Language in Lijiang

Hotel and guesthouse staff usually speak some English, especially in Dayan and Shuhe. Restaurants in tourist areas often have picture menus or English translations, sometimes comically bad. Taxi drivers, market vendors, and village shops generally do not.

Do not assume that a younger person speaks English; it varies. Speak slowly, use simple words, and have key addresses written in Chinese. A translation app with offline Chinese is the single most useful tool.

Greetings and basics go a long way: nǐ hǎo (hello), xièxie (thank you), duìbuqǐ (sorry), duōshao qián (how much), bùyào (I don't want it), and zhè ge (this one). For food, 'bù là' means not spicy, and 'sùshí' means vegetarian, though broth may still contain meat.

Numbers are worth learning for prices and platforms. Pointing at a menu item or using a translation app is perfectly acceptable. In markets, a calculator or phone screen is a common way to negotiate.

Naxi is a Tibeto-Burman language spoken by the Naxi people, with several dialects. You will hear it among older residents, especially in villages, but Mandarin is the working language of shops and transport. Learning a few Naxi greetings is appreciated but not necessary.

Dongba script is the ritual pictographic writing system, not a daily script. It appears on signs, souvenirs, and in museums. The Dongba script guide explains its history. Do not confuse it with the Naxi language itself.