Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 你好 | nǐ hǎo | /ni²¹⁴⁻³⁵ xɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /ni⁵³ xau⁵³/ (Mandarin, Xi'an, Sinological IPA) |
|
| 嗨 哈囉 / 哈啰 | hāi | slang | |
| 你好 | lí hó | /li⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ hɤ⁴¹/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Kaohsiung, Sinological IPA) /li⁵³⁻⁴⁴ ho⁵³/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Kaohsiung, Sinological IPA) |
Hokkien |
In Chinese, several ways to greet others exist depending on the specific context. 你好 is the most standard and universally recognized way to say "hi" and is appropriate in almost any social situation. For time-specific greetings, you can use 早上好 for "good morning" before noon or 晚上好 for "good evening" after dark. If you are answering a phone call, the exclamation 喂 is used, similar to saying "hello" in English.
Which one should you use?
While 嗨 哈囉 / 哈啰 is considered slang, 你好 is the standard, neutral way to say 'hello' and is appropriate in almost any social situation.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For formal settings, you can use 您好 to show respect to older individuals, authority figures or in professional settings. You can also address someone formally by their title followed by 好, such as using Xiānsheng hǎo for "Mr./Sir, hi" or Nǚshì hǎo for "Mrs./Madam, hi".
Is it said differently in some regions?
The form сэляму is used in Dungan.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation for 你好 is nǐ hǎo.
Did you know?
- While 你好 is the standard greeting, Chinese speakers often greet friends by asking if they have eaten yet, using the phrase 你吃了吗, which functions as a 'hi' rather than a literal question about food.
- The Dungan greeting сэляму is a fascinating linguistic outlier, as it is a Turkic-influenced way to say 'hello' used by a specific Muslim subgroup in China.
- The word 嗨 is a phono-semantic compound combining the character for 'mouth' 口 with a phonetic element to mimic the sound of the English greeting.
Examples in context
- 你好！我叫汤姆。你叫什么？Hi, my name is Tom. What is yours?This sentence is useful for introducing yourself with 你好.Tatoeba #10019632 by GlossaMatik, translation #7519132 by CK
- 你好。Hi.This sentence shows a simple use of 你好.Tatoeba #4857568 by musclegirlxyp, translation #538123 by CM
- 你好，好久不見。Hi, long time no see.This sentence shows how to use 你好 when seeing someone after a long time.
- 8 more sentences on Tatoeba
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hi” translations and entries 你好, 你好, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 哈囉, 嗨, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR, Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
