你好
lí-hó
Hello in Hokkien is said as 你好 (lí-hó).
The standard greeting is 你好, which means hello. However, in spoken Hokkien, it is often more common to use situational greetings, such as asking someone if they have eaten, rather than using a literal version of hello.
Meaning: greeting (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
你好 is composed of lí, meaning 'you' and hó, meaning 'good'.
Which one should you use?
While 你好 is a standard greeting, speakers may instead use specific situational greetings like chiah-pá buē (have you eaten) in everyday conversation.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase 你好 uses the second-person singular pronoun lí.
How do you pronounce it?
lí-hó
Did you know?
- The concept of 'hello' in Hokkien is often expressed through 'status' questions, such as asking where someone is going (khì tò-lo̍k), which is considered polite rather than intrusive.
- While 你好 looks identical to the Mandarin greeting, the pronunciation is completely different, making it a 'false friend' for those who only know how to read the characters.
- In some traditional settings, a greeting is accompanied by a slight nod or a specific hand gesture rather than a handshake, which can be seen as too forward.
Example conversation
Meiling and Zhiming meet on the street.
- 美玲 Mei-ling志明，你好！Tsi-ming, lí hó!Zhiming, hello!
- 志明 Chi-ming美玲，你好！Bí-ling, lí hó!Meiling, hello!
- 美玲 Mei-ling你最近好嗎？Lí tsuì-kin hó bô?How have you been lately?
- 志明 Chi-ming我很好，謝謝。Góa chin hó, tiō-sià.I am very well, thank you.
