25 Ways to Say Hello in Chinese for All Occasions

Hello in Chinese is most likely the first phrase you will learn just like in any other language. Because any conversation starts with a greeting. Greetings create a primary channel of communication between you, the learner, and the native speakers of the place whose language you want to learn. Do not falter, this article will help you learn all the ways of saying hello in Chinese and other useful greetings too!

Not only Chinese, knowing how to say hello in different languages can help you more when you travel around the world someday. When you are learning how to say hello, remember not to forget to learn how to say goodbye in Chinese too!

General greetings

These can be used at any time of the day. Also, check out how to say hello in Japanese!

1. “Hello” – 你好 (Simplified and Traditional) nǐ hǎo 

Definition: Literally translating to “you good,” this greeting, although the most commonly known, is the most generic way to greet and the least used by young native speakers. It is still an acceptable greeting to be used any time though.

2. “Hello” (formal) – 您好 (Simplified and Traditional) nǐn hǎo

Definition: This is the more formal and polite form of ní hăo and is often used when addressing someone with seniority or someone that you want to extend that extra bit of respect towards. The character 心 means heart underneath the 你, implicitly making it more heartfelt or sincere.

3. “Hello everybody” – 大家好 (Simplified and Traditional) dàjiā hǎo

Definition: This greeting is for a large group of people and directly translates to “everyone good?” The 大 character (dà) means “big” and 好 (hăo) means “good”. It is used to address a group of three or more people.

4. “Hello” (borrowed) – 哈㑩 (Simplified) 哈囉 (Traditional) hā luō 

Definition: This greeting is borrowed from English and is most popular amongst the youth. It is literally the word “hello” and it isn’t encouraged as a greeting in a formal setting or when trying to be respectful to elders. However, it is colloquial and accepted amongst younger people.

5. “Hi” (borrowed) – 嗨 (Simplified and Traditional) hāi (Pinyin) 

Definition: Also borrowed from English, this word is literally “hi” said in a way that adheres to the Chinese language. It is extremely colloquial and informal. The characters used to write literally mean nothing else other than the word itself.

 

Greetings For Different Times Of The Day

These should only be used at certain times in the day.

1. “Good morning” – 早上好 (Simplified and Traditional) zǎo shang hǎo 

Definition: This is what you’d say to greet people in the morning. It has no restrictions on people to use it with and is quite a flexible term intended for a variety of different people.

2. “Good morning” – 早安 (Simplified and Traditional) zǎo ān

Definition: This greeting is the same as the one above but is mostly used in Taiwan than in Mainland China.

3. “Good afternoon” – 下午好 (Simplified and Traditional) xià wǔ hǎo

Definition: This phrase is ideal for greeting people in the afternoon. It is mostly used by the youth and used with their friends or their peers.

4. “Good evening” 晚上好 (Simplified and Traditional) wǎn shàng hǎo 

Definition: If the time is past 6 pm, this is most likely the greeting of choice.

5. “Goodnight” – 晚安 (Simplified and Traditional) wǎn ān

Definition: This is used to wish someone a good night, either to announce one’s departure at night time in order to leave behind well wishes or when telling someone that you are going to sleep.

Source: Gift Family Services

Now that you’re acquainted with the different ways of greeting and their different contexts, here are some commonly used phrases and questions that will be of use to you to know.

Useful Phrases and Questions

1. “Long time no see” – 好久不见 (Simplified) 好久不見 (Traditional) hǎojiǔ bùjiàn 

Definition: A phrase often used when catching up with an old friend whom you haven’t seen in a while, this is for someone you are familiar with and on good terms with. This is one of those phrases that someone more advanced in their language learning journey might use. Throwing this into a casual conversation will make you seem more fluent in your Chinese.

2. “How are you” – 你好吗 (Simplified) 你好嗎 (Traditional) nǐ hǎo ma 

Definition: Literally translating to “how are you” this is another common yet generic term used rarely by native speakers. It is a textbook phrase and has stiff connotations.

3. “Very good” – 很好 (Simplified and Traditional) hěn hǎo

Definition: A colloquial term and a good option as a response to the question above if ever asked by someone else. It is a naturally used term and is frequently used by native speakers.

4. “Not good” – 不好 (Simplified and Traditional) bù hǎo 

Definition: This would be the phrase of choice if someone asks how you are and you’re not having a particularly pleasant day. It is a very succinct way of letting the other person know you’re not doing well.

5. “Doing alright [so-so]” – 还行 (Simplified) 還行 (Traditional) huán xíng

Definition: This term is rather informal and colloquial. It expresses feeling neutral and is the Chinese version of the English expression “so-so” when you’re not feeling great but not doing particularly bad either.

6. “How are you recently?” – 你最近还好吗 (Simplified) 你最近還好嗎 (Traditional) nǐ zuìjìn hái hǎo ma

Definition: A friendly expression used by friends or acquainted familiars who haven’t seen each other for a considerable amount of time. Literally translating to “have you been alright recently,” it is encouraged for those who are already close.

