晚安
wǎn'ān
The Mandarin phrase for "good night" is 晚安 (wǎn'ān).
晚安 is used specifically as a farewell before sleep or at the end of the night.
Meaning: a farewell (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 晚安 is composed of 晚, meaning 'evening/late' and 安, meaning 'peace/safety'.
Which one should you use?
While 晚安 is a farewell used when parting or going to bed, 晚上好 (good evening) is a greeting used when arriving or meeting someone in the evening.
How do you pronounce it?
wǎn'ān
Did you know?
- The character 安 is a pictograph showing a 'woman' 女 under a 'roof' 宀, representing the idea that a home is peaceful when a woman is present.
- In modern internet slang, 晚安 is sometimes used as a subtle way to end a conversation when a speaker is bored or wants to stop talking to the other person.
- While 晚安 is the standard, some people use the phrase 安安 as a cute, internet-slang way to say 'good night' or even 'hello' in instant messaging.
Examples in context
- 我要睡了。晚安。I'm going to bed. Good night.Tatoeba #6624733 by verdastelo9604, translation #2496951 by CK
- 我要睡觉了，晚安。I've got to go to bed. Good night.Tatoeba #10042038 by slo_oth, translation #10253680 by bekindtoall
- 晚安。Good night.Tatoeba #4463431 by maple, translation #2362724 by NotApplicable
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A couple is saying goodbye before going to their separate rooms.
- 佳怡 Jiayi伟，晚安。Wěi, wǎn'ān.Wei, good night.
- 伟 Wei佳怡，晚安。Jiāyí, wǎn'ān.Jiayi, good night.
- 佳怡 Jiayi明天见。Míngtiān jiàn.See you tomorrow.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “good night” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
