How to Say ‘May I ask something?’ in Traditional Chinese
請問一下。
qǐng wèn yī xià
[ching wen ee shya]
💬 Usage Tip: [一下] here softens [請問], making the question feel a bit gentler rather than adding real time or quantity. You'll hear this a lot in Taiwan in polite requests like [看一下] or [等一下] .
Phrase Breakdown
請問
qǐng wèn
[ching wen]
excuse me; may I ask
A polite phrase used before asking a question, especially to strangers.
請問，我可以坐這裡嗎？
Excuse me, may I sit here?
一下
yī xià
[ee shya]
a bit; for a moment
Often added after a verb to soften the tone or mean a short action.
我想看一下這本書。
I'd like to look at this book for a moment.
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