嗨朋友
hāi péngyou
The English phrase "hi friend" is translated into Chinese as 嗨朋友 (hāi péngyou).
嗨朋友 is a casual greeting used to say hello to a friend.
How do you pronounce it?
hāi péngyou
Did you know?
- In many Chinese social circles, a more common way to 'greet' a friend is to ask 吃了吗? which means 'Have you eaten?' This functions as a social 'hi' rather than a literal inquiry about food.
- The word 嗨 is a direct loanword from English 'hi'. It is written using a character that originally meant 'to sigh' or 'to lament' but was repurposed for its sound.
- While 朋友 means 'friend' in a dictionary, native speakers rarely use it as a direct address in greetings. Calling someone 朋友 can sometimes sound like a sales pitch or a stranger trying to be overly friendly.
Example conversation
Two friends meet unexpectedly at a park.
- 梓涵 Zihan嗨朋友！你也来公园吗？Hāi péngyǒu! Nǐ yě lái gōngyuán ma?Hi friend! Are you at the park too?
- 志强 Zhiqiang是的，我来散散步。Shì de, wǒ lái sàn sànbù.Yes, I came for a walk.
- 梓涵 Zihan太巧了，我们一起走吧。Tài qiǎo le, wǒmen yìqǐ zǒu ba.What a coincidence, let's walk together.
- 志强 Zhiqiang好主意，走吧！Hǎo zhǔyì, zǒu ba!Good idea, let's go!
