What does it mean word for word?
In the phrase 很高兴认识你, the word 高兴 (gāoxìng) means "happy" or "glad" and 认识 (rènshi) means "to know" or "to be acquainted with" someone.
Which one should you use?
很高兴认识你 is the standard way to say "nice to meet you". It is slightly more formal than the simple greeting 你好 (nǐ hǎo), which means "hello". For an even more intense expression of respect, you can use 非常荣幸见到您, which means "It's an extreme honor to meet you". For a more heartfelt or emphasized version, you can say 真的很高兴认识你, which means "I'm really happy to meet you".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Cantonese, the equivalent of "nice to meet you" is 好開心見到你.
How does it change in a sentence?
To increase the level of politeness when addressing an elder or a superior, you can replace the word 你 (nǐ) with the polite form 您 (nín).
How do you pronounce it?
hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ
When do people say it?
When someone says 很高兴认识你 to you, a natural response is to say 我也很高兴认识你 (wǒ yě hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ), meaning "I am also very happy to meet you".
Did you know?
- If you want to sound incredibly sophisticated or old-fashioned when saying 'nice to meet you', you can use the four-character idiom 久仰大名 (jiǔ yǎng dà míng), which literally means 'I have long admired your great name'.
- The character 高 (gāo) in the word 高兴 (gāoxìng) literally means 'high', and 兴 (xìng) refers to 'excitement' or 'prosperity', creating an image of 'high excitement' to describe being happy.
- When meeting someone for the first time, it is culturally common to be introduced by a third party before saying 很高兴认识你, as cold introductions are less common than in the West.
Examples in context
- 很高兴认识你。Nice to meet you.This sentence is useful for practicing the phrase 很高兴认识你.Tatoeba #493913 by adjusting, translation #499617 by Shishir
- 很高兴认识你，王老师。Hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ, Wáng lǎoshī.Nice to meet you, Teacher Wang.
- 今天很高兴认识你。Jīntiān hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ.It is very nice to meet you today.
Example conversation
Two people are being introduced at a social gathering.
- 雨婷 Yuting你好，我叫雨婷。Nǐ hǎo, wǒ jiào Yǔtíng.Hello, my name is Yuting.
- 俊杰 Junjie你好，雨婷。很高兴认识你。Nǐ hǎo, Yǔtíng. Hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ.Hello, Yuting. Nice to meet you.
- 雨婷 Yuting我也很高兴认识你，俊杰。Wǒ yě hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ, Jùnjié.Nice to meet you too, Junjie.
- 俊杰 Junjie请坐吧。Qǐng zuò ba.Please, have a seat.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
