你还好吗？
nǐ hái hǎo ma?
In Chinese, "are you good?" is expressed as 你还好吗？ (nǐ hái hǎo ma?)
你还好吗？ is a question used to ask if someone is doing well or is okay. It is most commonly used when you suspect someone might be upset, injured or experiencing a problem.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 你 (you), 还 (still/yet), 好 (good/well) and 吗 (a question particle). Literally, it means "Are you still good/okay?"
Which one should you use?
While 你还好吗？ asks if someone is okay (often implying a concern for their well-being), 你怎么样？ is a more general way to ask how someone is doing. Additionally, 你还好吧？ translates to "Are you still good?" and is used to express concern for someone's well-being.
How does it change in a sentence?
A common way to respond to this question is by using the same structure with the first-person pronoun: 我还好。 (I am fine / I am okay).
How do you pronounce it?
nǐ hái hǎo ma?
Did you know?
- The character 好 in 你还好吗？ is a compound of the characters for 'woman' and 'child', reflecting an ancient cultural view of the ideal family.
- While 你还好吗？ is a direct translation of 'are you good?', Chinese speakers often express concern by asking 你没事吧？, which literally means 'you have no matter/thing, right?'
- Depending on the tone, 你还好吧？ can shift from a sincere expression of concern to a sarcastic way of asking if someone is 'crazy'.
Examples in context
- 你还好吗？Nǐ hái hǎo ma?Are you okay?
- 看起来你很累，你还好吗？Kàn qǐlái nǐ hěn lèi, nǐ hái hǎo ma?You look tired, are you doing okay?
- 突然下这么大雨，你还好吗？Tūrán xià zhème dà yǔ, nǐ hái hǎo ma?It suddenly started raining so hard, are you alright?
Example conversation
Two friends meeting after a long time.
- 浩然 Haoran好久不见，你还好吗？Hǎojiǔ bùjiàn, nǐ hái hǎo ma?Long time no see, are you doing well?
- 梓涵 Zihan我挺好的，谢谢你的关心。Wǒ tǐng hǎo de, xièxiè nǐ de guānxīn.I'm doing great, thanks for asking.
- 浩然 Haoran那就好，你看起来很有精神。Nà jiù hǎo, nǐ kàn qǐlái hěn yǒu jīngshén.That's good, you look very energetic.
- 梓涵 Zihan我也很高兴见到你，浩然。Wǒ yě hěn gāoxìng jiàndào nǐ, Hàorán.I am also very happy to see you, Haoran.
