How to say “How much?” in Chinese
“How much?” in Chinese is 多少钱？, written in pinyin as Duōshao qián?.
多少钱？
Duōshao qián?
How much?
Word by word
What each part of 多少钱？ actually means.
- 多少duōshaohow much / how many
- 钱qiánmoney
When you use it
- Markets, street stalls and small shops — anywhere there is no printed price tag.
- It is also how a negotiation starts: asking the price is not a commitment to buy.
Use 多少钱？ in restaurant situations. Order food, ask for the bill, handle spice levels.
Other ways people say it
The same idea, said differently. Roughly in the order you'll hear them.
这个多少钱？
Zhège duōshao qián?
How much is this one?
Point at the item while you say it.
一共多少钱？
Yígòng duōshao qián?
How much in total?
多少钱一斤？
Duōshao qián yì jīn?
How much per 500g?
The one to know in fruit and vegetable markets, where everything is priced per 斤 rather than per item.
What usually trips people up
- Say duōshao, not duōshǎo — 少 loses its third tone inside this word.
- In supermarkets and chain stores the price is printed on the shelf. This question belongs where prices are actually negotiated, not everywhere you buy something.
- Prices are spoken with 块 (kuài) but written with 元 (yuán) — a tag says ¥10 or 10元, the seller says shí kuài. Same number, two words; 块 is the one you hear and say.
What you might hear back
- 十块。Shí kuàiTen yuan.
- 六块五一斤。Liù kuài wǔ yì jīnSix fifty per 500g.
- 你要几斤？Nǐ yào jǐ jīn?How many jin do you want?
Common questions
- How do you say "How much?" in Chinese?
- "How much?" in Chinese is 多少钱？ — written in pinyin as Duōshao qián?. It is a restaurant phrase you would use in China.
- What does 多少钱？ mean in Chinese?
- 多少钱？ (Duōshao qián?) means "How much?". Broken down word by word: 多少 (duōshao) means "how much / how many"; 钱 (qián) means "money".
- When would you use "How much?" in Chinese?
- Markets, street stalls and small shops — anywhere there is no printed price tag. It is also how a negotiation starts: asking the price is not a commitment to buy.
Where you'll use it
多少钱？ comes up in these situations, in this order.
More Restaurant phrases
Learn all 25 Restaurant phrases
Start learning