嗨大家
hāi dàjiā
嗨大家 (hāi dàjiā) is the Chinese way to say "hi guys".
嗨大家 is an informal greeting used to address a group of people.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the loanword 嗨 meaning "hi" and 大家 meaning "everyone".
Which one should you use?
While 大家好 is the standard and more common way to say "hello everyone", 嗨大家 uses the English loanword "hi" to provide a very casual feel.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
嗨大家 is an informal greeting suitable for friends or a relaxed social setting. If you need to be more formal, you can use 各位好 or 诸位好 to say "Hello, everyone" or "Hello, ladies and gentlemen" respectively.
How do you pronounce it?
hāi dàjiā
Did you know?
- While 大家 literally translates to 'big family', it is the standard way to address a group of people regardless of their actual relationship to you.
- The formal alternative 诸位 (zhūwèi) used for 'everyone' is rarely heard in spoken conversation today and is mostly found in period dramas or historical novels.
- While 嗨 is a loanword, its tone is often shifted or elongated in speech to mimic the rising intonation of the English 'hi', making it sound more like a melodic call than a standard Chinese syllable.
Examples in context
- 嗨，大家！准备好了吗？ (Hāi, dà jiā! Zhǔn bèi hǎo le ma?)Hey, guys! Are you all ready?
- 大家好呀！今天一起去吃火锅吧！ (Dà jiā hǎo ya! Jīn tiān yī qǐ qù chī huǒ guō ba!)Hello, everyone! Let's go eat hotpot together today!
- 嗨大家，最近好吗？Hāi dàjiā, zuìjìn hǎo ma?Hi guys, how have you been lately?
- 嗨大家，准备好出发了吗？Hāi dàjiā, zhǔnbèi hǎo chūfā le ma?Hi guys, are you ready to head out?
Example conversation
Junjie enters a room where Jiayi and their friends are waiting.
- 俊杰 Junjie嗨大家，不好意思我遲到了。Hāi dàjiā, bù hǎoyìsi wǒ chídào le.Hi guys, sorry I'm late.
- 佳怡 Jiayi沒關係，俊杰，我們剛到。Méiguānxì, Jùnjié, wǒmen gāng dào.No problem, Junjie, we just got here.
- 俊杰 Junjie今天我們要去哪裡？Jīntiān wǒmen yào qù nǎlǐ?Where are we going today?
- 佳怡 Jiayi我們打算去逛街。Wǒmen dǎsuàn qù guàngjiē.We're planning to go shopping.
