Chinese phrases
How to say how much is this in Chinese
How much is this in Chinese is 这个多少钱 (zhè gè duō shao qián). Point at the thing and ask. At a market stall, 怎么卖 is just as common.
这个多少钱
how much is this?
多少 has a light second syllable: duō shao. 钱 means money, so the question is “this, how much money?”
Ways to say how much is this
这个多少钱
Everydayhow much is this?
Point at the item. Works in any shop, stall or restaurant.
多少钱
Everydayhow much?
The short form, when it is clear what you mean: you are holding it, or the seller is.
请问这个多少钱
Formalexcuse me, how much is this?
Politer. Use it when you need to get a shop assistant’s attention first.
怎么卖
Everydayhow much is it? (how is it sold?)
At markets, for fruit, vegetables and other things sold by weight: 这个怎么卖? The answer is often a price per 斤.
多少钱一斤
Everydayhow much per jin?
A 斤 is 500 grams. Market signs show prices per 斤, not per kilo.
一共多少钱
Everydayhow much is it altogether?
At the till, when you buy several things.
How prices are said
A price tag says 元 or ¥. Out loud, people say 块.
十块
ten yuan
块 is the spoken word for yuan. People often add 钱: 十块钱.
两块五
2.50 yuan
The last unit drops off. Here 五 means five 毛, fifty cents.
一百二
120 yuan
A number after 百 counts tens, so this is 120, not 102. 102 is 一百零二.
Bargaining
People bargain at markets and some small stalls. In malls, supermarkets and chain shops, prices are fixed.
太贵了
that’s too expensive
The usual way to start. Say it with a smile.
便宜点吧
make it a bit cheaper
Direct and normal at a market stall.
能便宜一点吗
can you do it a bit cheaper?
Softer. Good in a small shop where you are not sure people bargain.
我再看看
I’ll look around a bit more
To walk away without buying. When a shop assistant asks what you need, say 我先看看, “I’m just looking.”
Common mistakes
Using 二 before 块
Before 块, two is 两: 两块钱. 二 stays inside bigger numbers, as in 十二块.
Listening for 元
Shops write 元, but people seldom say it out loud. Listen for 块, and for 毛 in small prices.
Bargaining in a supermarket
In a supermarket or a chain shop, 便宜点 sounds strange, because the price is fixed. Keep it for markets and small stalls.
At a fruit stall
老板，这个怎么卖？
Leon: Hi, how much are these?
十二块一斤。
Stallholder: Twelve yuan a jin.
太贵了，便宜点吧。
Leon: That’s too much. Can you go lower?
那就十块吧。
Stallholder: Ten, then.
好，来两斤。
Leon: OK, two jin, please.
