Chinese Phrases for Banks and ATMs in China
You need a Chinese bank card to link WeChat Pay and Alipay, which run almost all daily payments. These phrases cover opening an account and basic counter requests.
| When you want to say | 中文 | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| I want to open an account | 我想开户 | wǒ xiǎng kāi hù | I want to open an account |
| I want to withdraw money | 我要取钱 | wǒ yào qǔ qián | I want to take out cash |
| I want to deposit money | 我要存钱 | wǒ yào cún qián | I want to put in cash |
| Bank card | 银行卡 | yín háng kǎ | Bank card |
| PIN / password | 密码 | mì mǎ | Password / PIN |
| Service fee | 手续费 | shǒu xù fèi | Service charge |
| Transfer | 转账 | zhuǎn zhàng | Transfer money |
| Balance | 余额 | yú é | Account balance |
| Can I open an account with my passport? | 可以用护照开户吗 | kě yǐ yòng hù zhào kāi hù ma | Can I open an account with my passport? |
| Where is the ATM? | ATM 在哪里 | ATM zài nǎ lǐ | Where is the ATM? |
Open an account with your passport, visa, and residence permit (a school letter sometimes helps). Major banks: 工商银行 (ICBC), 中国银行 (Bank of China), 建设银行 (CCB). Your card then links to WeChat and Alipay.
Try it yourself
Paste any sentence from this page into the tool below to see pinyin above each character and an English meaning for every word. Handy for real forms, notices, or chats.
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- Chinese Text Annotatordegreeinchina.com
Frequently asked questions
- Which bank is best for international students?
- Bank of China and ICBC have the widest English support and ATM coverage. Any of the big four works for daily use.
- Do I need the bank card for WeChat Pay?
- Yes. WeChat Pay and Alipay bind to a Chinese bank card, so opening the account comes first.
- Are there fees for using another bank’s ATM?
- Sometimes a small fee for cross-bank withdrawals. Your own bank’s ATMs are free.