你好
nǐ hǎostandard, Taiwan
Hello in Traditional Chinese is 你好 (nǐ hǎo), the same characters as in Simplified script. In Taiwan people also say the casual 哈囉 (hāluó), borrowed from English "hello". It is also called 您好 (nín hǎo).
Meaning: greeting (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 你好 | nǐ hǎo | standard, Taiwan |
| 您好 | nín hǎo | polite |
| 哈囉 | hāluó | casual, Taiwan |
Which one should you use?
Traditional script is used in Taiwan and Hong Kong. Greetings that change between the two scripts are written differently, but 你好 (nǐ hǎo) and 您好 (nín hǎo) look the same in both.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
您好 (nín hǎo) is the polite choice for elders, customers and teachers.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Hong Kong, Cantonese speakers read the same characters 你好 as nei5 hou2, so the written greeting is shared but the sound differs.
Did you know?
- Taiwan and Hong Kong keep Traditional characters, and mainland China and Singapore use Simplified characters.
Examples in context
- 你好，請問洗手間在哪裡？nǐ hǎo, qǐngwèn xǐshǒujiān zài nǎlǐHello, where is the restroom?
- 您好，歡迎光臨。nín hǎo, huānyíng guānglínHello, welcome.
- 哈囉，好久不見！hāluó, hǎojiǔ bújiànHi, long time no see!
Example conversation
Mei-ling enters a small tea shop in Taipei and speaks to the owner.
- Mei-ling你好，我想買茶。nǐ hǎo, wǒ xiǎng mǎi cháHello, I would like to buy tea.
- Owner您好，請看一看。nín hǎo, qǐng kàn yí kànHello, please have a look.
- Mei-ling謝謝。xièxieThank you.
