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 |
Greetings in Chinese vary significantly based on the time of day, the number of people you are addressing and your relationship with them. For a formal morning greeting, you can use Zǎo shàng hǎo (早上好) until around noon or Wǎn shàng hǎo (晚上好) to say good evening after the sun has set. In casual settings, you might use Nǐ zěnme yàng (你怎么样) to ask how someone is doing or Hǎo jiǔ bú jiàn (好久不见) to say 'long time no see'. When answering a phone call or greeting friends informally, Wèi (喂) is common.
What does it mean word for word?
The standard greeting 你好 is composed of the word 你 (you) and 好 (good).
Which one should you use?
While 你好 is the standard greeting, 您好 is a polite version used to show respect. For casual or modern contexts, 嗨 and 哈啰 act as informal transliterations of 'hi' and 'hello'. The slang term ciallo is also used in certain contexts.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Use 您好 when addressing an elder, a superior or someone you wish to show formal respect to. In contrast, 你好 is the standard version, while 嗨, 哈啰 and Wèi (喂) are informal and suited for friends or young people. Zǎo shàng hǎo (早上好) and Wǎn shàng hǎo (晚上好) are also used in more formal or structured settings.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Hokkien, you can use 汝好 (lí hó). In Dungan, the forms ни хо, сэляму and хома are used. In Cantonese, the equivalent is Nei hou.
How does it change in a sentence?
To address a group of people rather than a single individual, use the plural form 你們好 / 你们好 (nǐmen hǎo).
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization for 你好 is nǐ hǎo.
When do people say it?
Greeting someone by their title is a respectful way to address them, such as using Lǎoshī nǐ hǎo to say 'Hello, Teacher'.
Did you know?
- In some regions, people greet each other by commenting on their appearance, such as saying nǐ fěng le (you have grown fat), as a sign of prosperity and care.
- The word 好 (hǎo) in 你好 consists of two radicals: 'woman' and 'child', implying that a woman with a child is the definition of 'good'.
- In mainland China, it is common to greet a neighbor or acquaintance by asking chī fàn le ma (have you eaten yet) instead of using 你好.
Examples in context
- 你好，汤姆。Hello, Tom.This example shows how to use 你好 when addressing Tom.Tatoeba #5092241 by mirrorvan, translation #54604 by Zifre
- 你好！林峰。Hello! Linfeng.This example shows how to use 你好 when addressing Linfeng.Tatoeba #6149244 by xjjAstrus, translation #6276580 by Kiwi
- 你好！明惠。Hello! Minghui.This example shows how to use 你好 when addressing Minghui.Tatoeba #6149245 by xjjAstrus, translation #6276550 by Kiwi
- 43 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two students meet on campus.
- 雨婷 Yuting你好，俊杰！Nǐ hǎo, Jùnjié!Hello, Junjie!
- 俊杰 Junjie你好，雨婷！Nǐ hǎo, Yǔtíng!Hello, Yuting!
- 雨婷 Yuting你今天怎么样？Nǐ jīntiān zěnmeyàng?How are you today?
- 俊杰 Junjie我很好，谢谢。Wǒ hěn hǎo, xièxie.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.
