Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 早 | zǎo |
| 早上好 | zǎoshanghǎo |
| 早安 | zǎo'ān |
| 你早 | nǐ zǎo |
These phrases are used when seeing someone for the first time in the morning.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 早上好 is composed of 早上 (early morning) and 好 (good). The phrase 早安 is composed of 早 (early) and 安 (peace/safety).
Which one should you use?
早上好 is the most standard and neutral way to say 'good morning' in mainland China. 早安 is often perceived as more formal or literary than 早上好. For a very casual approach, you can use the single character 早 or the informal shortened form 你早, which literally translates to 'you morning'.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
早上好 is a formal way to say 'good morning'. 早安 is also a formal way to say 'good morning' and is often used in written communication. In contrast, 早 is a simple, casual way to say 'morning' to friends or colleagues and 你早 is an informal way to greet someone. Adding the particle 'a' to create 早啊 makes the greeting sound more colloquial and friendly.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Taiwanese Mandarin, 早安 is a common way to say 'good morning'.
How do you pronounce it?
zǎoshanghǎo
Did you know?
- In ancient Chinese texts, the character 蚤, which now means 'flea', was often used as a substitute for the word 'early'.
- The phrase 早安 literally wishes the listener 'early peace' or 'early safety'.
Examples in context
- 你好啊！早上好！Hello! Good morning!This example shows how to use 早 in a friendly greeting.Tatoeba #10552179 by GlossaMatik, translation #435082 by lukaszpp
- 早！Good morning!This example demonstrates a very short, casual way to use 早.Tatoeba #2032292 by ydcok, translation #329713 by YURY0608
- 大家早上好。Good morning, everybody.This example shows how to use 早 when addressing a group.Tatoeba #399028 by kellenparker, translation #22122 by CK
- Zǎo shàng hǎo, Lǐ xiānshēng (早上好，李先生)Good morning, Mr. Li.
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Junjie and Yuting meet in the office hallway in the morning.
- 俊杰 Junjie雨婷，早上好。Yǔtíng, zǎoshang hǎo.Yuting, good morning.
- 雨婷 Yuting俊杰，早上好！Jùnjié, zǎoshang hǎo!Junjie, good morning!
- 俊杰 Junjie你今天很早。Nǐ jīntiān hěn zǎo.You are very early today.
- 雨婷 Yuting是的，我准备开始工作了。Shì de, wǒ zhǔnbèi kāishǐ gōngzuò le.Yes, I am ready to start working.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “good morning” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 早, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
