Learn the words first
谢谢
xièxie
thank you
不客气
bú kèqi
you’re welcome
再见
zàijiàn
goodbye
对不起
duìbuqǐ
sorry
没关系
méi guānxi
it’s okay
Respond to the situation
After 谢谢, reply 不客气. After 对不起, reply 没关系 when it is appropriate to say it is okay. Use 再见 when leaving. Learn these as short exchanges instead of translating every character independently.
Notice light syllables and 不
The second syllables of xièxie and kèqi are light in standard Mandarin. 不 has dictionary tone bù, but before a fourth-tone syllable it is pronounced bú: 不客气 bú kèqi. The pinyin here shows that spoken change. Politeness also depends on context and relationship; no phrase is a universal rule.
Examples to read and repeat
谢谢！不客气。
Xièxie! Bú kèqi.
Thank you! You’re welcome.
对不起。没关系。
Duìbuqǐ. Méi guānxi.
Sorry. It’s okay.
再见！
Zàijiàn!
Goodbye!