How to Say Hello in Chinese: 你好 (nǐ hǎo) and Other Greetings
Hello in Chinese is 你好 (nǐ hǎo). Hear it, learn its tones, and discover the polite, casual and phone greetings native Mandarin speakers really use.
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To say hello in Chinese, say 你好 (nǐ hǎo). It is the standard Mandarin greeting, polite enough for strangers and friendly enough for everyone you meet.
How to pronounce 你好#
你好 has two syllables, each with a third tone: 你 nǐ (you) and 好 hǎo (good). When two third tones follow each other, the first one changes into a rising tone. In practice, you say ní hǎo: a short rise on ní, then a low, relaxed hǎo.
This is the most common tone change in Mandarin, and you will meet it in many words. Hear all four Mandarin tones with audio in the Chinese tones guide, and see how the spelling works in the pinyin guide.
Other ways to say hello in Chinese#
- 您好 nín hǎo uses the polite "you", 您. Use it with older people, teachers, customers and in emails.
- 大家好 dàjiā hǎo greets a group: a class, a meeting, a video.
- 嗨 hāi is a casual "hi", borrowed from English and popular with young people.
- 喂 wéi is only for answering the phone. It sounds rude face to face.
- 早 zǎo and 早上好 zǎoshang hǎo mean good morning; the short 早 is the friendly everyday version.
How native speakers greet each other#
Between friends, Chinese speakers often skip 你好 and greet each other by name, or with a small question about what you are doing:
吃了吗？
You do not need to give a real answer: a simple 吃了 chī le (I have) is enough. Another common one is 最近怎么样？ zuìjìn zěnmeyàng? (how have you been lately?).
Saying hello, then the next words#
After hello, the next phrases you will need are usually thank you and goodbye. Learn how to say thank you in Chinese and goodbye in Chinese, or browse more basic Chinese words with audio.
Quick check
Frequently asked questions
How do you say hello in Chinese?
Say 你好 (nǐ hǎo). It literally means "you good" and works with anyone. To be more polite, for example with an older person or a customer, say 您好 (nín hǎo).
How do you pronounce nǐ hǎo?
Both syllables are third tones, but when two third tones meet, the first one rises. So 你好 is said like "ní hǎo", with a low, dipping hǎo at the end.
Do Chinese people really say nǐ hǎo?
Yes, especially with people they do not know well. Between friends, people often greet each other by name, say 嗨 (hāi), or ask a question such as 吃了吗? (chī le ma?, have you eaten?).
