晚安
wǎn'ān
In Chinese, "good night" is said as 晚安 (wǎn'ān).
晚安 is used as a farewell phrase. Unlike the English "good night", which can sometimes be used as a greeting in very specific contexts, 晚安 is strictly used as a farewell when parting ways for the night.
Meaning: a farewell (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 晚 (wǎn), meaning "late" or "evening" and 安 (ān), meaning "peace" or "safety". Together, the phrase literally translates to "night peace" or "late peace".
How do you pronounce it?
wǎn'ān
Did you know?
- The character 安 in 晚安 is a pictograph showing a roof over a woman, symbolizing that a home is 'peaceful' when the woman is inside.
- In modern internet slang, the phrase 晚安 is sometimes used to politely end a conversation that has become boring or awkward, acting as a 'soft' way to stop talking.
- In many Chinese households, instead of a verbal 'good night', the ritual of 'good night' is often signaled by the phrase 早点睡 (go to sleep early), which serves as a way to show care.
Examples in context
- 我要睡了。晚安。I'm going to bed. Good night.This example shows how to use 晚安 when saying you are going to bed.Tatoeba #6624733 by verdastelo9604, translation #2496951 by CK
- 我要睡觉了，晚安。I've got to go to bed. Good night.This example shows how to use 晚安 when saying you have got to go to bed.Tatoeba #10042038 by slo_oth, translation #10253680 by bekindtoall
- 晚安。Good night.This example shows a simple use of 晚安.Tatoeba #4463431 by maple, translation #2362724 by NotApplicable
- 早点休息，明天有个重要的会议。Rest early, we have an important meeting tomorrow.
- 晚安啦！Good night!
- 你也要早点睡，明天还有很多事情呢。You should sleep early too, there are still many things to do tomorrow.
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Xiaowen and Junjie are ending their phone call before bed.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen好了，快去休息吧。晚安！Hǎole, kuài qù xiūxī ba. Wǎn'ān!Alright, go get some rest. Good night!
- 俊杰 Junjie好的，你也早点睡。晚安。Hǎode, nǐ yě zǎodiǎn shuì. Wǎn'ān.Okay, you should sleep early too. Good night.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen我会的，明天见。Wǒ huì de, míngtiān jiàn.I will, see you tomorrow.
- 俊杰 Junjie明天见，拜拜。Míngtiān jiàn, bàibài.See you tomorrow, bye bye.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “good night” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
