你好無?
lí hó-bô?
The English phrase "how are you" is translated into Hokkien as 你好無? (lí hó-bô?)
你好無? is an informal way to ask someone how they are doing. It translates to the sense of asking "You good or not?"
Meaning: greeting (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of lí (you), hó (good) and the interrogative particle bô (not/no/without).
How does it change in a sentence?
The question is formed by adding the particle bô to the end of the affirmative statement lí hó (you are good).
How do you pronounce it?
lí hó-bô?
Did you know?
- In many Hokkien-speaking communities, people rarely use 你好無? as a first greeting. Instead, they ask if you have eaten yet, using 食飽未?, because inquiring about a person's well-being is often seen as too direct or intimate for casual acquaintances.
- In Taiwan and Southeast Asia, the response to 你好無? is often a modest 'so-so' rather than a definitive 'good'. This reflects a cultural tendency to avoid boasting or sounding overly positive during a social exchange.
- Because Hokkien is a tonal language, the meaning of the individual words like hó can change entirely if the pitch is slightly altered, which can accidentally change your greeting into something else.
Examples in context
- 你好無?lí hó bô?How are you?
Example conversation
Two old friends meet on the street.
- 淑芬 Siok-fun建宏，好久不見，你好無?Kiàn-hông, hó-kú-pò-kiàn, lí hó bô?Jianhong, long time no see, how are you?
- 建宏 Kian-hong我很好，你呢?guá chin hó, lí nē?I am very well, and you?
- 淑芬 Siok-fun我也很好，謝謝。guá iā chin hó, tsià-sià.I am also very well, thank you.
- 建宏 Kian-hong很高興見到你。hīn-kó-hìng kiàn-tio̍h lí.It is very nice to see you.
