不客气 (bú kèqi): How to say you're welcome in Chinese

Three examples

1. 不客气，你们明天再来。

   Bú kèqi, nǐmen míngtiān zài lái.

   You're welcome. Come again tomorrow.

2. 不客气，再见。

   Bú kèqi, zàijiàn.

   You're welcome, goodbye.

3. 好的，不客气。

   Hǎo de, bú kèqi.

   Okay, you're welcome.

Stroke order

Read the character shapes below, then play each character’s strokes in order.

When to say you're welcome in Chinese

Bú kèqi is a common response when someone thanks you. It acknowledges their thanks and can bring a small exchange to a comfortable close. You might use it after passing something to a person, answering a simple question, or helping with a task. The important point is your role: you are the person receiving the thanks.

If you were the one who received help, the thank-you belongs to you instead. This distinction sounds obvious in English, but beginners sometimes confuse polite expressions when recalling them quickly. Before speaking, ask which direction the gratitude is going. The response below is not a second way of thanking someone; it answers the thanks they have already offered.

Learning you're welcome in Chinese as part of an exchange makes it easier to retrieve. Picture the small favor, hear the other person's thank-you, then give your reply. You do not need a long sentence or a detailed explanation of why you helped. The short expression is useful precisely because the situation already supplies that information. Once the exchange is complete, you can continue with the activity or conversation.

Understand the whole expression before its parts

Kèqi relates to politeness or formality, and the negative element at the beginning helps form an expression that can be understood as “no need to be so polite.” In a reply to thanks, the natural English translation is often “you're welcome” or “don't mention it.” A word-by-word translation such as “not polite” would misrepresent the friendly function of the whole phrase in this setting.

This is a useful example of why context matters. Recognizing familiar characters is not enough to predict what a fixed expression does in conversation. First identify the exchange: someone thanked you, and you are responding. Then interpret the expression in that role. The whole phrase is the unit you need for everyday use.

Do not try to turn it into a universal label for anything involving politeness. Nor should you assume that it is an English-style welcome to a place. If someone is arriving at your home or joining an event, the English word “welcome” has a different job. A reply to gratitude and a greeting to an arriving guest are not the same message. Learn this expression with the thank-you that prompts it.

Listen for the thank-you that comes first

Xièxie is a standard expression of thanks. When you hear it after doing something helpful, bú kèqi is a straightforward possible response. Learning the pair helps with listening as well as speaking: you can recognize that the other person is thanking you even if you did not catch every word around the expression.

You may hear a longer thank-you that names the person being thanked or describes the help. The core role remains the same. Wait for the other person to finish before replying, especially if they are explaining something important. The response should acknowledge their gratitude rather than cut off their turn.

For practice, begin with the situation instead of the words. Imagine you lend a classmate something. They thank you; you answer. Then reverse the situation so the classmate helps you. Now your line changes. This reversal checks whether you understand the roles or have only memorized a fixed order of two expressions. You can practice the same contrast with the existing examples without creating new, more complicated sentences. The goal is quick recognition of who is thanking whom, followed by a reply that fits.

Keep bú rising and qi light

The reading on this page is bú kèqi. The first syllable has a second tone because the negative word changes tone before a fourth-tone syllable. Kè has that fourth tone. The final qi is neutral in this expression, so it is lighter and has no written tone mark.

This means you should not pronounce all three syllables with equal stress. Listen for the rising first syllable, the falling middle syllable, and the lighter ending. The pinyin q is also a Mandarin sound, not the English letter name “cue.” A rough English spelling can help you remember that there is a sound there, but it will not reliably teach the pronunciation. Use the existing audio for the whole phrase.

The tone change on bú does not change the word into a question or alter the meaning of the reply. It is part of the connected pronunciation in this context. Compare the printed reading with what you hear, and avoid replacing it with a spelling you remember from the negative word in isolation. When practicing, keep the expression friendly at a comfortable volume. Courtesy comes from the situation and delivery, not from stretching the final syllable or adding extra words.

Distinguish a reply to thanks from reassurance

Méi guānxi can reassure someone after an apology, while méishì can convey that something is okay or not a problem in a suitable context. These expressions may appear near the same everyday situations as thanks, but they do not all have exactly the same function. A person might apologize for interrupting you, thank you for helping, or do both. Listen for which act you are answering.

For a beginner, keep bú kèqi as a clear reply to gratitude. If the other person is apologizing, a reassuring expression may fit better. Do not translate the English phrase “no problem” mechanically every time it occurs; English uses it for several conversational jobs too. Work from the situation and the other person's actual words.

Try sorting three imagined turns: someone thanks you for directions, someone apologizes for a small mistake, and someone arrives at a meeting. Decide whether the next turn should answer gratitude, reassure them, or greet them. Only the first situation directly calls for the expression taught here. This helps you remember you're welcome in Chinese without confusing it with every friendly response you know. Once the roles are clear, you can learn additional alternatives gradually rather than treating a long phrase list as a set of identical translations.