How do you say "I'm just browsing" in Chinese?

"I'm just browsing" in Chinese is 我随便看看。 — written in pinyin as Wǒ suíbiàn kànkan. It is a shopping phrase you would use in China.

What does 我随便看看。 mean in Chinese?

我随便看看。 (Wǒ suíbiàn kànkan) means "I'm just browsing". Broken down word by word: 我 (wǒ) means "I"; 随便 (suíbiàn) means "casually"; 看看 (kànkan) means "to look around".

When would you use "I'm just browsing" in Chinese?

You say it to a shop assistant who comes over as you walk in: it tells them you are not ready to buy and that you will ask if you need anything. Because it is a soft no, it works on touts and street sellers too — said with a smile it ends the pitch without making the person feel brushed off.

How to say “I'm just browsing” in Chinese

“I'm just browsing” in Chinese is 我随便看看。, written in pinyin as Wǒ suíbiàn kànkan.

我随便看看。

Wǒ suíbiàn kànkan.

I'm just browsing.

Word by word

What each part of 我随便看看。 actually means.

我wǒI
随便suíbiàncasually
看看kànkanto look around

When you use it

You say it to a shop assistant who comes over as you walk in: it tells them you are not ready to buy and that you will ask if you need anything.
Because it is a soft no, it works on touts and street sellers too — said with a smile it ends the pitch without making the person feel brushed off.

Use 我随便看看。 in shopping situations. Prices, sizes, bargaining and paying.

Other ways people say it

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

我就看看。
Wǒ jiù kànkan
I'm just looking.
Sharper and shorter. 就 narrows it to 'only', so this version says the looking is all you intend to do.
随便看看。
Suíbiàn kànkan
Just looking around.
Drops the 我 and is what you hear from local shoppers. Fine on its own, though with no pronoun it can sound abrupt to an older assistant.
有需要我叫你。
Yǒu xūyào wǒ jiào nǐ
I'll call you if I need anything.
The line that actually releases you. Adding it after 我随便看看 gives the assistant something to do other than follow you around.

What usually trips people up

随便 does not mean 'whatever' here. 随便 on its own in answer to a question (what do you want to eat?) sounds careless; inside 我随便看看 it means 'casually', which is what makes the phrase friendly.
It is an answer to the assistant, not a refusal of the shop. Say it and they will usually stay nearby rather than leave you alone.
看看 is a doubled verb, so it means 'have a look around' rather than 'look'. The same doubling softens 试试 (try it), 走走 (walk around) and 想想 (think it over).

What you might hear back

好，慢慢看。Hǎo, mànman kànOK, take your time.
有需要叫我。Yǒu xūyào jiào wǒCall me if you need anything.
这个可以试。Zhège kěyǐ shìYou can try this one on.

Common questions

How do you say "I'm just browsing" in Chinese?: "I'm just browsing" in Chinese is 我随便看看。 — written in pinyin as Wǒ suíbiàn kànkan. It is a shopping phrase you would use in China.
What does 我随便看看。 mean in Chinese?: 我随便看看。 (Wǒ suíbiàn kànkan) means "I'm just browsing". Broken down word by word: 我 (wǒ) means "I"; 随便 (suíbiàn) means "casually"; 看看 (kànkan) means "to look around".
When would you use "I'm just browsing" in Chinese?: You say it to a shop assistant who comes over as you walk in: it tells them you are not ready to buy and that you will ask if you need anything. Because it is a soft no, it works on touts and street sellers too — said with a smile it ends the pitch without making the person feel brushed off.

Where you'll use it

我随便看看。 comes up in these situations, in this order.

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