How to Ask the Price in Chinese Markets and Shops
Prices in China are fixed in malls and open to negotiation almost everywhere else, and the difference is not always obvious from the storefront. Ask what something costs before you touch it, especially at a stall where nothing is labeled.
These are the phrases for the market round: the price question itself, the first push-back, and the polite way to walk away. Learn 多少钱 first — it is the phrase you will use more than any other on a shopping day.
Useful phrases
- 多少钱？How much is it?
The phrase you will say most. In a market 多少 usually comes out as duōshao with a flat second syllable, so copying the vendor back is fine.
- 这个多少钱？How much is this one?
Point while you say it. On a stall with several similar items, naming the one you mean saves a round of guessing.
- 一共多少钱？How much altogether?
一共 means in total. Use it once you have picked up more than one thing and want a single number rather than a running tally.
- 太贵了！That's too expensive!
The standard opener for a haggle and not rude at a market. Say it flatly, then stop talking — the silence does most of the work.
- 便宜一点。A bit cheaper.
便宜 is cheap and 一点 is a little. Delivered with a smile at a tourist stall, it usually moves the number.
- 可以便宜一点吗？Can you make it a bit cheaper?
Softer than the flat 便宜一点 because it ends in a question. Use it in fixed-price shops if you want to test the water without committing.
- 最低多少钱？What's your lowest price?
Literally the lowest price. Ask it once, then keep quiet — vendors often answer their own question by dropping the number.
- 这个和那个，哪个便宜？Which is cheaper, this one or that one?
Compare before you commit. A stall with two similar items often cuts the price of whichever one you point at second.
- 有点贵。It's a bit expensive.
Gentler than 太贵了 and a good first pass. 有点 means slightly, which leaves both of you somewhere to go.
- 两个一起，便宜点。Both together, a bit cheaper.
Bundling is real leverage at a market. Vendors would rather sell two at a thin margin than one at a thicker one.
- 多少钱一斤？How much per jin?
Fruit, vegetables and meat are priced by 斤 (jīn), which is 500 grams, not a kilogram. Half a kilo is the unit everyone quotes.
- 可以讲价吗？Can I bargain here?
Ask plainly at a stall and read the answer. In a mall or a chain store it is a no, and the price is already printed on the label.
- 我看看。I'm just looking.
The polite exit line at a stall that pushes too hard. Say it, step back, and walk slowly — the price often follows you down the aisle.
- 谢谢，我再看看。Thanks, I'll look around a bit more.
The clean way to leave without buying. Say it, turn, and keep walking. If the vendor really wants the sale they will call you back.
Quick cultural tip
Why the first price is not the real price
Mall prices are fixed and printed, and the staff behind the counter cannot move them. Markets, tourist stalls and the small shops around them work the opposite way: the number you hear first is an opening offer rather than a price tag, and it is set high because haggling is expected.
Watch a local buy the same thing and you will see the real number. Vendors quote one price to a passing tourist and a lower one to the woman who has bought from them for years, and the gap is not small.