How do you say "Is there a discount?" in Chinese?

"Is there a discount?" in Chinese is 打折吗？ — written in pinyin as Dǎzhé ma?. It is a shopping phrase you would use in China.

What does 打折吗？ mean in Chinese?

打折吗？ (Dǎzhé ma?) means "Is there a discount?". Broken down word by word: 打折 (dǎzhé) means "to give a discount"; 吗 (ma) means "yes/no question particle".

When would you use "Is there a discount?" in Chinese?

Ask it in markets, small shops and tourist streets, where the seller sets the price rather than a head office. In a mall or a chain store the staff have no authority to change a posted price, so the answer there is always the same. The word itself is the tell: 打折 is a reduction the seller is running, so a yes means a posted price comes down — it does not mean bargaining has started.

How to say “Is there a discount?” in Chinese

“Is there a discount?” in Chinese is 打折吗？, written in pinyin as Dǎzhé ma?.

打折吗？

Dǎzhé ma?

Is there a discount?

Word by word

What each part of 打折吗？ actually means.

打折dǎzhéto give a discount
吗mayes/no question particle

When you use it

Ask it in markets, small shops and tourist streets, where the seller sets the price rather than a head office. In a mall or a chain store the staff have no authority to change a posted price, so the answer there is always the same.
The word itself is the tell: 打折 is a reduction the seller is running, so a yes means a posted price comes down — it does not mean bargaining has started.

Use 打折吗？ 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.

打几折？
Dǎ jǐ zhé?
How much off?
The follow-up to a yes. In Chinese pricing 折 counts what is left of the original, so 九折 pays 90% and 八折 pays 80% — a bigger number is a smaller discount.
有优惠吗？
Yǒu yōuhuì ma?
Is there any promotion?
Covers vouchers and member prices rather than a flat reduction. 优惠 is the word you see on posters, in apps and at the till in chain stores.
现在有活动吗？
Xiànzài yǒu huódòng ma?
Is there anything on at the moment?
活动 (an event or campaign) is what shops call a seasonal sale. It is the everyday way to ask, and it applies to restaurants and cinemas as well as shops.

What usually trips people up

打折 is not a synonym for haggling. It asks whether the seller already has a promotion; when you want the price itself moved, that is 便宜一点 (make it cheaper).
Chinese discounts count what you pay, not what you save. 九折 is pay-90%, 八折 is pay-80% — the opposite of how "20% off" reads.
Three words get confused: 打折 is a seller's reduction, 优惠 is a promotion or perk, and 便宜 simply means cheap. 大优惠 on a shop window is a deal that already exists, not one you can ask for.

What you might hear back

可以的。Kěyǐ deSure.
不能便宜。Bù néng piányiNo, the price is fixed.
已经打折了。Yǐjīng dǎzhé leIt's already discounted.

Common questions

How do you say "Is there a discount?" in Chinese?: "Is there a discount?" in Chinese is 打折吗？ — written in pinyin as Dǎzhé ma?. It is a shopping phrase you would use in China.
What does 打折吗？ mean in Chinese?: 打折吗？ (Dǎzhé ma?) means "Is there a discount?". Broken down word by word: 打折 (dǎzhé) means "to give a discount"; 吗 (ma) means "yes/no question particle".
When would you use "Is there a discount?" in Chinese?: Ask it in markets, small shops and tourist streets, where the seller sets the price rather than a head office. In a mall or a chain store the staff have no authority to change a posted price, so the answer there is always the same. The word itself is the tell: 打折 is a reduction the seller is running, so a yes means a posted price comes down — it does not mean bargaining has started.

Where you'll use it

打折吗？ comes up in these situations, in this order.

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