好久不見 / 好久不见
hǎojiǔbujiàn
In Mandarin, "long time no see" is expressed as 好久不見 / 好久不见 (hǎojiǔbujiàn). If unsure, use 好久不見 / 好久不见. Wiktionary also lists 很久沒見 / 很久没见 (hěnjiǔměijiàn).
Meaning: idiomatic: I (or we) have not seen you for a long time (intj)
Ways to say it
| Mandarin | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 好久不見 / 好久不见 | hǎojiǔbujiàn |
| 很久沒見 / 很久没见 | hěnjiǔměijiàn |
The phrase 好久不見 is used as a greeting when encountering someone you haven't seen in a significant period of time.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 好 (good/very), 久 (long time), 不 (not) and 見 (to see).
Which one should you use?
好久不見 is a more idiomatic and common way to say "long time no see" compared to the more literal 很久沒見. In contrast, 很久沒見 is a more descriptive, grammatically standard way to express the same sentiment, whereas 好久不見 functions as a set idiomatic greeting.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Taiwanese Mandarin, the phrase 好久不見啦 is used to express "long time no see".
How does it change in a sentence?
Adding the particle 了 to the end of 好久不見 makes the phrase sound more natural in spoken conversation, emphasizing the state of having not seen each other.
How do you pronounce it?
hǎojiǔbujiàn
Did you know?
- The English phrase 'long time no see' is widely believed to be a literal translation of 好久不見, meaning English speakers actually adopted a Chinese grammatical structure.
- In some contexts, using 好久不見 with a slight pout or exaggerated tone can be a playful way of complaining that the other person has ignored you.
- In written Chinese, you may see the simplified version 好久不见 used in Mainland China, while Taiwan and Hong Kong typically use the traditional 好久不見.
Examples in context
- 您好！很久不见了，最近一切都好吗？(Nín hǎo! Hěnjiǔ bùjiàn le, zuìjìn yīqiè dōu hǎo ma?)Hello! Long time no see, how have you been lately?
- 早上好！好久不见了，您最近一切还好吗？(Zǎoshang hǎo! Hǎojiǔ bùjiàn le, nín zuìjìn yīqiè hái hǎo ma?)Good morning! Long time no see, how have you been lately?
- 嘿！好久不见啊，有时间一起喝杯咖啡吧！(Hēi! Hǎojiǔ bùjiàn a, yǒu shíjiān yīqǐ hē bēi kāfēi ba!)Hey! Long time no see, how about grabbing a coffee sometime?
- 喂！好久不见了哦，你最近过得怎么样？(Wèi! Hǎojiǔ bùjiàn le ò, nǐ zuìjìn guò dé zěnme yàng?)Hey! Long time no see, how have you been lately?
Sources
- Wiktionary, “long time no see” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
