Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 歡迎 / 欢迎 | huānyíng | |
| 歡迎光臨 / 欢迎光临 | hoan-gêng kong-lîm | Hokkien |
The phrase is used as a greeting given upon someone's arrival. The standard form 歡迎 / 欢迎 functions as both a verb meaning 'to welcome' and a general greeting. You can use 热烈欢迎 to express a warm and enthusiastic welcome, or 诚挚欢迎 to emphasize a heartfelt and genuine welcome, which is appropriate for formal events or official gatherings. To welcome someone to join a group, party or gathering, use 欢迎加入.
Which one should you use?
The form 歡迎光臨 / 欢迎光临 is the standard professional greeting used by staff in shops and restaurants to welcome customers. The standard Mandarin form 歡迎 / 欢迎 can be written in traditional characters (歡迎) or simplified characters (欢迎).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
欢迎 is the most common and standard way to say welcome and is suitable for all formal occasions. In a commercial setting, staff use 歡迎光臨 / 欢迎光临 to welcome customers.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The Dungan form is хуанйин. The Hokkien form is 歡迎光臨 / 欢迎光临 (romanized as hoan-gêng kong-lîm). Traditional characters like 歡迎 are used in Taiwan/Hong Kong, while simplified characters like 欢迎 are used in Mainland China.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
In Mandarin, 歡迎 / 欢迎 can function as a verb or an interjection. However, it is not typically used as a standalone adjective to mean 'you are welcome' in response to 'thank you'.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation for 歡迎 / 欢迎 is huānyíng.
Did you know?
- The phrase 歡迎光臨 / 欢迎光临 contains the word 光臨, which literally means 'the light arrives'. This treats the customer's presence as if they are bringing light or honor into the establishment.
- The character 迎 in 欢迎 / 歡迎 depicts a person meeting someone and inviting them in, emphasizing the action of moving toward the guest.
- While 欢迎 / 歡迎 is used for arrivals, it is almost never used to mean 'you are welcome' after a 'thank you'. In that context, speakers use phrases like 不客气, which literally means 'don't be polite'.
Example sentences for Chinese are not verified yet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “welcome” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
