How do I say 'don't worry'?

Chinese reassurance has a scale that matches the size of the concern:

• 没事 — for minor things. A small mistake, a brief delay, a tiny inconvenience. “It’s nothing.” Use this when the worry is clearly out of proportion to the problem.
• 别担心 — for genuine worry. Acknowledges that the person is worried (rather than telling them they shouldn’t be) while reassuring them. “Don’t carry this worry.” More caring than 没事.
• 放心吧 — for when you are taking responsibility. “Rest your heart.” This says “I’ve got it, you can stop worrying because I’m handling it.” It implies competence and care together.

The structure of comfort: effective Chinese reassurance often combines the reassurance word + the reason: 别担心，我已经帮你处理好了 (Don’t worry — I’ve already taken care of it for you). The reason after the reassurance is what makes it credible.

A common parent-to-child pattern: 没事没事 + physical comfort. The doubled 没事 softens it into a soothing sound rather than a logical statement. This is the Chinese equivalent of “there, there” — the words matter less than the tone and touch.