你好
nei5 hou2everyday, Hong Kong
In Hong Kong people speak Cantonese, so "hello" is 你好 (nei5 hou2) in Jyutping. A casual borrowing from English is 哈囉 (haa1 lou1), and on the phone people say 喂 (wai2).
Meaning: greeting (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 你好 | nei5 hou2 | everyday, Hong Kong |
| 哈囉 | haa1 lou1 | casual, Hong Kong |
| 喂 | wai2 | phone |
Use 你好 (nei5 hou2) with new people. 哈囉 (haa1 lou1) is friendlier and suits peers and shop settings.
Which one should you use?
Mandarin says nǐ hǎo for 你好. In Hong Kong the same characters are read as nei5 hou2 and written in Traditional script.
Did you know?
- Hong Kong Cantonese borrowed 哈囉 (haa1 lou1) from English "hello" and uses it alongside the native 你好.
Examples in context
- 你好，請問你叫咩名？nei5 hou2, cing2 man6 nei5 giu3 me1 meng2?Hello, what is your name?
- 哈囉！haa1 lou1!Hello!
- 喂，你好。wai2, nei5 hou2.Hello (on the phone).
Example conversation
Chan, a visitor, greets the Receptionist at a hotel in Hong Kong.
- Chan你好！nei5 hou2!Hello!
- Receptionist你好，歡迎光臨。nei5 hou2, fun1 jing4 gwong1 lam4.Hello, welcome.
- Chan我想入住。ngo5 soeng2 jap6 zyu6.I would like to check in.
