你好
nǐ hǎo/ni²¹⁴⁻³⁵ xɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
In Chinese, '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
| Chinese | 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 |
The phrase is used as a friendly, informal greeting.
What does it mean word for word?
The expression 你好 is composed of two parts: 你, meaning 'you' and 好, meaning 'good'.
Which one should you use?
While 你好 is the standard greeting, it can sometimes feel slightly formal or 'textbook' compared to more casual slang like 嗨.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
你好 can be used as an informal greeting. For an informal greeting, you can use 嗨. The phrase '您好' is a formal greeting, which is used when addressing elders or superiors.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The form сэляму is used in Dungan, and 你好 is used in Hokkien as 你好 (lí hó).
How does it change in a sentence?
Replacing 你 with the respectful form 您 results in 您好, which is used when addressing elders or superiors.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation for 你好 is nǐ hǎo.
Did you know?
- In many Chinese cities, people often skip 你好 and instead greet friends by asking 吃了吗, which means 'Have you eaten?' This is a way of showing care rather than just acknowledging someone's presence.
- While English speakers use 'hi' to greet people, the Chinese character used to transcribe 嗨 actually contains the radical for 'mouth' 口, indicating that the word is a sound produced by the mouth.
- While 你好 is the textbook standard, using it with close friends can actually feel strangely distant or even cold, as if you are treating them like a stranger.
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 with 你好.Tatoeba #10019632 by GlossaMatik, translation #7519132 by CK
- 你好。Hi.This sentence shows the use of 你好 in a simple greeting.Tatoeba #4857568 by musclegirlxyp, translation #538123 by CM
- 你好，好久不見。Hi, long time no see.This sentence demonstrates using 你好 when seeing someone after a long time.
- 您好，很高兴见到您。Hello, I am pleased to meet you.
- 你好，我是小明。Hi, I'm Xiao Ming.
- 嗨，很高兴认识你。Hey, nice to meet you.
- 喂，你是新来的吗？Hi, are you the newcomer?
- 哈喽，我是阿明。Hello, I am Ah Ming.
- 你好，我叫王丽，是一名教师。Hello, I am Wang Li, a teacher.
- 8 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends meet at a coffee shop.
- 雨婷 Yuting你好，伟！Nǐ hǎo, Wěi!Hi, Wei!
- 伟 Wei你好，雨婷。好久不见！Nǐ hǎo, Yǔtíng. Hǎojiǔ bùjiàn!Hi, Yuting. Long time no see!
- 雨婷 Yuting你最近怎么样？Nǐ zuìjìn zěnmeyàng?How have you been lately?
- 伟 Wei我很好，谢谢。Wǒ hěn hǎo, xièxie.I'm doing great, thanks.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hi” translations and entries 你好, 你好, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 哈囉, 嗨, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR, Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