7.”How have you been doing recently?” – 你最近过得怎么样?(simplified)你最近過得怎麼樣?(traditional) nǐ zuì jìn guò dé zěnme yàng?

Definition: This phrase is even more colloquial than the above expression and contains the character 過 (guò) which is a verb that indicates a passing of time. This would once again be used amongst close friends or people you are already familiar with.

8. “Have You Eaten?” – 你吃饱了吗?(simplified) 你吃飽了嗎?(traditional) nǐ chī bǎole ma?

Definition: Similar to asking “how are you,” asking “have you eaten” is a social greeting used with friends and acquaintances. If the response is “not yet,” there is a big possibility that two person will end up having a quick meal/snack.

9. “Hello?” – 喂?(simplified and traditional) wèi?

Definition: This is the first phrase to say when answering or making a phone call to make sure the person is listening. This has the same meaning with hello in English.

10. “What’s up?” – 怎么了?(simplified) 怎麼了?(traditional) zěnmele

Definition: Most friends and young people utilize this Chinese greeting. It’s coded for “How are you?” or “What’s going on?”

11. “Where are you going?” – 去哪?(simplified and traditional) qù nǎ?

Definition: Chinese usually say this when they are expressing concern. This is used mostly by parents, asking their children where they are going so they know if the kids are safe.

12. “Excuse me, waiter.” –你好,服务员 (simplified) 你好,服務員(traditional) nǐ hǎo, fúwùyuán?

Definition: This phrase is used at restaurants when you want to order something. This phrase is widely used in China.

13. “Nice to meet you.” –很高兴认识你 (simplified) 很高興認識你(traditional) Hěn gāoxìng rènshí nǐ

Definition: When you just knew a new friend or met somebody for the first time, you can say this to make each other feel happy. 

14. “Hey!” – 诶!(simplified) 誒!(traditional) Èi!

Definition: This is an informal phrase used between people who have already known each other for a long time. The usage is same as “hey” English.

15. “Hello, nice to meet you” – 久仰大名(simplified and traditional) jiǔyǎng dàmíng

Definition: This is a rather formal way to say nice to meet you. When encountering someone with whom you truly want to or must be polite to, you typically use this greeting. It’s uncommon for friends to greet one another.

Here’s a chart summarizing all the new vocabulary words and phrases talked about in this article:

SimplifiedTraditionalPinyinEnglish
你好你好nǐ hǎoHello
您好您好nǐn hǎoHello (formal)
大家好大家好dàjiā hǎoHello everybody
哈㑩哈囉hā luōHello (borrowed)
hāiHi (borrowed)
早上好早上好zǎo shang hǎoGood morning
早安早安zǎo ānGood morning
下午好下午好xià wǔ hǎoGood afternoon
晚上好晚上好xià wǔ hǎoGood evening
晚安晚安wǎn ānGoodnight
好久不见好久不見hǎojiǔ bùjiànLong time no see
你好吗你好嗎nǐ hǎo maHow are you
很好很好hěn hǎoVery good
不好不好bù hǎoNot good
还行還行huán xíngDoing alright /So so
你最近还好吗你最近還好嗎nǐ zuìjìn hái hǎo maHow are you recently
你最近过得怎么样你最近過得怎麼樣nǐ zuìjìn hái hǎo maHow have you been doing recently

A Little More About Chinese

There are a number of Chinese dialects spoken throughout Mainland China as well as in other Chinese speaking regions like Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia. Due to its vast native speaker variation, no two places will speak the language 100% the same as another place. It is for this reason and many others that the Chinese language is regarded as one of the most complex languages in the world.

Alongside the many variations, the variables that add to the language’s complexities include:

The 4 tones

The four tones in Chinese are flat tone, falling tone, fall then rising tone and rising tone. They are often described as melodic, with a very distinct way of distinguishing between them in conversation. Failure to adhere to them will alter the meanings of certain words.

Pinyin

A system of romanization developed by Zhou Youguang, Pinyin is the conversion of Chinese characters into the Latin alphabet to give learners phonetic illustrations of the language. Using consistent symbols to represent the various tones, the system aids Chinese and international learners alike.

Simplified vs Traditional Characterization

There are two ways of characterizing the Chinese language known as the traditional and the simplified. The traditional is often for the Cantonese dialect, spoken mainly in Taiwan and Hong Kong whereas the simplified is for Mandarin, spoken in Mainland China. The simplified characterization aims to be able to use fewer strokes to make the Chinese language less overwhelming to those reading it. Check out how to write Chinese characters, so you can decide whether you should learn simplified or traditional characters!

Source: Top China Travel

加油 (Jiāyóu) ~ You can do this!

Learning these greetings is always a good place to start and with the information laid out before you, you have been given but a peek into the vast landscapes of the Chinese language. The contents of this article have given you a strong enough foundation to guide the rest of your journey through this language and its very many intricacies and as such, you’re sure to feel a bit more eased into the rest of what it has to offer. Check out some online Chinese course so you can learn more greetings!

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