Chinese Shopping Phrases: Your Complete Guide on Navigating Through Chinese Stores

Who doesn't want to go for a little shopping spree when traveling to a foreign country? I know you're a shopper too!💸 Be it shopping at the market or ordering a surprise gift from Taobao, these aren’t just phrases when you're learning Chinese — they’re the keys to unlocking a whole new, more confident you in China. The truth is, you don’t need perfect grammar. You just need the right words at the right time. So, if you're ready to move beyond the universal language of hand gestures, you'll love this straightforward guide. We’ll cover what to say from the moment you walk into a mall, right through to clicking "buy now" online.

Phrases for finding the locations for shopping in China

The upside to shopping in China is the sheer variety — from sprawling high-tech malls to chaotic, fascinating street markets. The downside? They look kind of different, and you may need specific instructions to find the places you're looking for. So, how to sound a bit more savvy by naming your location correctly?

In a standard or (Shopping mall), you’re often looking for a specific type of store or floor. So far as efficiency is concerned, these are your golden phrases:

The best way to collect the Chinese vocabulary for shopping malls is to look through a shopping mall catalog or floor guide and try to translate it. This is the floor guide that every mall usually has.

Now, for markets — like a for food or a for night market goods — the game changes. It’s more conversational and less about directions. Because the stall owners usually are not very clear about what kind of shops there are down the street, it would be inefficient to ask them. Most people just go with the crowd. In this case, what you need to learn is how to read the shop names and the Chinese phrases of the things you're looking for.

You can look through several food street photos and try to understand what they are selling!

Learn Chinese shopping vocabulary for communicating with the staff

Sales staff in China can be… attentive. Sometimes overwhelmingly so. If you’re the type of person who wants to browse in peace, you’ll need a polite shield. Your best friend is a friendly but firm:
。
I’ll just look around casually first.(It clearly communicates “I’m here, but I don’t need help yet.”)

When you do need help, the magic word is (To try).

What about when you love something, but the price doesn’t love you back? In many market or smaller store settings, you can ask:
？
Can it be a little cheaper?

The truth is, don’t expect huge discounts in malls, but in markets, it’s part of the dance. And if you decide it’s not right, this simple sentence is a graceful and universally understood exit:
。
I’ll think about it some more.

Use these Chinese phrases for checking out when shopping in Chinese

You’ve found the perfect thing. Now, don’t let the final hurdle trip you up. The checkout process is where clarity is king when you speak Mandarin.

Now, two critical scenarios.

To avoid the embarrassment of being unable to pay at the cashier, you can check whether the shop has instructions on the acceptable payment method, like this picture.

Essential words for shopping items in Chinese online

Shopping online in China is a whole different universe — you’ll love the selection, but the interface can feel like a puzzle (similar to the interface of Temu or Shein). Let’s break it down without the jargon.

Your first friend is the search bar. Be specific.

Instead of searching “shirt,” think like a local user, and putting in the season, material, style, or Chinese sizes you're looking for:

Spring pure cotton shirt, women’s

Use adjectives like (New style), (Hot selling style), or (Korean style) to filter.

When you find an item, the truth is, you cannot ignore the reviews. Click on (Reviews) and look for photo reviews from buyers — . This is where you see the real product.

Communicating with the online seller is via the chat function, called (Customer service):

The final step is navigating the checkout page. You’ll see options for (Courier delivery) — just choose the default. You’ll confirm your (Shipping address).

Finally, you click (Submit order) and then choose your payment method, just like in a physical Chinese store. My personal advice? Start small. Order a few low-stakes items to get the flow. In other words, treat your first few online buys as a learning purchase. More or less, once you get the hang of it, there’s no going back.

Media is your training ground to learn vocabulary for shopping in Chinese

Videos, audios, and texts cover many daily life scenarios, including shopping and bargaining. The good news is, Migaku app can help generate Chinese subtitles even when the video does not feature any (Supporting YouTube, Disney+, Netflix, Rakuten VIKI). For example, Migaku app can generate subtitles for this cut from The Knockout with the English translation.

FAQs

You know what to say, but what if you can't understand the staff?

The thing is, in the shopping scenario, Chinese beginners can learn very quickly about how to express themselves clearly, because there are only so many things you need to ask when shopping. However, it might be difficult for beginners to understand what the shop assistant says in reply, because they might reply in a detailed, succinct, or personal way, with a few jokes and comments here and there. That's why in the long run, you need to consume media extensively to train your ear for daily Mandarin speaking.

Now, go for a shopping spree!