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) |
|
| 您好 | nín hǎo | /nin³⁵ xɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /nei̯¹³ hou̯³⁵/ (Cantonese, Guangzhou, Sinological IPA, Standard Cantonese, Hong Kong) |
polite |
| 你們好 / 你们好 | nǐmen hǎo | ||
| 好 | hǎo | /xɑʊ̯²¹⁴/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /xau⁵³/ (Mandarin, Chengdu, Sinological IPA) |
|
| 嗨 | hāi | /xaɪ̯⁵⁵/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /haːi̯⁵⁵/ (Cantonese, Guangzhou, Sinological IPA, Standard Cantonese, Hong Kong) |
|
| 哈囉 / 哈啰 | hāluó | ||
| 汝好 | 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 most common and standard way to say hello in Mandarin Chinese is 你好. Depending on the time of day, you might also use 早上好 (good morning), 下午好 (good afternoon) or 晚上好 (good evening). In very casual settings, you can use the loanwords 嗨 or 哈啰 or use 喂 to get someone's attention or when answering a phone call.
What does it mean word for word?
In the standard greeting 你好, the part 你 means "you" and the part 好 means "good".
Which one should you use?
While 你好 is the standard greeting, 您好 is a polite version used specifically to show respect to elders, superiors or respected figures. For a group of people, use 你们好 to say "hello to you all". Additionally, ciallo is a slang term.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For formal situations or when addressing someone of higher social status, use 您好. In informal settings among friends, you can use the English-inspired loanwords 嗨 or 哈啰.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Hokkien (Taiwanese), the equivalent of the standard greeting is 汝好. In Dungan, you may encounter the forms ни хо, сэляму or хома.
How does it change in a sentence?
To change the greeting from singular to plural, add the suffix 们 to 你 to create 你们好, which means "hello to you all".
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is nǐ hǎo.
Did you know?
- In some regions, people greet each other by commenting on their appearance, such as saying 你胖了 ('You have gotten fat'), as a friendly acknowledgment.
- In many parts of China, instead of saying 'hello', people often greet each other by asking 'Have you eaten?' (吃了吗?).
- When saying 你好, the tone of the first 你 (third tone) actually changes to a second tone because it is followed by another third tone 好.
Examples in context
- 你好，汤姆。Hello, Tom.This is useful for practicing the greeting 你好 with a name.Tatoeba #5092241 by mirrorvan, translation #54604 by Zifre
- 你好！林峰。Hello! Linfeng.Tatoeba #6149244 by xjjAstrus, translation #6276580 by Kiwi
- 你好！明惠。Hello! Minghui.Tatoeba #6149245 by xjjAstrus, translation #6276550 by Kiwi
- 43 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Jia Yi and Jun Jie meet at a cafe.
- 佳怡 Jiayi你好，俊杰。Nǐ hǎo, Jùnjié.Hello, Jun Jie.
- 俊杰 Junjie你好，佳怡。Nǐ hǎo, Jiāyí.Hello, Jia Yi.
- 佳怡 Jiayi最近怎么样？Zuìjìn zěnmeyàng?How have you been lately?
- 俊杰 Junjie我很好，谢谢。Wǒ hěn hǎo, xièxie.I am very well, thank you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hello” translations and entries 你好, 您好, 好, 嗨, 汝好, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
