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When I started to learn Mandarin, I learned on the Rosetta Stone program that it is 不谢 to say "you are welcome" in Mandarin.

However, when I met a Chinese girl in Shanghai, she said that 不谢 is never used and 不用谢 is the only correct word in Mandarin. She is from Nanjing, and we met at Shanghai for your information.

However, now I'm in Chongqing and the host of a room I rented via AirBnB used 不谢 to respond to my 谢谢. I don't know where he is from, for your information.

So now I'm confused. In Mandarin, which is the correct word to say "you are welcome"? Also, is there any difference between regions?

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  • You could also say 别客气 or 不客气.
    – Michael
    Apr 28, 2017 at 14:48
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    Both are fine. 不用谢 is more formal and polite.
    – user4072
    Apr 28, 2017 at 15:29
  • You can use any of the following and anyone who speaks Mandarin should understand: 不谢，不用谢，不客气，别客气，没事儿.
    – hello_harry
    Apr 29, 2017 at 23:07

2 Answers 2

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which is the correct word to say "you are welcome"?

Both 不谢 and 不用谢 are correct.

MDBG

不谢

don't mention it / not at all

不用谢

You're welcome / Don't mention it

Hell, I have had an old lady tell me: 不用谢谢 - but I wouldn't recommend using this one.

In the north you might hear 甭(béng)谢, 甭 being a contraction of 不 and 用.

You can also use 不客气

you're welcome / don't mention it / impolite / rude / blunt

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  • So then is the meaning different between the two?
    – Blaszard
    Apr 29, 2017 at 4:58
  • @Blaszard Yes and No. It's like asking if there's a difference between "sure" and "you're welcome" in response to "thanks" in English.
    – Mou某 ♦
    Apr 30, 2017 at 14:42
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I just saw this in a Chinese drama that I am watching, if they have captions, and even the sound we hear is 不 谢, then this expression is spoken by some regions.

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