欢迎回来
huānyíng huílái
The Chinese phrase for "welcome back" is 欢迎回来 (huānyíng huílái).
This phrase is used when someone returns to a place they were previously at, such as a home, an office or a country.
Meaning: welcome back (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
欢迎回来 is composed of 欢迎 (huānyíng), meaning "to welcome" and 回来 (huílái), meaning "to come back".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Cantonese-speaking regions, you might hear 歡迎返嚟 for welcome back.
How do you pronounce it?
huānyíng huílái
Did you know?
- If someone returns from a long journey, it is common to use the phrase 辛苦了 (xīnkǔ le), which literally means 'you have worked hard', to acknowledge the effort of their travel.
- The character 欢 (huān) in 欢迎 is also used in the word for 'joy' or 'happiness', linking the act of welcoming directly to the concept of pleasant emotion.
- While 欢迎回来 is standard, a host might instead ask 怎么回来了 ('how come you're back') if the return is unexpected, which serves as a greeting rather than a question.
Examples in context
- 欢迎回来。Welcome back.This example shows the basic way to say "Welcome back."Tatoeba #5092518 by mirrorvan, translation #1627336 by Spamster
- 欢迎回来。我们想你了!Welcome back. We missed you!This example is useful for expressing that the group missed the person returning.Tatoeba #793946 by fucongcong, translation #599638 by kebukebu
- 欢迎回来！你的工作表现一直令我们引以为豪Welcome back! Your work performance has always made us proud.
- 欢迎回来，李总Welcome back, General Manager Li.
- 欢迎回来，老师。Huānyíng huílái, lǎoshī.Welcome back, teacher.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Xiaowen greets Haoran at the airport after his long business trip.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen浩然，欢迎回来！Hàorán, huānyíng huílái!Haoran, welcome back!
- 浩然 Haoran谢谢，晓雯。Xièxiè, Xiǎowén.Thank you, Xiaowen.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen你累吗？Nǐ lèi ma?Are you tired?
- 浩然 Haoran有一点点。Yǒu yīdiǎndiǎn.A little bit.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
