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 |
你好 is the most standard and commonly used greeting in Chinese. Other options include the English loanwords 嗨 (hi) and 哈啰 (hello) for casual interactions, or time-specific greetings like 早上好 (good morning) and 下午好 (good afternoon) in formal contexts.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 你好 is composed of two parts: 你, meaning 'you' and 好, meaning 'good'.
Which one should you use?
While 你好 is the standard greeting, 您好 is used to show a higher level of respect. 你们好 is used when addressing more than one person.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For a standard level of politeness, use 你好. To show respect toward elders, superiors or in professional settings, use the polite form 您好. For very casual settings with friends and peers, you can use the informal loanwords 嗨 or 哈啰.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some southern regions, people may use 吃了吗? (have you eaten?) as a friendly greeting.
How does it change in a sentence?
To address a group of people, add the plural suffix 们 to the word for 'you' to form 你们好.
How do you pronounce it?
nǐ hǎo
Did you know?
- The character 好 in 你好 is a phono-semantic compound combining the radicals for 'woman' and 'child'. Historically, this combination represented the idea of 'good' or 'harmony'.
- In some dialects, the standard 你好 can feel too formal for close friends, who might instead start a conversation by asking 去哪儿? (where are you going?).
- The greeting 你好 is often accompanied by a slight nod of the head rather than a handshake in traditional settings.
Examples in context
- 你好，汤姆。Hello, Tom.This sentence demonstrates the use of 你好 when addressing Tom.Tatoeba #5092241 by mirrorvan, translation #54604 by Zifre
- 你好！林峰。Hello! Linfeng.This sentence demonstrates the use of 你好 when addressing Linfeng.Tatoeba #6149244 by xjjAstrus, translation #6276580 by Kiwi
- 你好！明惠。Hello! Minghui.This sentence demonstrates the use of 你好 when addressing Minghui.Tatoeba #6149245 by xjjAstrus, translation #6276550 by Kiwi
- 43 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two colleagues meet in the office hallway.
- 志强 Zhiqiang你好，晓雯！Nǐ hǎo, Xiǎowén!Hello, Xiaowen!
- 晓雯 Xiaowen你好，志强。好久不见！Nǐ hǎo, Zhìqiáng. Hǎojiǔ bùjiàn!Hello, Zhiqiang. Long time no see!
- 志强 Zhiqiang你最近怎么样？Nǐ zuìjìn zěnmeyàng?How have you been lately?
- 晓雯 Xiaowen我很好，谢谢。Wǒ hěn hǎo, xièxie.I am doing well, thanks.
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.
