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 most standard and common way to greet someone is 你好. Other ways to greet include the informal 嗨, which is similar to the English 'hi' and the transliterated 哈啰, which is used in casual conversation. For morning greetings, you might use 早安 to say 'good morning'.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 你好 is composed of nǐ (you) and hǎo (good).
Which one should you use?
While 你好 is the standard greeting, 您好 is a more polite version used when addressing elders or superiors. To address a group of people instead of an individual, use the plural form 你们好. In slang, you may encounter ciallo.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
你好 is the standard form for most situations. For formal or respectful settings, such as speaking to someone of higher status or an elder, use 您好. The forms 嗨 and 哈啰 are informal and best suited for friends, peers or modern, casual settings.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Hokkien, you can use 汝好. In Dungan, different forms are used such as ни хо, сэляму and хома.
How does it change in a sentence?
To change the greeting from a single person to a group, use the plural form 你们好.
How do you pronounce it?
nǐ hǎo
Did you know?
- While 'hello' is a standard greeting in English, in many parts of China, locals often greet each other by asking 'Have you eaten?' instead of saying 你好.
- The character 好 in 你好 is composed of the radicals for 'woman' and 'child', symbolizing that having a child is a 'good' thing.
- When answering the phone, Chinese speakers rarely say 你好. Instead, they almost always use 喂, which sounds like 'wéi'.
Examples in context
- 你好，汤姆。Hello, Tom.This example shows how to use 你好 to greet Tom.Tatoeba #5092241 by mirrorvan, translation #54604 by Zifre
- 你好！林峰。Hello! Linfeng.This example shows how to use 你好 to greet Linfeng.Tatoeba #6149244 by xjjAstrus, translation #6276580 by Kiwi
- 你好！明惠。Hello! Minghui.This example shows how to use 你好 to greet Minghui.Tatoeba #6149245 by xjjAstrus, translation #6276550 by Kiwi
- Nǐ hǎo! (你好!)Hello!
- Zǎo ān! (早安!)Good morning!
- Qǐngwèn, wǒ néng wèn yíxià ma? (请问, 我能问一下吗?)Excuse me, can I ask you something?
- Hāi! (嗨!)Hi!
- 43 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Junjie and Zihan meet in a coffee shop.
- 俊杰 Junjie你好，梓涵。Nǐ hǎo, Zǐhán.Hello, Zihan.
- 梓涵 Zihan你好，俊杰！Nǐ hǎo, Jùnjié!Hello, Junjie!
- 俊杰 Junjie你最近好吗？Nǐ zuìjìn hǎo ma?How have you been lately?
- 梓涵 Zihan我很好，谢谢。Wǒ hěn hǎo, xièxiè.I am very well, thanks.
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.
