How do you say "Excuse me" in Chinese?

"Excuse me" in Chinese is 不好意思。 — written in pinyin as Bù hǎoyìsi. It is an everyday phrase you would use in China.

What does 不好意思。 mean in Chinese?

不好意思。 (Bù hǎoyìsi) means "Excuse me". Broken down word by word: 不 (bù) means "not"; 好意思 (hǎoyìsi) means "to feel embarrassed / to have the nerve".

When would you use "Excuse me" in Chinese?

To get a stranger's attention before a question: hotel staff, a passer-by, someone behind a counter. It also covers squeezing past somebody, interrupting a conversation and making a light apology for something small, which is why you hear it dozens of times a day in China.

How to say “Excuse me” in Chinese

“Excuse me” in Chinese is 不好意思。, written in pinyin as Bù hǎoyìsi.

不好意思。

Bù hǎoyìsi.

Excuse me.

Word by word

What each part of 不好意思。 actually means.

不bùnot
好意思hǎoyìsito feel embarrassed / to have the nerve

When you use it

To get a stranger's attention before a question: hotel staff, a passer-by, someone behind a counter.
It also covers squeezing past somebody, interrupting a conversation and making a light apology for something small, which is why you hear it dozens of times a day in China.

Use 不好意思。 in everyday situations. Greetings, thanks and the small words you use all day.

Other ways people say it

The same idea, said differently. Roughly in the order you'll hear them.

不好意思，请问一下。
Bù hǎoyìsi, qǐngwèn yíxià
Excuse me, may I ask something?
The full opener: attention first, question marker second. The safest way to start with someone you do not know.
打扰一下。
Dǎrǎo yíxià
Sorry to bother you.
Slightly more formal. Good when you need real help from someone at a desk or a service counter.
对不起。
Duìbuqǐ
I am sorry.
The serious apology. 不好意思 is for brushing past somebody; 对不起 is for having actually done something wrong.

What usually trips people up

It is not only an apology. Most of the time it opens a conversation, so say it before the question rather than after you have been refused.
Do not spend it on something serious. Knock over a display or damage an item and 对不起 is the phrase; 不好意思 sounds far too light.
It doubles as a polite refusal: 不好意思，我不需要 is how you wave off a tout at a tourist site without being rude. Staff will also say it to you when they have no tables left, and it is a softener rather than bad news.

What you might hear back

没事。Méi shìIt is fine.
你说。Nǐ shuōGo ahead.
怎么了？Zěnme le?What is it?

Common questions

How do you say "Excuse me" in Chinese?: "Excuse me" in Chinese is 不好意思。 — written in pinyin as Bù hǎoyìsi. It is an everyday phrase you would use in China.
What does 不好意思。 mean in Chinese?: 不好意思。 (Bù hǎoyìsi) means "Excuse me". Broken down word by word: 不 (bù) means "not"; 好意思 (hǎoyìsi) means "to feel embarrassed / to have the nerve".
When would you use "Excuse me" in Chinese?: To get a stranger's attention before a question: hotel staff, a passer-by, someone behind a counter. It also covers squeezing past somebody, interrupting a conversation and making a light apology for something small, which is why you hear it dozens of times a day in China.

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