Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 早上好 | zǎoshanghǎo |
| 早 | zǎo |
| 早安 | zǎo'ān |
| 你早 | nǐ zǎo |
These phrases are used when seeing someone for the first time in the morning. To say 'Good morning, everyone', you place the word for everyone (大家) before the greeting, as in 大家早上好.
What does it mean word for word?
The standard phrase 早上好 is composed of 早上 (morning) and 好 (good). The phrase 早安 is composed of 早 (early/morning) and 安 (peace/safety).
Which one should you use?
While 早上好 is the most common and standard way to say 'Good Morning', 早安 often sounds slightly more formal or literary and is frequently used in written messages or broadcast greetings. The single syllable 早 is a very common, casual way to say 'morning!' to friends or colleagues.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
早上好 is the standard greeting. For a more formal or poetic expression, you can use 早安 and adding 祝您 before 早安 provides an even higher level of formality. Conversely, 早 is a simple and informal way to greet others, while 早啊 is a casual and colloquial expression. You can also make 早上好 sound more friendly and cheerful by adding 呀 to the end to form 早上好呀.
How do you pronounce it?
zǎoshanghǎo
Did you know?
- The character 早 can be traced back to a pictogram of an acorn. Although it now means 'early' or 'morning', its ancient origins are linked to this small nut.
Examples in context
- 你好啊！早上好！Hello! Good morning!This example shows how to use the form 早 in a friendly greeting.Tatoeba #10552179 by GlossaMatik, translation #435082 by lukaszpp
- 早！Good morning!This example demonstrates the use of the single syllable 早 as a greeting.Tatoeba #2032292 by ydcok, translation #329713 by YURY0608
- 大家早上好。Good morning, everybody.This example shows how to address a group using the form 早.Tatoeba #399028 by kellenparker, translation #22122 by CK
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two colleagues meeting in the office hallway.
- 俊杰 Junjie梓涵，早上好！Zǐhán, zǎoshang hǎo!Zihan, good morning!
- 梓涵 Zihan早上好，俊杰。Zǎoshang hǎo, Jùnjié.Good morning, Junjie.
- 俊杰 Junjie你喝咖啡了吗？Nǐ hē kāfēi le ma?Have you had coffee?
- 梓涵 Zihan还没呢，我正要去买。Hái méi ne, wǒ zhèng yào qù mǎi.Not yet, I'm just about to buy some.
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.
