Speaking • Social Situations
Telephone Chinese — Phrases for Phone Calls in Mandarin
Phone conversations follow predictable scripts in any language, and Mandarin is no exception. The greeting 喂 (wèi), asking 请问是哪位 (who is calling), and the closing 那我先挂了 (I will hang up first) are all standard. Master these patterns and phone calls in Chinese become manageable.
Answering the Phone
| 汉字 Chinese | 拼音 Pīnyīn | English |
|---|---|---|
喂？ | wèi? | Hello? (standard phone greeting) |
你好，这里是…… | nǐ hǎo, zhèlǐ shì…… | Hello, this is… (company or department) |
请问是哪位？ | qǐngwèn shì nǎ wèi? | May I ask who is calling? (polite) |
请问找谁？ | qǐngwèn zhǎo shuí? | Who are you looking for? |
我就是。 | wǒ jiù shì. | Speaking. / That's me. |
我是……，请问您是？ | wǒ shì……, qǐngwèn nín shì? | I am…, may I ask who you are? (formal) |
Asking to Speak to Someone
| 汉字 Chinese | 拼音 Pīnyīn | English |
|---|---|---|
请问……在吗？ | qǐngwèn……zài ma? | Is … there? (asking for someone) |
我找…… | wǒ zhǎo…… | I am looking for… (I'd like to speak to…) |
请转…… | qǐng zhuǎn…… | Please transfer / put me through to… |
他现在方便说话吗？ | tā xiànzài fāngbiàn shuōhuà ma? | Is it a good time for him to talk? |
他不在。 | tā bú zài. | He is not in / not available. |
他在开会。 | tā zài kāihuì. | He is in a meeting. |
请稍等。 | qǐng shāo děng. | Please hold on a moment. |
Taking and Leaving Messages
| 汉字 Chinese | 拼音 Pīnyīn | English |
|---|---|---|
请问能留言吗？ | qǐngwèn néng liúyán ma? | May I leave a message? |
请叫他给我回电话。 | qǐng jiào tā gěi wǒ huí diànhuà. | Please ask him to call me back. |
我的电话号码是…… | wǒ de diànhuà hàomǎ shì…… | My phone number is… |
方便的时候请他给我打电话。 | fāngbiàn de shíhou qǐng tā gěi wǒ dǎ diànhuà. | Please ask him to call me when convenient. |
我等您的电话。 | wǒ děng nín de diànhuà. | I will wait for your call. |
我会再打来的。 | wǒ huì zài dǎ lái de. | I will call back. |
Ending a Call
| 汉字 Chinese | 拼音 Pīnyīn | English |
|---|---|---|
好，就这样吧。 | hǎo, jiù zhèyàng ba. | Okay, that's all then. (common close) |
那我先挂了。 | nà wǒ xiān guà le. | I'll hang up first then. (informal) |
好的，再见。 | hǎo de, zàijiàn. | Okay, goodbye. |
感谢您的来电。 | gǎnxiè nín de lái diàn. | Thank you for calling. (formal) |
有什么问题请随时联系我。 | yǒu shénme wèntí qǐng suíshí liánxì wǒ. | If there are any issues please contact me any time. |
挂电话 | guà diànhuà | To hang up / end the call |
Usage Notes
喂 is used almost exclusively when answering or initiating a phone call. The tone is falling (4th tone: wèi) when answering. Using it face-to-face sounds odd — it is a telephone-specific word.
This phrase (I will hang up first) is the standard polite way to end a call in Chinese. It puts the other person first — you announce you are hanging up rather than just cutting off. The other person typically responds 好的，再见.
In professional or formal phone calls, use 您 (nín, polite you) rather than 你 (nǐ). This is especially important when speaking to customers, seniors, or people you do not know well.
In China today, many business communications have moved to WeChat (微信, Wēixìn). However, these telephone phrases are still essential for older contacts, formal business, government offices, and international calls.