How to get a haircut in Chinese
You walk into a small neighborhood hair salon (理发店) in Chengdu. The stylist greets you and asks what you want. You just need a simple trim. You pay by scanning a QR code at the end.
How the conversation starts
小陈 (Xiao Chen) · hairstylist at a neighborhood salon
Get a haircut
What you do
- Say you want a haircut
- Say how short you want it
- Pay for the haircut
What to say
- 我想剪头发。Wǒ xiǎng jiǎn tóufa.I'd like a haircut.
- 短一点。Duǎn yìdiǎn.A little shorter.
- 不要剪太短。Bú yào jiǎn tài duǎn.Don't cut it too short.
- 多少钱？Duōshao qián?How much is it?
- 我扫码付。Wǒ sǎo mǎ fù.I'll pay by scanning the code.
Get a haircut
You walk into a small neighborhood hair salon (理发店) in Shanghai. There's a stylist waiting, and you need to explain what you want. After the cut, you pay by scanning a QR code.
What you do
- Say you want a haircut
- Say how short you want it
- Ask how much it costs
What to say
- 我想剪头发。Wǒ xiǎng jiǎn tóufa.I want a haircut.
3 more sentences in this lesson, in the app.
Haircut: a photo that won't work, and a prepaid card
You're at a neighborhood hair salon in Shanghai with a photo of the cut you want: short on the sides, longer on top. Salons in China often push prepaid cards (办卡); you don't come often, so you'd rather just pay for today.
What you do
- Show the photo of the cut you want
- She says your hair won't hold that style: agree on a version that works
- She pushes a prepaid card: decline politely and pay for today's cut
What to say
- 我想剪成照片上这样。Wǒ xiǎng jiǎn chéng zhàopiàn shàng zhèyàng.I'd like it like in this photo.
4 more sentences in this lesson, in the app.
Now say it out loud
In Kaiko, 小陈 (Xiao Chen) answers you out loud in Chinese, and a coach corrects you as you go.