chinese child saying you're welcome to grandparents.jpg

By Anthony Caruso Last updated: December 15, 2023

You’re Welcome in Chinese: 17 Gracious Phrases That Natives Actually Use

Did you know that saying “you’re welcome” is fairly uncommon in Chinese?

But that doesn’t mean it’s any less appreciated!

Here are 17 ways to say “you’re welcome” in Chinese for all different situations, so you can impress Chinese natives with both your Chinese skills and your graciousness.

Basic Phrases for “You’re Welcome”
Expressions for Saying “No Problem”
Gracious and Humble Responses
- 我很荣幸 (wǒ hěn róng xìng) — It was my honor
- 别见外 (bié jiàn wài) — It’s my pleasure / Don’t regard (yourself) as an outsider

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Basic Phrases for “You’re Welcome”

不客气! (bú kè qì!) — You’re welcome / Don’t be polite

This is probably one of the first words you will learn in your Chinese class, and for good reason—you should use this phrase in response to being thanked. Since you can use it with anyone and everyone, you’ll want to memorize it right away.

You can even shorten it to just 客气 if you want to be even more casual.

别客气 (bié kè qì) — You’re welcome / Don’t mention it

This is a variation of 不客气. Even though it carries a slightly more formal tone, it is pretty much interchangeable with 不客气.

你太客气了! (nǐ tài kè qì le!) — You’re welcome / You’re extremely polite

If someone is constantly thanking you and you want to get them to (politely) stop, then hit them with this phrase. You can also use it when someone expresses gratitude for you being hospitable, but you don’t think that you need to be thanked.

This phrase is generally used among strangers, but friends will say it to each other from time to time!

客气什么呢 (kè qi shén me ne) — You’re welcome / Why so polite?

This phrase is a very casual way to tell someone that “you don’t have to be [adjective]” or “you don’t have to [verb].“ Just imagine your friends thanking you for helping them move into a new apartment, and you wanted to imply that of course a great friend like you would do that.

Just be aware that this is very casual, so it should only be used with friends and family members.

不用客气! (bú yòng kè qì!) — You’re welcome / No need to be polite

The last of the 客气 phrases on this list! 不用 literally means “don’t” or “no need to,” so you can see how this literally translates to “no need to be polite.”

This phrase is generally used after someone says thank you, but you can also say it when someone has indicated they are grateful that you did something for them.

不用谢! (bú yòng xiè!) — You’re welcome / No need for thanks

This phrase means almost exactly the same thing as 不用客气. However, it is only used in response to someone saying 谢谢 (xiè xiè) or “thank you.” This phrase lets them know that you don’t think you need to be thanked.

谢什么呢! (xiè shén me ne!) — You’re welcome / Why are you thanking me?

This is a great phrase to use with friends when they say 谢谢 to you. You’ll make the listener feel like the two of you have such a good relationship that there’s no need to thank you.

Expressions for Saying “No Problem”

不会 (bú huì) — No worries / No problem / You’re welcome

This is probably the most common way to say “you’re welcome” in Taiwan. It’s very colloquial so try to keep it among friends and acquaintances.

别别别 (bié bié bié) — No, no, no / Don’t, don’t, don’t

As we’ve mentioned before, 别 means “do not.“ But saying it three times in a quick fashion is a very casual way to say “no problem” in Chinese.

不麻烦 (bù má fan) — It’s nothing / It’s no trouble

The word 麻烦 (má fan), meaning “bother” or “trouble,” will always be tossed your way in Chinese, so get ready to whip this phrase out in response. Next time someone apologizes for troubling you, or 麻烦你了 (má fan nǐ le), just say 不麻烦.

没事! (méi shì!) — It’s nothing / It’s no big deal

This phrase is shortened from 没有什么事 (méi yǒu shén me shì) and can sometimes be said as simply 没什么 (méi yǒu shén me). It’s a great way to casually let a friend know that whatever they are thanking you for was no trouble at all.

没问题 (méi wèn tí) — No problem

You probably came across this phrase in one of your first Chinese classes, and for good reason! It’s a simple, yet effective, phrase for making you sound willing to help.

小意思! (xiǎo yì si!) — It’s no big deal

小意思 probably does not mean you’re welcome in the way we typically use it. In China, people will say this phrase whenever you thank them for giving you a gift.

小事一桩! (xiǎo shì yì zhuāng!) — It’s nothing

You probably won’t run across this phrase too often, since it is a little outdated now. But it’s still great to be familiar with it.

This phrase literally translates to “a trivial matter” and lets the listener know that the favor was no trouble whatsoever.

应该的 (yīng gāi de) — Of course / Sure thing / No worries

This is a great colloquial phrase to make the listener feel like you expected to do what you are being thanked for. In a way, it’s like telling someone that there is no need to thank you because it is expected.

Gracious and Humble Responses

我很荣幸 (wǒ hěn róng xìng) — It was my honor

You probably won’t be running across this phrase very frequently because of how formal it is. However, this is a great way to impress your boss and maybe earn some bonus points!

别见外 (bié jiàn wài) — It’s my pleasure / Don’t regard (yourself) as an outsider

You can make someone feel like you are always there when they need your help with this phrase. You are essentially telling them that they are not a nobody to you.

Chances are, you’ll hear these Chinese phrases for “you’re welcome” used a lot in diverse situations! While they’re sometimes interchangeable, they do have subtle differences in meaning. You’d say 没事 to a friend, but if you’re talking to your boss, a standard 不客气 would be a safer choice.

This is why it’s important to learn Chinese vocabulary in context. One way to do this is by watching Chinese shows, online videos, and other media. This is doable whatever your level—for example, FluentU lets you learn Chinese through videos, with tools like interactive subtitles, transcripts and flashcards.

Now that you’ve got this handy list of common ways to say “you’re welcome,” you can try it out next time someone thanks you. They’ll appreciate the polite gesture!