你好
nǐ hǎo/ni²¹⁴⁻³⁵ xɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
The English phrase "hello there" is translated into Chinese as 你好 (nǐ hǎo).
你好 is the standard way to say hello in Chinese. While it serves as the basic translation for the English "hello," it is often used more formally or deliberately than the casual "hi" often used in English.
Meaning: hello (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the words for "you" (你) and "good" (好).
Which one should you use?
While 你好 is the standard greeting, you can use different forms depending on who you are talking to or how many people are present. Use Hāi (嗨) for a casual and informal "hi," or use 你们好 (nǐmen hǎo) when you are greeting a group of people.
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the greeting more respectful and polite, you can replace the word 你 (nǐ) with 您 (nín) to form 您好. To address more than one person, use the plural form 你们好 (nǐmen hǎo).
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is nǐ hǎo and the IPA is /ni²¹⁴⁻³⁵ xɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/.
When do people say it?
The standard response to 你好 is to repeat the phrase back to the speaker.
Did you know?
- The character 好 (hǎo) is composed of two radicals: 'woman' (女) and 'child' (子). This suggests that the ancient Chinese conceptualized 'good' as the image of a mother with her child.
- While 你好 is the translation for 'hello', Chinese speakers often greet acquaintances by asking 吃了吗 (chī le ma), which means 'Have you eaten yet?' This functions as a friendly greeting rather than a literal inquiry about a meal.
- The respectful version of 'hello', 您好 (nín hǎo), uses a special character for 'you' that contains the radical for 'heart' (心). This visually implies that the greeting is coming from the heart.
Examples in context
- 你好，请问你是张先生吗？Nǐ hǎo, qǐngwèn nǐ shì Zhāng xiānsheng ma?Hello, excuse me, are you Mr. Zhang?
- 你好，很高兴见到你。Nǐ hǎo, hěn gāoxìng jiàndào nǐ.Hello, it is very nice to meet you.
- 你好，可以帮我一个忙吗？Nǐ hǎo, kěyǐ bāng wǒ yí gè máng ma?Hello, can you do me a favor?
Example conversation
Wei sees Xiao Wen at a coffee shop.
- 伟 Wei你好，晓雯！Nǐ hǎo, Xiǎowén!Hello, Xiao Wen!
- 晓雯 Xiaowen嗨，伟！好久不见。Hài, Wěi! Hǎojiǔ bújiàn.Hi, Wei! Long time no see.
- 伟 Wei你最近怎么样？Nǐ zuìjìn zěnmeyàng?How have you been lately?
- 晓雯 Xiaowen我还好，谢谢。Wǒ hái hǎo, xièxie.I'm doing well, thanks.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 你好, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
