你好
nǐ hǎostandard, everyday
In Singapore Mandarin, the usual hello is 你好 (nǐ hǎo). Show respect to older people with 您好 (nín hǎo). Casually many Singaporeans also say 哈喽 (hā lóu), borrowed from English "hello".
Meaning: greeting (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Mandarin | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 你好 | nǐ hǎo | standard, everyday |
| 您好 | nín hǎo | respectful |
| 哈喽 | hā lóu | casual, English loan |
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
您好 is used with teachers, elders and customers. Friends use 嗨 (hāi) or 哈喽.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Singapore writes Mandarin in simplified characters. Everyday Singaporean speech mixes Mandarin with English and other languages, so a spoken hello is often heard in place of 你好.
How do you pronounce it?
你好 is "nǐ hǎo" with two third tones, and the first one is said with the second tone in fast speech: "ní hǎo".
Did you know?
- Mandarin is one of the four official languages of Singapore, together with English, Malay and Tamil.
Examples in context
- 你好，请问你是王先生吗？nǐ hǎo, qǐngwèn nǐ shì Wáng xiānsheng ma?Hello, may I ask if you are Mr. Wang?
- 您好，欢迎光临。nín hǎo, huānyíng guānglín.Hello, welcome.
- 哈喽，好久不见！hā lóu, hǎojiǔ bú jiàn!Hello, long time no see!
Example conversation
Customer Mei greets hawker Mr. Tan at a food court in Singapore.
- Mei您好，陈先生。nín hǎo, Chén xiānsheng.Hello, Mr. Tan.
- Mr. Tan你好，今天吃什么？nǐ hǎo, jīntiān chī shénme?Hello, what will you eat today?
- Mei一碗面，谢谢。yì wǎn miàn, xièxie.One bowl of noodles, thank you.
