嘿
hēi
The Chinese word for the casual greeting 'hej' is 嘿 (hēi).
嘿 is an informal greeting used among friends to say hello. The most common and versatile way to say hello in Chinese is 你好 (nǐ hǎo).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the southern province of Guangdong, people may greet each other informally using 哈囉 (haa1 lo1).
How do you pronounce it?
hēi
Did you know?
- In digital communication, doubling the character to 嘿嘿 often signals a playful or slightly mischievous intent, which can sometimes be interpreted as flirtatious.
- While 嘿 is used for greetings, the same sound in different tones can mean 'dark' 黑 or 'black', leading to puns in written Chinese slang.
- The character 嘿 can also be used in writing to represent laughter, similar to how English speakers use 'hehe' or 'haha'.
Examples in context
- 嘿，你看那边！Hēi, nǐ kàn nàbiān!Hey, look over there!
- 嘿，好久不见。Hēi, hǎojiǔ bùjiàn.Hey, long time no see.
Example conversation
Two friends meet unexpectedly at a coffee shop.
- 俊杰 Junjie嘿，佳怡！Hēi, Jiāyí!Hey, Jiayi!
- 佳怡 Jiayi嘿，俊杰，好巧啊！Hēi, Jùnjié, hǎo qiǎo a!Hey, Junjie, what a coincidence!
- 俊杰 Junjie你刚才在做什么？Nǐ gāngcái zài zuò shénme?What were you doing just now?
- 佳怡 Jiayi我在买咖啡。Wǒ zài mǎi kāfēi.I was buying coffee.
