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 |
Other forms exist depending on whether you are addressing one person, a group or using casual loanwords like 嗨 and 哈啰.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 你好 literally translates to you good.
Which one should you use?
While 你好 is the standard greeting for an individual, 你们好 is used when you are greeting a group of people. For a higher level of respect, use 您好 instead of 你好.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
您好 is a polite form used to show respect to elders, superiors or in formal business settings. In contrast, 嗨 and 哈啰 are informal loanwords used in casual, modern settings among friends.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The Dungan language includes the forms ни хо, сэляму and хома. The Hokkien language uses the form 汝好.
How does it change in a sentence?
To address a group rather than a single person, use the plural form 你们好 instead of the singular 你好.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of 你好 is nǐ hǎo.
Did you know?
- While 你好 is the textbook greeting, people in China often greet acquaintances by asking 吃了吗 which means 'Have you eaten?' This functions as a social 'hello' rather than a literal inquiry about your hunger.
- When answering the phone, Chinese speakers traditionally used 喂 instead of 你好. While 你好 is now common, 喂 remains the distinct 'hello' for telephone calls.
- The tone of 你好 changes in actual speech. Because both words are third tone, the first 你 is naturally pronounced as a second tone to make the phrase easier to say.
Examples in context
- 你好，汤姆。Hello, Tom.This is useful for greeting Tom with 你好.Tatoeba #5092241 by mirrorvan, translation #54604 by Zifre
- 你好！林峰。Hello! Linfeng.This is useful for greeting Linfeng with 你好.Tatoeba #6149244 by xjjAstrus, translation #6276580 by Kiwi
- 你好！明惠。Hello! Minghui.This is useful for greeting Minghui with 你好.Tatoeba #6149245 by xjjAstrus, translation #6276550 by Kiwi
- 43 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Rainy Ting meets Hao Ran on the street.
- 雨婷 Yuting你好，浩然！Nǐ hǎo, Hàorán!Hello, Hao Ran!
- 浩然 Haoran你好，雨婷。Nǐ hǎo, Yǔtíng.Hello, Yu Ting.
- 雨婷 Yuting你最近怎么样？Nǐ zuìjìn zěnmeyàng?How have you been lately?
- 浩然 Haoran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.
