How do I say 'wait a moment'?
The universal 'wait a moment' — natural in nearly all situations from casual to semi-formal.
等一下
Wait a sec / hold on.
Wait a moment.
Wait a sec / hold on.
WHEN IT FITS
等一下 is the everyday wait phrase — the 一下 turns 等 (wait) from a command into a request. The three-tier formality system for “wait”:
- 等等 — very casual, almost rushed. Between friends. Can sound flustered or urgent.
- 等一下 — the universal middle. Safe everywhere from friends to colleagues to strangers on the street.
- 稍等 / 稍等一下 — the polite form. What service staff say to customers. What you say to your boss or a client. 稍等片刻 (just a moment) is even more polished.
The 一下 (yíxià) softener is a grammatical pattern worth internalizing: it turns a verb into a brief, light version of itself. 看 = look; 看一下 = take a quick look. 等 = wait; 等一下 = wait a moment. 帮 = help; 帮一下 = help out a bit. This pattern makes your Chinese softer and more natural across the board.
In phone and online contexts: 等一下 is natural. In very formal written Chinese (emails to superiors), 请稍等 or 请您稍候 are appropriate.
HOW PEOPLE ACTUALLY SAY IT
等一下，我接个电话。
Hang on — I need to take this call.
Interrupting for a call这个菜等一下再上吧。
Let's have this dish brought out a bit later.
Delaying an order at a restaurantCHOOSE BY SITUATION
稍等
Wait a moment (polite).
Service contexts, customer-facing situations, or when you want to be more formal等等
Wait wait / hold on.
Very casual — among close friends or when you are flustered