You can get through a whole day in Taiwan on one word. You'll say it to the person who hands you your breakfast, to the bus driver, to the stranger who points you toward the station, and to the shop assistant who bags your snacks. That word is 謝謝. This guide covers it, the handful of other ways to say thanks, and the part most phrasebooks skip: what people say back, and what you should say when someone thanks you.
謝謝: the one you'll use all day
謝謝 is the everyday thank you, polite enough for a stranger and casual enough for a friend. The first syllable has the fourth tone, a firm fall from high to low, like the "no" in a firm "No." The second is light and short. You'll hear many people in Taiwan give the second syllable a little more weight than the textbook neutral tone, but either way you'll be understood.
Two easy ways to make it warmer:
- 謝謝你xièxie nǐ · ㄒㄧㄝˋ ˙ㄒㄧㄝ ㄋㄧˇThank you (to you)
謝謝你 points the thanks at one person and sounds a little more personal. 謝謝再見 is what you'll hear (and can say) on your way out of a shop: thanks, goodbye, in one breath.
Other ways to say thanks
- 謝啦xiè la · ㄒㄧㄝˋ ˙ㄌㄚThanks (casual)
- 感謝gǎnxiè · ㄍㄢˇ ㄒㄧㄝˋThank you, I'm grateful (more formal)
- 多謝duōxiè · ㄉㄨㄛ ㄒㄧㄝˋMany thanks
謝啦 is relaxed and friendly, for friends and people your age. It's the "thanks!" you'd text.
感謝 is a step more formal. You'll see it written far more than you'll hear it in a shop: on signs (感謝您的配合, "thank you for your cooperation"), in emails, in speeches. 感謝你 said out loud sounds sincere, even a little moved.
多謝 means "many thanks". In Mandarin it can sound slightly old-fashioned or playful. In Taiwan you'll also hear 多謝 in Taiwanese Hokkien, the other language many people speak at home, where it sounds quite different (roughly "to-siā"). If an older stall owner says it to you, that's probably what you're hearing.
What people say back
This is where Taiwan and the mainland differ most, and where learners trip up, because the reply you learned from a textbook isn't always the one you'll hear.
- 不會bú huì · ㄅㄨˊ ㄏㄨㄟˋNot at all, no problem
- 不用謝búyòng xiè · ㄅㄨˊ ㄩㄥˋ ㄒㄧㄝˋNo need to thank me
不客氣 is the textbook "you're welcome", literally "don't be polite". It's correct everywhere and you'll hear it in Taiwan, especially from staff.
不會 is the one that surprises people. Literally it means "won't" or "can't", but in Taiwan it's one of the most common replies to 謝謝: something like "not at all" or "it's nothing". When you thank a friend in Taipei, 不會 is a likely answer. On the mainland you'll hear it much less as a reply to thanks.
不用謝 is "no need to thank me", friendly and common in both places.
Notice that 不 is written with the fourth tone but said bú, with a rising tone, in all three of these. That's a regular rule: 不 changes to the second tone before another fourth tone. 客, 會 and 用 are all fourth tones. Our tones guide has the other changes worth knowing.
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What you should say when someone thanks you
Use 不客氣 and you'll never be wrong. Once it feels natural, try 不會 with friends in Taiwan; it sounds relaxed and local.
If someone thanks you for something that took real effort, you might hear or say 應該的 (yīnggāi de, "it's what anyone should do"), which turns the thanks aside modestly.
Thanks for a compliment
When someone praises your Mandarin, an older polite answer was 哪裡哪裡 (nǎlǐ nǎlǐ, literally "where? where?", meaning "oh, not at all"). It still works, but it can sound a little dated or theatrical from a learner. Today a simple 謝謝 is perfectly polite, and 還好啦 (hái hǎo la, "it's okay, not that great") is a casual, modest way to accept it.
When "thank you" isn't the right word
In English we thank people for small inconveniences: the waiter who squeezes past, the person who holds the door while you fumble. In Mandarin the natural word there is often 不好意思 (bù hǎoyìsi), a soft "sorry for the trouble" or "excuse me". Use it to get someone's attention, to squeeze past on the MRT, or when you've asked for something extra. Then, when they've helped, say 謝謝.
| Situation | Say |
|---|---|
| Someone hands you your order | 謝謝 |
| You need to get past someone | 不好意思 |
| A friend helped you move | 謝謝你, or 感謝 if it was a big favour |
| Someone thanks you | 不客氣, or 不會 in Taiwan |
| You leave a shop | 謝謝再見 |
Taiwan and the mainland, side by side
The words are almost the same; the habits differ a little. Characters are traditional in Taiwan and simplified on the mainland, so 謝謝 is written 谢谢 there.
| Phrase | Taiwan | Mainland China |
|---|---|---|
| Thank you | 謝謝 | 谢谢 |
| You're welcome | 不客氣, 不會 | 不客气, 不用谢, 没事 |
| Casual thanks | 謝啦 | 谢啦, 谢了 |
| Excuse me, sorry for the trouble | 不好意思 | 不好意思 |
Either set is understood everywhere. If you learned from a mainland course, your 谢谢 and 不客气 will work fine in Taipei, and you'll simply start hearing 不會 more often.
Practise it out loud
Reading these won't make them come out of your mouth when the moment arrives. Say each one out loud a few times, with the tone, then use it for real the next time someone hands you something. Tap the phrases above to hear Lin say them first.
Questions
What is the most common way to say thank you in Mandarin?
謝謝 (xièxie). It's polite enough for strangers and fine with friends, in Taiwan and on the mainland.
How do you respond to 謝謝?
不客氣 (bú kèqi), "you're welcome", works everywhere. In Taiwan 不會 (bú huì), "not at all", is also very common.
Why do people in Taiwan say 不會 after thank you?
In Taiwan 不會 has become an everyday reply to thanks, meaning something like "it's nothing". It isn't a refusal; it's a friendly way to say you're welcome.
Is 多謝 Mandarin or Taiwanese?
Both. In Mandarin 多謝 (duōxiè) means "many thanks" and sounds a little old-fashioned. In Taiwanese Hokkien it's an everyday thank you, said with different sounds.
Is 謝謝 written differently in Taiwan?
Yes. Taiwan uses traditional characters, 謝謝. Mainland China uses simplified characters, 谢谢. They're said the same way.
Keep reading
- How to say hello in Mandarin, beyond ni hao你好 always works, but Taiwan also says 哈囉, 嗨 and 早安. The everyday ways to say hello in Mandarin Chinese, and what to say back, with audio.
- How to learn Mandarin fast: a speaking-first planLearn Mandarin Chinese faster by speaking from day one. Honest hours, a 12-week plan, and the first lines to say out loud, like 我聽不懂 and 一點點.
- How to order at a Taiwan night marketWhat to say at a Taiwan night market stall, from 雞排 and 鹽酥雞 to 臭豆腐 and bubble tea: pointing, asking the price, spice levels, to go or to eat here, with Lin's voice.
