How to say “I can't speak Chinese” in Chinese
“I can't speak Chinese” in Chinese is 我不会说中文。, written in pinyin as Wǒ bú huì shuō Zhōngwén.
我不会说中文。
Wǒ bú huì shuō Zhōngwén.
I can't speak Chinese.
Word by word
What each part of 我不会说中文。 actually means.
- 我wǒI
- 不bùnot
- 会huìcan (learned skill)
- 说shuōto speak
- 中文ZhōngwénChinese language
When you use it
- When the conversation has to change shape right now — somebody is explaining something at speed and none of it is landing.
- It is a statement rather than a request, so it works best as the first thing you say; coming in mid-sentence it sounds like you are giving up on what they just said, which is when 我中文说得不好 is the better choice.
Use 我不会说中文。 in travel situations. Airports, trains, directions and asking for help.
Other ways people say it
The same idea, said differently. Roughly in the order you'll hear them.
我只会一点点中文。
Wǒ zhǐ huì yìdiǎndiǎn Zhōngwén
I only know a tiny bit of Chinese.
只会 is 'only know how to'. 一点点 is the modest conversational amount — smaller, and warmer, than 一点.
你可以打字给我看。
Nǐ kěyǐ dǎzì gěi wǒ kàn
You could type it out for me.
A phone keyboard crosses the gap faster than speech. 打字 is typing and 写 is writing by hand; the two are not interchangeable.
不好意思，我不太会。
Bù hǎoyìsi, wǒ bú tài huì
Sorry, I can't really.
不太会 says the skill is thin rather than absent. Both truer and easier on the other person than a flat 我不会.
What usually trips people up
- 不会 is about a skill you never picked up, and 不能 is about not being able to right now. Saying 我不说中文 instead reads as a choice you are making, which is why it lands as rude rather than apologetic.
- This sentence is about speaking. If the problem is that you cannot follow what is being said to you, that is a different line — 我听不懂 says the words are not arriving, and answering with 我不会说中文 gets you English instead of slower Chinese.
- Chinese has no fixed apology to bolt onto it. The sentence is blunt by design and works as the opening move; put 不好意思 in front only when you are cutting somebody off mid explanation.
What you might hear back
- 没关系，我说慢一点。Méiguānxi, wǒ shuō màn yìdiǎnNo problem, I'll speak more slowly.
- 那我写给你。Nà wǒ xiě gěi nǐThen let me write it out for you.
- 你等一下，我找个会的。Nǐ děng yíxià, wǒ zhǎo gè huì deWait a moment, I'll find someone who can.
Common questions
- How do you say "I can't speak Chinese" in Chinese?
- "I can't speak Chinese" in Chinese is 我不会说中文。 — written in pinyin as Wǒ bú huì shuō Zhōngwén. It is a travel phrase you would use in China.
- What does 我不会说中文。 mean in Chinese?
- 我不会说中文。 (Wǒ bú huì shuō Zhōngwén) means "I can't speak Chinese". Broken down word by word: 我 (wǒ) means "I"; 不 (bù) means "not"; 会 (huì) means "can (learned skill)"; 说 (shuō) means "to speak"; 中文 (Zhōngwén) means "Chinese language".
- When would you use "I can't speak Chinese" in Chinese?
- When the conversation has to change shape right now — somebody is explaining something at speed and none of it is landing. It is a statement rather than a request, so it works best as the first thing you say; coming in mid-sentence it sounds like you are giving up on what they just said, which is when 我中文说得不好 is the better choice.
Where you'll use it
我不会说中文。 comes up in these situations, in this order.
More Travel phrases
Learn all 31 Travel phrases
Start learning