How do you say "It's fine" in Chinese?

"It's fine" in Chinese is 没关系。 — written in pinyin as Méi guānxi. It is an everyday phrase you would use in China.

What does 没关系。 mean in Chinese?

没关系。 (Méi guānxi) means "It's fine". Broken down word by word: 没 (méi) means "not have"; 关系 (guānxi) means "matter / relation".

When would you use "It's fine" in Chinese?

You say it as the answer to 对不起, and when somebody apologises for a small accident — bumping into you, stepping on your foot, knocking your bag. It also closes a problem rather than accepting an apology: it says the whole thing has stopped mattering, so use it to end a complaint rather than to open one.

How to say “It's fine” in Chinese

“It's fine” in Chinese is 没关系。, written in pinyin as Méi guānxi.

没关系。

Méi guānxi.

It's fine.

Word by word

What each part of 没关系。 actually means.

没méinot have
关系guānximatter / relation

When you use it

You say it as the answer to 对不起, and when somebody apologises for a small accident — bumping into you, stepping on your foot, knocking your bag.
It also closes a problem rather than accepting an apology: it says the whole thing has stopped mattering, so use it to end a complaint rather than to open one.

Use 没关系。 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.

没事。
Méi shì
It's OK.
The short everyday version, used constantly in speech. Fine after a bump in a crowd; too light for an apology that was meant seriously.
不要紧。
Bú yàojǐn
It's not a problem.
The warmer twin of 没关系. 要紧 means 'to matter', so 不要紧 is 'it doesn't matter' — you will hear staff use it to wave off an apology.
别放在心上。
Bié fàng zài xīnshàng
Don't give it another thought.
For something the other person feels genuinely bad about. 放在心上 is literally 'put it in your heart', so this is the phrase that actually forgives.

What usually trips people up

It answers 对不起, not 谢谢. Reply to thanks with 不客气 — 没关系 after 谢谢 sounds as though you are forgiving the person rather than accepting their gratitude.
It dismisses the incident, not the person's feeling. If you want to say 'no harm done, but please be careful', 没关系 will not carry it, because it closes the topic.
Tone decides whether it lands. A flat 没关系 after a real apology reads as cold; the same words with 真 in front (真没关系) are what make the other person believe you.

What you might hear back

谢谢。XièxieThank you.
真的很抱歉。Zhēn de hěn bàoqiànI'm really sorry.
那我走了。Nà wǒ zǒu leI'll be on my way then.

Common questions

How do you say "It's fine" in Chinese?: "It's fine" in Chinese is 没关系。 — written in pinyin as Méi guānxi. It is an everyday phrase you would use in China.
What does 没关系。 mean in Chinese?: 没关系。 (Méi guānxi) means "It's fine". Broken down word by word: 没 (méi) means "not have"; 关系 (guānxi) means "matter / relation".
When would you use "It's fine" in Chinese?: You say it as the answer to 对不起, and when somebody apologises for a small accident — bumping into you, stepping on your foot, knocking your bag. It also closes a problem rather than accepting an apology: it says the whole thing has stopped mattering, so use it to end a complaint rather than to open one.

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