15 Pratical Expressions: ask for the direction

In western just tell others No.XX, XX RD, XX City, it will be easy to find it. But Chinese say it in a different way. So finding your way around a town in China can be confusing, so here Miss C shows you some practical expressions to ask for and understand directions. Chinese street names are written in Characters along with pinyin transcription, then it’s useful to familiarize yourself with both for your convenience.

USEFUL PHRASES

1. Turn left

   左转/左拐/往左

   zuǒ zhuǎn /zuǒ guǎi /wǎng zuǒ

2. Turn right

   右转/右拐/往右

   yòu zhuǎn /yòu guǎi /wǎng yòu

3. Towards east/south/west/north

   往东/南/西/北

   wǎng dōng /nán /xī /běi

4. Go straight on

   一直走/往前走/笔直走/照直走

   yì zhí zǒu /wǎng qián zǒu /bǐ zhí zǒu /zhào zhí zǒu

5. Walk till the end of this road

   这条路走到底

   zhè tiáo lù zǒu dào dǐ

6. On the left

   在左边

   zài zuǒ biān

7. On the right

   在右边

   zài yòu biān

8. In front

   在前面

   zài qián miàn

9. At the opposite

   在对面

   zài duì miàn

10. at the diagonally opposite

    在斜对面

    zài xié duì miàn

11. Cross the road

    过马路

    guò mǎ lù

12. Crossing/Traffic light

    路口/红绿灯

    lù kǒu /hóng lǜ dēng

Excuse me, how can I get to the metro station?

请问，去地铁站怎么走？

qǐng wèn,qù dì tiě zhàn zěn me zǒu?

Walk till the crossing, turn left, then 200 meters more.

走到前面的路口，左转，再走200米。

zǒu dào qián miàn de lù kǒu, zuǒ zhuǎn, zài zǒu 200 mǐ.

IN CONVERSATION

Excuse me, is there a Bank of China near here?

A：请问，这附近有没有中国银行？

qǐng wèn, zhè fù jìn yǒu méi yǒu zhōng guó yín háng?

Yes, on the Fengqi road.

Miss C：有的，在凤起路。

yǒu de, zài fèng qǐ lù.

How do I get there?

A：怎么去这里？

zěn me qù zhè lǐ?

Ture right at the crossing in front, and then go straight for nearly 1 km.

Miss C：前面路口，右转，一直走，差不多1公里。

qián miàn lù kǒu, yòu zhuǎn, yì zhí zǒu, chà bú duō 1 gōng lǐ.

Cool, not that far. Thanks!

A：还好，不远。谢谢你！

hái hǎo, bú yuǎn. xiè xiè nǐ!

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