你好
nǐ hǎo/ni²¹⁴⁻³⁵ xɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
In Mandarin, hi is expressed as 你好 (nǐ hǎo). Wiktionary also lists 嗨 哈囉 / 哈啰 (hāi).
Meaning: friendly, informal greeting (intj)
Ways to say it
| Mandarin | 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) |
|
| 嗨 哈囉 / 哈啰 | hāi | slang | |
| 你好 | 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 basic and common way to say "hi" in Mandarin.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 你好 is composed of 你 (you) and 好 (good).
Which one should you use?
While 你好 is the standard greeting, 您好 is the polite version used when addressing elders or superiors.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The form сэляму is used in Dungan, and the form 你好 is used in Hokkien.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation for 你好 is nǐ hǎo.
Did you know?
- The term 您好 uses the character 您, which is visually the character for 'you' 你 with the character for 'heart' 心 added underneath.
- In many Chinese cultures, a common greeting among acquaintances is not 你好 but asking if you have eaten yet, 你吃了吗.
- The character 哈 in the greeting 哈囉 is the same character used to represent the sound of laughter, much like 'ha' in English. This makes the phonetic transcription of 'hello' feel quite 'joyful' in its written form.
Examples in context
- 你好！我叫汤姆。你叫什么？Hi, my name is Tom. What is yours?This sentence is useful for introducing yourself using 你好.Tatoeba #10019632 by GlossaMatik, translation #7519132 by CK
- 你好。Hi.This sentence shows a simple use of 你好.Tatoeba #4857568 by musclegirlxyp, translation #538123 by CM
- 你好，好久不見。Hi, long time no see.This sentence shows how to use 你好 when you have not seen someone for a long time.
- 嘿！小朋友，你来自星星吗？Hey! Little friend, are you from the stars?
- 嗨！帅哥 / 美女！心情好吗？Hi! Handsome/Beautiful! How's your mood?
- 8 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two colleagues meet in the office hallway.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen你好，浩然！Nǐ hǎo, Hàorán!Hi, Haoran!
- 浩然 Haoran你好，晓雯。早安！Nǐ hǎo, Xiǎowén. Zǎo'ān!Hi, Xiaowen. Good morning!
- 晓雯 Xiaowen你今天怎么样？Nǐ jīntiān zěnmeyàng?How are you doing today?
- 浩然 Haoran我很好，谢谢。Wǒ hěn hǎo, xièxie.I am very well, thanks.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hi” translations and entries 你好, 你好, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR, Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
