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) |
|
| 您好 | nín hǎo | /nin³⁵ xɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /nei̯¹³ hou̯³⁵/ (Cantonese, Guangzhou, Sinological IPA, Standard Cantonese, Hong Kong) |
polite |
| 你們好 / 你们好 | nǐmen hǎo | ||
| 好 | hǎo | /xɑʊ̯²¹⁴/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /xau⁵³/ (Mandarin, Chengdu, Sinological IPA) |
|
| 嗨 | hāi | /xaɪ̯⁵⁵/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /haːi̯⁵⁵/ (Cantonese, Guangzhou, Sinological IPA, Standard Cantonese, Hong Kong) |
|
| 哈囉 / 哈啰 | hāluó | ||
| 汝好 | 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 |
The primary way to greet someone is 你好, which is the most common and standard way to say Hello in Mandarin Chinese. Other forms exist depending on the level of formality or the number of people you are addressing. You can also use casual loanwords like 嗨 or 哈啰 when speaking with friends, or the slang term ciallo.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 你好 is composed of 你 (you) and 好 (good/well), literally meaning "you good".
Which one should you use?
While 你好 is the standard greeting, 您好 is used to be more respectful, similar to saying "Hello, Sir/Madam" in English. For a group of people, use the plural form 你们好 instead of the singular 你好. For casual, English-influenced greetings, you can use 嗨 (hi/hey) or 哈啰 (hello).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Use the polite form 您好 when addressing an elder, a superior or someone you wish to show formal respect to. For very casual situations with peers or friends, you can use the informal loanwords 嗨 and 哈啰 or the slang ciallo.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Hokkien, you can use 汝好. In Dungan, other greetings include ни хо, сэляму and хома.
How does it change in a sentence?
To address multiple people at once, use the plural form 你们好 rather than the singular 你好.
How do you pronounce it?
nǐ hǎo (/ni²¹⁴⁻³⁵ xɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/)
Did you know?
- While 'hello' is often a standalone greeting, in many parts of China, people traditionally greet each other by asking if you have eaten. Using 你吃了吗 ('Have you eaten?') functions similarly to a friendly 'hello' in social contexts.
- Dungan is a variety of Chinese spoken in Central Asia that uses the Cyrillic alphabet for phrases like ни хо.
- When saying 你好, the tone of 你 typically changes from a third tone to a second tone because of the following 好.
Examples in context
- 你好，汤姆。Hello, Tom.This sentence shows how to use 你好 to greet Tom.Tatoeba #5092241 by mirrorvan, translation #54604 by Zifre
- 你好！林峰。Hello! Linfeng.This sentence shows how to use 你好 to greet Linfeng.Tatoeba #6149244 by xjjAstrus, translation #6276580 by Kiwi
- 你好！明惠。Hello! Minghui.This sentence shows how to use 你好 to greet Minghui.Tatoeba #6149245 by xjjAstrus, translation #6276550 by Kiwi
- 你好！很高兴认识你 (nǐ hǎo! hěn gāo xìng rèn shi nǐ).Hello! Nice to meet you.
- 你好！我也很高兴认识你 (nǐ hǎo! wǒ yě hěn gāo xìng rèn shi nǐ).Hello! Nice to meet you too.
- 老板，您好 (lǎo bǎn, nín hǎo).Hello, boss.
- 你好，有什么事情吗 (nǐ hǎo, yǒu shén me shì qíng ma)?Hello, what can I do for you?
- 嗨，最近好吗 (hāi, zuì jìn hǎo ma)?Hi, how have you been lately?
- 嗨，挺好的，你呢 (hāi, tǐng hǎo de, nǐ ne)?Hi, pretty good. How about you?
- 妈妈，你好吗 (mā mā, nǐ hǎo ma)?Hi Mom, how are you?
- 43 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Wei meets Xiaowen at a coffee shop.
- 伟 Wei你好，晓雯。Nǐ hǎo, Xiǎowén.Hello, Xiaowen.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen你好，伟。Nǐ hǎo, Wěi.Hello, Wei.
- 伟 Wei你最近怎么样？Nǐ zuìjìn zěnmeyàng?How have you been lately?
- 晓雯 Xiaowen我很好，谢谢。Wǒ hěn hǎo, xièxiè.I am very well, thank you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hello” translations and entries 你好, 您好, 好, 嗨, 汝好, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
