How to Say “I will pay in cash” in Chinese
Shopping · HSK 2
"I will pay in cash" in Chinese is 我付现金 (Wǒ fù xiànjīn). 现金 xiànjīn is 'cash.' Saying this in Mainland China today will often get a surprised look; since around 2018 the country has gone almost fully cashless via 微信 WeChat and 支付宝 Alipay, and some small vendors genuinely don't keep change anymore.
Primary translation
我付现金
Wǒ fù xiànjīn
Traditional: 我付現金
Variants by register
Casual
我用现金
Wǒ yòng xiànjīn
When to use it
现金 xiànjīn is 'cash.' Saying this in Mainland China today will often get a surprised look; since around 2018 the country has gone almost fully cashless via 微信 WeChat and 支付宝 Alipay, and some small vendors genuinely don't keep change anymore. Tourists should know that foreign cards often don't work either, so learning to say 我付现金 is actually useful as a backup. In Taiwan cash is still widely accepted alongside 悠遊卡 (EasyCard) and LINE Pay. The verb 付 fù means 'to pay'; you can also say 用现金付 yòng xiànjīn fù ('pay using cash'); both are natural.
Example sentences
我付现金，可以吗？
Wǒ fù xiànjīn, kěyǐ ma?
I'll pay cash, is that okay?
不好意思，我没带手机，我付现金。
Bù hǎoyìsi, wǒ méi dài shǒujī, wǒ fù xiànjīn.
Sorry, I didn't bring my phone, I'll pay cash.
你们收现金吗？我想付现金。
Nǐmen shōu xiànjīn ma? Wǒ xiǎng fù xiànjīn.
Do you accept cash? I'd like to pay cash.