How to say “No thanks” in Chinese
“No thanks” in Chinese is 不用了，谢谢。, written in pinyin as Bú yòng le, xièxie.
不用了，谢谢。
Bú yòng le, xièxie.
No thanks.
Word by word
What each part of 不用了，谢谢。 actually means.
- 不用bú yòngno need
- 了leparticle
- 谢谢xièxiethank you
When you use it
- Say it to turn down something that is being offered — a tout at a station exit, a driver quoting a fare, an assistant holding up a second item.
- The 谢谢 on the end matters more than it looks: it marks the refusal as a decision about the offer rather than a judgement about the person, and it gives them a clean place to stop.
Use 不用了，谢谢。 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.
不要，谢谢。
Bú yào, xièxie
I don't want it, thanks.
Flatter and more final than 不用了. In a crowd it is the one that ends the exchange fastest.
我不需要。
Wǒ bù xūyào
I don't need it.
Turns the refusal into a fact about you rather than a verdict on the offer — useful when the same person asks a second and third time.
下次吧。
Xià cì ba
Maybe next time.
A soft brush-off for the second or third ask. 吧 makes it a suggestion rather than a closed door, which suits a street you might walk down again.
What usually trips people up
- 不用 is not a word-for-word "no thanks": 用 is "to need", so 不用 is "not needed". The literal sense is firmer than the English sounds, and the 谢谢 is what keeps it polite.
- Chinese has no single word for "no". A flat 不 on its own sounds like a challenge; refusals come as 不用了, 不要了 or 不行, one situation at a time.
- The 了 in 不用了 is doing work: it marks a decision being made now. 不用 without it can read as a general statement — "not needed" — rather than a reply to the offer in front of you.
What you might hear back
- 好的。Hǎo deOK.
- 没事。Méi shìNo worries.
- 有需要再找我。Yǒu xūyào zài zhǎo wǒCome find me if you need anything.
Common questions
- How do you say "No thanks" in Chinese?
- "No thanks" in Chinese is 不用了，谢谢。 — written in pinyin as Bú yòng le, xièxie. It is an everyday phrase you would use in China.
- What does 不用了，谢谢。 mean in Chinese?
- 不用了，谢谢。 (Bú yòng le, xièxie) means "No thanks". Broken down word by word: 不用 (bú yòng) means "no need"; 了 (le) means "particle"; 谢谢 (xièxie) means "thank you".
- When would you use "No thanks" in Chinese?
- Say it to turn down something that is being offered — a tout at a station exit, a driver quoting a fare, an assistant holding up a second item. The 谢谢 on the end matters more than it looks: it marks the refusal as a decision about the offer rather than a judgement about the person, and it gives them a clean place to stop.
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