the station is. In this lesson you will learn a short, polite question, 请问，车站在哪里？ (Qǐngwèn, chēzhàn zài nǎlǐ?), and the three direction words you are most likely to hear in reply: 左边 (zuǒbian, left side), 右边 (yòubian, right side) and 一直走 (yìzhí zǒu, go straight). You will also learn how to ask someone to repeat something when the answer comes too fast, and how to check that you understood. All examples use simplified Chinese characters, pinyin with tone marks, and everyday polite Mandarin suitable for mainland China.
By the end, you can…
- ask where the station is in polite Mandarin.
- understand and use 左边, 右边 and 一直走 in a short direction exchange.
- ask someone to repeat directions when I do not catch them.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
请问，车站在哪里？
Excuse me, where is the station?
ching-wen, chuh-jahn dzai nah-lee
A polite, standard way to stop a stranger and ask for a location. 请问 softens the question; use it before almost any request for information.
一直走。
Go straight.
ee-jr zoh
The most common first instruction. 一直 means continuously, so the whole phrase means keep going without turning.
往左拐。
Turn left.
wahng dzwaw gwhy
Use 往 (toward) plus a direction plus 拐 (to turn). This is the natural way to give a turning instruction.
往右拐。
Turn right.
wahng yoh gwhy
The same pattern as 往左拐, with 右 (right). Listen for the tone: 右 is fourth tone, short and falling.
在左边。
It is on the left.
dzai dzwaw-byen
Use this when something is located on the left side rather than when giving a turning instruction. 在 means at or on.
请再说一遍。
Please say it again.
ching dzai shwah ee-byen
A polite request for repetition. It works in shops, stations and on the street, and does not sound rude.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The key pattern for asking a location is 请问，……在哪里？ (Qǐngwèn, ... zài nǎlǐ?). Put the place before 在哪里. For example, 请问，车站在哪里？ means Excuse me, where is the station? You can replace 车站 with other places: 请问，洗手间在哪里？ (Where is the toilet?) or 请问，地铁站在哪里？ (Where is the subway station?). The answer often starts with 在 (zài, at/on), as in 在左边 (on the left) or 在右边 (on the right).
When to use it
Use 请问 before your question when you approach a stranger, a station worker or a shop assistant. It signals politeness and makes people more willing to help. If the answer is too fast, say 请再说一遍 (Please say it again) or 对不起，我没听懂 (Sorry, I did not understand). If you only missed one word, you can repeat the direction word you heard and ask 左边还是右边？ (Left or right?). This keeps the conversation simple and shows you are trying to follow.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
请问，车站在哪里？
Excuse me, where is the station?ching-wen, chuh-jahn dzai nah-lee一直走，然后往左拐。
Go straight, then turn left.ee-jr zoh, rahn-hoh wahng dzwaw gwhy对不起，请再说一遍。
Sorry, please say it again.dway-boo-chee, ching dzai shwah ee-byen一直走，往左拐。车站在左边。
Go straight, turn left. The station is on the left.ee-jr zoh, wahng dzwaw gwhy. chuh-jahn dzai dzwaw-byen一直走，往左拐，对吗？
Go straight, turn left, right?ee-jr zoh, wahng dzwaw gwhy, dway ma对，在左边。
Yes, it is on the left.dway, dzai dzwaw-byenA little context goes a long way
In mainland China, 请问 is a safe and polite opener with strangers, while 你好 alone can sound like the start of a longer conversation. Station staff may answer quickly and use local place names, so it is normal to ask for repetition once. A short 谢谢 (xièxie, thank you) after the answer is expected and appreciated. In Taiwan, people often say 不好意思 (bù hǎoyìsi) instead of 请问, and 捷運站 (jiéyùn zhàn) instead of 地铁站.
One thing to watch for
Using 左边 or 右边 as a command, for example saying 左边 when you mean Turn left.
Try this instead: 左边 means the left side, not the action of turning. To tell someone to turn left, say 往左拐 (wǎng zuǒ guǎi). If you only say 左边, a listener may think you are describing a location, not giving an instruction.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you politely ask Where is the station? in Mandarin?
Show a sample answer
请问，车站在哪里？
This uses 请问 to soften the question and 在哪里 to ask for a location. 请问，车站在哪儿？ is also correct and common in northern speech.
2Someone says 一直走，然后往右拐. What should you do?
Show a sample answer
Go straight, then turn right.
一直走 means go straight, 然后 means then, and 往右拐 means turn right. If you hear 往左拐 instead, the direction is left.
3You did not catch the directions. What polite sentence can you use?
Show a sample answer
请再说一遍。
This means Please say it again. 对不起，我没听懂 (Sorry, I did not understand) is another valid option when the whole answer was unclear.
Ask 请问，车站在哪里？, listen for 一直走, 往左拐 and 往右拐, and use 请再说一遍 whenever you need the directions repeated.
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