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How to Say ‘Wait a moment’ in Traditional Chinese

稍等

💬 Usage Tip: [稍] means 'a little', and [等] means 'wait'. Together they form a polite way to ask someone to wait.

🇹🇼 In Taiwan: In Taiwanese service culture, it's common for staff to use this phrase to courteously ask customers to be patient.

Word-by-Word Breakdown

[shāo]

wait a moment

A polite request for some time, usually a short duration.

Example

請稍等,我馬上來。

Please wait a moment, I will be right back.

[děng]

wait

To stay in expectation of something; to pause temporarily.

Example

等熱咖啡的過程中,我們可以聊天。

While waiting for the hot coffee, we can chat.

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