huānyíng
standard
In pinyin "welcome" in Chinese is huānyíng, written 欢迎 (huānyíng). Add guānglín, meaning "honor us with your presence", for the shop greeting huānyíng guānglín. It is also called huānyíng nǐ lái.
Meaning: greeting to arriving guests (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Note |
|---|---|
| huānyíng | standard |
| huānyíng guānglín | shops, businesses |
| huānyíng nǐ lái | friendly |
Use huānyíng when a guest arrives at your home or country, as in huānyíng lái Zhōngguó, "welcome to China". Shops and restaurants greet customers with huānyíng guānglín.
Which one should you use?
Do not mix this up with "you're welcome". That reply is bú kèqi, written 不客气 (bú kèqi).
How do you pronounce it?
Both syllables of huānyíng are different: the first is high and flat and the second rises.
Did you know?
- Stores in China commonly have an electronic voice at the door that says huānyíng guānglín when a customer walks in.
Examples in context
- Huānyíng lái wǒ jiā.Welcome to my home.
- Huānyíng guānglín!Welcome!
- Huānyíng lái Zhōngguó.Welcome to China.
Example conversation
Mei welcomes her friend Tom into her apartment in Chengdu.
- MeiHuānyíng, huānyíng! Qǐng jìn.Welcome! Please come in.
- TomXièxie nǐ de yāoqǐng.Thank you for the invitation.
- MeiBú kèqi.You are welcome.
