🚀 Love learning Mandarin like this? Let’s level up together!
Join my 1-on-1 Mandarin classes on Preply — personalized, fun, and built around real-life topics like food, travel, culture, and daily life. 💬🎒🥟

🎉 New students get 30% OFF your first class!
👉 Click here to book & save 30%
Or check out my full profile:
👉 https://preply.com/en/tutor/2970664

Let’s make Mandarin your favorite part of the day. 🌞🎧

✂️ Getting a haircut in a foreign country can be... terrifying. In this episode, we’ll make sure you walk out of the salon in China smiling — not crying 😅 Learn how to describe your hairstyle, say "just a little bit!", and avoid common haircut disasters — all in Mandarin.

This episode is perfect for HSK1–3 learners who want real, useful, and funny Mandarin for everyday life.

[Grammar of the Day – 4–5 min]
Here are two grammar patterns you need to survive the salon:

1. 想 (xiǎng) + Verb – to want to do something

   • 我想剪头发。I want to cut my hair.

   • 我想换一个发型。I want to change my hairstyle.

2. 一下 (yīxià) – to soften a request

   • 我想问一下。I’d like to ask something.

   • 可以看一下颜色吗？Can I quickly see the color?

3. 再 (zài) + Verb – do something more

   • 再剪一点点。Cut just a tiny bit more.

With just these, you can already start sounding more polite and more natural.

[Vocabulary & Real-Life Survival Phrases – 8–10 min]

Let’s break it down. I’m giving you the real words that will actually save your hair.

💇‍♀️ Basic Actions

• 剪头发 – jiǎn tóu fa – to cut hair
  我想剪头发。I want a haircut.

• 洗头 – xǐ tóu – to wash hair
  请洗一下头。Please wash my hair.

• 吹头发 – chuī tóu fa – blow-dry
  要吹干吗？Do you want it blow-dried?

• 染头发 – rǎn tóu fa – to dye hair
  我想染头发。I want to dye my hair.

• 挑染 – tiāo rǎn – highlights
  可以挑染一点吗？Can I get a few highlights?

🎨 Describing Style & Length

• 发型 – fà xíng – hairstyle
  我想换一个发型。I want a new hairstyle.

• 刘海 – liú hǎi – bangs
  刘海不要太短。Don’t cut the bangs too short.

• 层次 – céng cì – layers
  剪一些层次。Add some layers.

• 修一点点 – xiū yì diǎn diǎn – trim a little
  只修一点点，真的一点点。Just trim a tiny bit. Really.

• 不要太短 – bú yào tài duǎn – not too short
  上次太短了，我哭了。Last time was too short... I cried.

• 自然一点 – zì rán yì diǎn – more natural
  可以自然一点吗？Can it be a bit more natural?

• 柔顺 – róu shùn – soft and smooth
  我想做一个柔顺。I want a smoothing treatment.

🚫 What You Don’t Want

• 不要太蓬 – bú yào tài pēng – not too puffy
  我头发已经够蓬了。My hair is already too puffy.

• 不要太卷 – bú yào tài juǎn – not too curly
  卷一点，但不要太卷。Some curls, not too much.

• 不要染太亮 – bú yào rǎn tài liàng – not too bright
  要自然，我还要上班呢。I still have to go to work.

• 不要动刘海 – bú yào dòng liú hǎi – don’t touch the bangs
  刘海我自己剪的，不要动！I cut my bangs myself. Don’t touch them!

🙋‍♀️ Polite & Helpful Phrases

• 你觉得我适合什么发型？
  What do you think suits me?

• 帮我看一下哪里要剪。
  Can you help me see where to cut?

• 我觉得这里不对称。
  This part seems uneven.

[Survival Tips – 2–3 min]

💡 Survival Tip 1: Bring a photo. Always. Mandarin or not, a picture is the real universal language.
💡 Survival Tip 2: Say what you don’t want, even more than what you do.
💡 Survival Tip 3: If you’re really nervous, say:
“剪一点点就好。”
“Just a little bit, please.”
And say it twice. With eye contact.