Thinking of visiting a hair salon in China?
Here are some key phrases to help you communicate with the stylist and boost your chances of coming away with a great cut!
You can download the audio + a pdf to review the phrases from this video.
Let's Break It Down...
1
剪头发 jiǎn tóu fa
Cut (my) hair / Get a haircut
- 剪 jiǎn：to cut with scissors
- 头发 tóu fa: hair (on the head)
2
剪短一点点 jiǎn duǎn yī diǎn diǎn
Cut it a little bit shorter
- 剪 jiǎn：to cut with scissors
- 短 duǎn : short
- 一点点 yī diǎn diǎn: a little bit
3
洗头发 xǐ tóu fa
Wash (my) hair
- 洗 xǐ：to wash
- 头发 tóu fa: hair (on the head)
4
烫头发 tàng tóu fa
Perm (my) hair
- 烫 tàng：to perm
- 头发 tóu fa : hair (on the head)
5
染头发 rǎn tóu fa
Dye (my) hair
- 染 rǎn：to dye
- 头发 tóu fa: hair (on the head)
6
修一下 xiū yī xià
Trim (my hair) a little bit
- 修 xiū：to trim
- 一下 yī xià : (used after a verb) give it a go / to do (sth for a bit to give it a try)
7
修一下刘海 xiū yī xià liú hǎi
Trim (my) fringe a little bit
- 修 rǎn：to trim
- 一下 tóu fa: (used after a verb) give it a go / to do (sth for a bit to give it a try)
- 刘海 liú hǎi：fringe
8
修一下发尾 xiū yī xià fà wěi
Trim (my) hair ends a little bit
- 修 xiū：to trim
- 一下 yī xià : (used after a verb) give it a go / to do (sth for a bit to give it a try)
- 发尾 fà wěi: hair ends
9
打点发蜡 dǎ diǎn fà là
Put some wax in (my) hair
- 打 dǎ：to hit / to beat / to mix up
- 点 diǎn: a little / a bit
- 发蜡 fà là：wax / pomade
10
打薄一点 dǎ báo yī diǎn
Thin out (my) hair a little bit
- 打 dǎ：to hit / to beat / to mix up
- 薄 báo: thin / light
- 一点 yī diǎn：a little / a bit
11
称我发型剪 chèn wǒ fà xíng jiǎn
(I'd like) a hairstyle that suits me
- 称 chèn：to suit / to fit
- 我 wǒ: me / I
- 发型 fā xíng: hairstyle / hairdo
- 剪 jiǎn: to cut with scissors
12
帮我设计一个比较称我脸型的发型
bāng wǒ shè jì yī gè bǐ jiào chèn wǒ liǎn xíng de fà xíng
Help me "design" a hairstyle that suits my face shape
- 帮 bāng: to help
- 我 wǒ：me / I
- 设计 she jì: to design
- 一 yī: a / one
- 个 gè: classifier for people or objects in general / a common measure word
- 比较 bǐ jiào: quite / relatively
- 称 chèn: to suit / to fit
- 脸型 liǎn xíng: face shape
- 的 de: of / ~'s (possessive particle)
- 发型 fà xíng: hairstyle / hairdo
13
清爽 qīng shuǎng
(I'd like) a fresh and cool haircut
- 清爽 qīng shuǎng：fresh and cool
14
我要剪这个发型 wǒ yào jiǎn zhè gè fà xíng
I want this hairstyle
- 我 wǒ：I / me
- 要 yào：want
- 剪 jiǎn：to cut with scissors
- 这个 zhè gè：this/ this one
- 发型 fà xíng：hairstyle / hairdo
Right click the buttons and select "Save as" to download the files.
Have questions or thoughts getting a haircut in Chinese..? Let me know in the comments below 🙂