嗨
hāi/xaɪ̯⁵⁵/
The English phrase "hey there" can be translated into Chinese as 嗨 (hāi).
嗨 is used as a casual way to say "hi" or "hey" to someone.
Which one should you use?
While 嗨 (hāi) is often used for "hi" or "hey", the form 嘿 (hēi) is also an informal greeting specifically similar to the English "hey".
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is hāi.
Did you know?
- In some online gaming communities, 嗨 is used as a shorthand to express high energy or being 'high' on excitement, similar to how English speakers use 'hype'.
- Because 嗨 is a loanword, using it with an elderly person might seem strangely modern or even slightly disrespectful compared to traditional greetings.
- The character 嗨 is a phono-semantic compound that combines the radical for 'mouth' 口 with the character for 'sea' 海 to represent the sound of the greeting.
Examples in context
- 嘿，怎么样? (Hēi, zěnme yàng?)Hey, how is it going?
- 嗨，好久不见！Hāi, hǎojiǔ bùjiàn!Hey there, long time no see!
- 嗨，大家早安。Hāi, dàjiā zǎo'ān.Hey there, good morning everyone.
Example conversation
Two friends meet at a coffee shop.
- 佳怡 Jiayi嗨，浩然！Hāi, Hàorán!Hey there, Haoran!
- 浩然 Haoran嗨，佳怡，好久不见。Hāi, Jiāyí, hǎojiǔ bùjiàn.Hey there, Jiayi, long time no see.
- 佳怡 Jiayi你最近怎么样？Nǐ zuìjìn zěnmeyàng?How have you been lately?
- 浩然 Haoran我还不错，谢谢。Wǒ hái bùcuò, xièxiè.I'm doing well, thanks.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 嗨, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 嗨, CC BY-SA 4.0.
