嗨
hāi/xaɪ̯⁵⁵/
The Chinese phrase for hello casually is 嗨 (hāi).
嗨 is an informal greeting used to say hello to friends or people you know well. It is often used in text messaging and social media as a quick, casual greeting.
Which one should you use?
While 嗨 is casual, 你好 (nǐ hǎo) is the standard, more polite way to say hello to strangers or elders.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
嗨 is an informal greeting used primarily among friends or peers.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is hāi. The IPA is /xaɪ̯⁵⁵/.
Did you know?
- The phonetic sound of 嗨 is a direct loanword from the English word 'hi'.
- In some youth subcultures, 嗨 is used as slang to describe someone who is extremely excited or 'high' on energy.
- In digital chats, people often use multiple characters like 嗨嗨嗨 to sound more energetic and friendly.
Examples in context
- 嗨，好久不见！Hāi, hǎojiǔ bùjiàn!Hi, long time no see!
- 嗨，你今天怎么样？Hāi, nǐ jīntiān zěnmeyàng?Hi, how are you today?
- 嗨，我们出发吧。Hāi, wǒmen chūfā ba.Hi, let's get going.
Example conversation
Junjie and Jiayi meet at a cafe.
- 俊杰 Junjie嗨，佳怡！Hāi, Jiāyí!Hi, Jiayi!
- 佳怡 Jiayi嗨，俊杰，好久不见。Hāi, Jùnjié, hǎojiǔ bùjiàn.Hi, Junjie, long time no see.
- 俊杰 Junjie你最近好吗？Nǐ zuìjìn hǎo ma?How have you been lately?
- 佳怡 Jiayi我很好，谢谢。Wǒ hěn hǎo, xièxiè.I'm doing well, thanks.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 嗨, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 嗨, CC BY-SA 4.0.
