Chinese at the Airport and Immigration

At immigration, short factual answers work better than a long explanation. Officers ask a fixed set of questions, so you can prepare almost every answer in advance. Keep your hotel booking, onward ticket and address available on your phone — showing a screen is faster and safer than spelling an address aloud.

Answering the standard questions

Three facts cover most arrivals: why you came, how long you are staying, and where you will sleep.

Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning
我来旅游。	Wǒ lái lǚyóu.	I am here to travel.
我是来出差的。	Wǒ shì lái chūchāi de.	I am here on business.
我来留学。	Wǒ lái liúxué.	I am here to study.
我待五天。	Wǒ dāi wǔ tiān.	I am staying five days.
我住在这家酒店。	Wǒ zhù zài zhè jiā jiǔdiàn.	I am staying at this hotel.

Swap the number in 我待五天 (Wǒ dāi wǔ tiān) for your own: 三天 (sān tiān), 两个星期 (liǎng ge xīngqī), 一个月 (yí ge yuè). Note that “two” before a measure word is 两 (liǎng), not 二 (èr).

Basic dialogue

Officer: 你来中国做什么？
(Nǐ lái Zhōngguó zuò shénme?)
Traveller: 我来旅游，待五天。
(Wǒ lái lǚyóu, dāi wǔ tiān.)
Officer: 你住在哪里？
(Nǐ zhù zài nǎlǐ?)
Traveller: 我住在这家酒店。
(Wǒ zhù zài zhè jiā jiǔdiàn.)

Answer one fact per sentence. Pointing at the booking on your phone while you say 我住在这家酒店 (Wǒ zhù zài zhè jiā jiǔdiàn) removes any doubt about the name of the hotel.

If you miss a question

Officer: 你有没有需要申报的东西？
(Nǐ yǒu méiyǒu xūyào shēnbào de dōngxi?)
Traveller: 不好意思，请再说一遍。
(Bù hǎoyìsi, qǐng zài shuō yí biàn.)
Officer: 需要申报的东西，你有吗？
(Xūyào shēnbào de dōngxi, nǐ yǒu ma?)
Traveller: 我没有要申报的东西。
(Wǒ méiyǒu yào shēnbào de dōngxi.)

请再说一遍 (Qǐng zài shuō yí biàn) is the phrase to memorize first — it buys you a second attempt at any question in this article. 请说慢一点 (Qǐng shuō màn yìdiǎn) asks for a slower repeat instead. Notice that the officer’s second attempt is shorter, not slower: repeated questions in Chinese are usually trimmed down to the key noun, so listen for 申报 (shēnbào) rather than the whole sentence.

Baggage claim and a missing bag

Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning
行李提取处在哪儿？	Xíngli tíqǔ chù zài nǎr?	Where is baggage claim?
我的行李没到。	Wǒ de xíngli méi dào.	My luggage has not arrived.
这是我的行李牌。	Zhè shì wǒ de xíngli pái.	This is my baggage tag.

Lead with the tag, not the story. Hand over your baggage tag and boarding pass, say 我的行李没到 (Wǒ de xíngli méi dào), and let the staff read the details from the documents.

Customs and connecting flights

Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning
我需要转机。	Wǒ xūyào zhuǎnjī.	I need to make a connection.
请问，登机口在哪里？	Qǐngwèn, dēngjīkǒu zài nǎlǐ?	Where is the boarding gate?
我的航班几点起飞？	Wǒ de hángbān jǐ diǎn qǐfēi?	What time does my flight leave?

You will hear both 在哪里 (zài nǎlǐ) and 在哪儿 (zài nǎr) for “where”; they mean the same thing, and 哪儿 (nǎr) is simply more common in northern China. Either one is fine to use yourself.

Do not decide for yourself whether an item is declarable. Entry rules, visa conditions and customs allowances change, so follow the official signage and the officer’s instructions rather than a phrasebook.

Takeaway

Answer the question asked; do not volunteer unnecessary detail.
Have your hotel address, onward ticket and baggage tag on screen before you reach the counter.
Follow official instructions for customs declarations; these phrases explain your situation, they do not decide it.

Related: get from the terminal into the city with directions and transport, then check in using hotel Chinese.

By the end of this chapter, you can say

我来旅游。我待五天。 (Wǒ lái lǚyóu. Wǒ dāi wǔ tiān.)

Practical note for this chapter

From arrival to transport, meals, housing and getting help when something changes. In this chapter, practice giving a short response and then checking what matters.

Use it in context

A: 您来中国做什么？ (Nín lái Zhōngguó zuò shénme?)
B: 我来旅游。我待五天。 (Wǒ lái lǚyóu. Wǒ dāi wǔ tiān.)

Phrase map for this chapter

Question or situation: 您来中国做什么？ (Nín lái Zhōngguó zuò shénme?)
Central response: 我来旅游。我待五天。 (Wǒ lái lǚyóu. Wǒ dāi wǔ tiān.)
Another natural way to say it: 我是来旅游的，待五天。 (Wǒ shì lái lǚyóu de, dāi wǔ tiān.); Use this variation in a situation you genuinely expect to handle.
How to use it: Listen to the model once, then say it again with one detail from your own situation.

Turn the model into three conversation turns

1. Open the situation您来中国做什么？ (Nín lái Zhōngguó zuò shénme?)
2. Say the central response我来旅游。我待五天。 (Wǒ lái lǚyóu. Wǒ dāi wǔ tiān.)
3. Add an alternative我是来旅游的，待五天。 (Wǒ shì lái lǚyóu de, dāi wǔ tiān.)

Before acting, check the point most likely to cause a misunderstanding. This dialogue is for practice. For important decisions, confirm official guidance as well.

A useful variation

Keep the same purpose, then change the person, time or place to make it your own.

我是来旅游的，待五天。 (Wǒ shì lái lǚyóu de, dāi wǔ tiān.)

Use this variation in a situation you genuinely expect to handle.

Listen to the model once, then say it again with one detail from your own situation.

A common trap

For important details, do not decide from what you think you heard; check written information when needed.

入境回答要简短、真实，并与文件一致。 (Rùjìng huídá yào jiǎnduǎn, zhēnshí, bìng yǔ wénjiàn yízhì.)

This dialogue is for practice. For important decisions, confirm official guidance as well.

Three-step practice

Open the situation in one short phrase
Say the central response
Add one detail of your own

Chinese at the Airport and Immigration — Purpose, Stay and Luggage