Phone Calls in Chinese 打电话
dǎdiànhuà
Make a phone call in Chinese is 打电话 (dǎ diàn huà).
Also searched for as: call, make a call, hello on the phone.
Who are you calling? 15 essential phone calls words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
The phrase for making a phone call in Chinese is 打电话 (dǎ diàn huà), literally 'strike the electric speech'. These words take you through a whole call, from answering with 喂 (wèi) to coping with a bad line, a missed call or a voicemail. You'll also find 回电话 (huí diàn huà), to call someone back, and 视频通话 (shì pín tōng huà), a video call, which many families use to keep in touch across time zones.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 打电话 | dǎ diàn huà | to make a phone call |
| 接电话 | jiē diàn huà | to answer the phone |
| 喂 | wèi | hello (on the phone) |
| 挂 | guà | to hang up |
| 打错了 | dǎ cuò le | wrong number |
| 占线 | zhàn xiàn | line busy |
| 没信号 | méi xìn hào | no signal |
| 听不清楚 | tīng bu qīng chu | can't hear clearly |
| 留言 | liú yán | to leave a message |
| 回电话 | huí diàn huà | to call back |
| 视频通话 | shì pín tōng huà | video call |
| 语音 | yǔ yīn | voice message |
| 未接来电 | wèi jiē lái diàn | missed call |
| 静音 | jìng yīn | silent mode |
| 是我 | shì wǒ | it's me |
Usage tips
- People answer the phone with 喂 (wèi), but on the phone it is usually said with a rising tone, like wéi, which sounds friendlier; a sharp falling wèi can come across as curt.
- To say who you're calling, put 给 (gěi) before the person: 我给妈妈打电话 (wǒ gěi mā ma dǎ diàn huà), I'm calling Mum. The same pattern works for calling back: 我一会儿给你回电话.
- In mainland China a lot of calling happens on WeChat, so you'll hear 打语音 (dǎ yǔ yīn) for a voice call and 发语音 (fā yǔ yīn) for sending a voice message; 语音 on its own usually means the voice message.
Common mistakes
- English speakers often say 我打电话你, copying 'I call you'; Chinese needs 给 before the person: 我给你打电话 (wǒ gěi nǐ dǎ diàn huà).
- Learners try to translate 'wrong number' as 错号码; on the phone people say 你打错了 (nǐ dǎ cuò le), literally 'you dialled wrong'.
Mini dialogue
- A喂，是小李吗？Wèi, shì Xiǎo Lǐ ma?Hello, is that Xiao Li?
- B是我。不好意思，刚才在地铁里，没信号。Shì wǒ. Bù hǎo yì si, gāng cái zài dì tiě lǐ, méi xìn hào.It's me. Sorry, I was on the metro just now and had no signal.
- A没关系。你现在方便说话吗？Méi guān xi. Nǐ xiàn zài fāng biàn shuō huà ma?No problem. Is now a good time to talk?
- B喂？你说什么？我听不清楚。Wèi? Nǐ shuō shén me? Wǒ tīng bu qīng chu.Hello? What did you say? I can't hear you properly.
- A那我先挂了，一会儿再打给你。Nà wǒ xiān guà le, yī huìr zài dǎ gěi nǐ.I'll hang up then and ring you again in a bit.
- B好，我等你电话。Hǎo, wǒ děng nǐ diàn huà.OK, I'll wait for your call.
Example sentences
- 我晚上给你打电话。I'll call you tonight.
- 他不接电话。He's not answering.
- 喂，你好！Hello?
- 我先挂了。I'll hang up now.
- 对不起，您打错了。Sorry, you've got the wrong number.
- 电话一直占线。The line keeps being busy.
- 地铁里没信号。There's no signal on the metro.
- 声音太小，我听不清楚。It's too quiet, I can't hear you.
- 请在嘀声后留言。Please leave a message after the beep.
- 我一会儿给你回电话。I'll call you back in a bit.
- 我跟家人视频通话。I video call my family.
- 他给我发了一条语音。He sent me a voice message.
- 我有三个未接来电。I have three missed calls.
- 开会的时候手机静音。Put your phone on silent in meetings.
- 喂，是我，小李。Hello, it's me, Xiao Li.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Phone calls speaking island has 8 everyday questions about phone calls to prepare your own answers to.