Clothes sizes, fitting rooms and returns in Chinese

Chinese sizes run small — accept it now and shopping gets easier. Everything else is three phrases and a fitting room.

What you'll say

Tap play to hear it. Everything on this page runs in your browser — nothing is uploaded.

Heads-up: the voice you hear here is your browser’s built-in Mandarin — the app sounds considerably better. On iPhone it uses Apple’s enhanced and premium system voices, plays at real conversational speed, and has a slow mode for practising.

This device has no Chinese voice installed, so audio can’t play here. The app doesn’t have that problem — it uses the Mandarin voices built into iOS.

有S码吗？

Yǒu S mǎ ma?

Do you have size S?

Rule of thumb: your home size + 1 or 2. No shame, just physics.

可以试穿吗？

Kěyǐ shìchuān ma?

Can I try it on?

试衣间 (shìyījiān) = fitting room. Usually yes, except for underwear and sale bins.

有别的颜色吗？

Yǒu bié de yánsè ma?

Do you have other colors?

1 more phrase in this situation — plus the real-speed audio for all 4, the listening drill, and the camera. Six situations are free in the app; this one is part of Pro.

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What they'll say back

This is the part nobody teaches. Real Mandarin comes back fast and blunt, so hear it at natural speed first.

Press play before you read. In the app, anything you miss comes back slower and then again later, until you catch it at full speed.

They say

这个版型偏小，建议拿大一码。

Zhège bǎnxíng piān xiǎo, jiànyì ná dà yí mǎ.

This cut runs small — I suggest one size up.

You can answer

那拿个大一码的试试。

Nà ná ge dà yí mǎ de shìshi.

Then I'll try one size up.

They say

现在满三百减五十。

Xiànzài mǎn sānbǎi jiǎn wǔshí.

Right now it's 50 off when you spend 300.

You can answer

好，那我再看看别的。

Hǎo, nà wǒ zài kànkan bié de.

OK — then let me look at a few more things.

Other situations in Shopping

Bargaining at the market Chatting with Taobao sellers The haircut leap of faith