How to say chinese in chinese

12 Common Ways to Say “Hi” in Chinese

One of the first things students learn when studying Chinese is how to greet people. Invariably, they’re taught that to say «hi» in Chinese, they should say 你好 (🔈 nĭhǎo).

“Nĭhǎo” is only one of many different greetings used by Chinese speakers, however. In most cases, it’s not even the most common! Read on to discover some of the many different ways to say to “hi” in Chinese.

Table of Contents

12 Common Ways to Say “Hi” in Chinese

1. 你好 | Nĭhǎo | Hello!

你好, or “nĭhǎo” in pīnyīn, is the greeting most commonly taught in beginner Chinese textbooks. Composed of the characters for «you» (你 nĭ) and «good» (好 hǎo), it literally means “you good.” If you’re a beginner in Chinese, you can’t really go wrong with using 你好 nĭhǎo for «hello.» Therefore, you shouldn’t worry if it’s the only greeting you master at first.

If you pay attention to how Chinese people greet each other, however, you won’t usually hear them saying “你好.” This is because 你好 is a somewhat formal greeting that can sound a bit stiff to native speakers.

In fact, 你好 isn’t normally used among friends. The most common situation in which native Chinese speakers use this word is when meeting someone new.

If two people who are around the same age and who see each other as equals are introduced to each other, they might say, “你好，你好” while shaking each other’s hands. If they already know each other, however, they’re more likely to use a more informal greeting.

你好 is also occasionally used as a written greeting from a superior to a subordinate. Keep in mind, however, that it does sound somewhat formal compared to many of the other more common greetings introduced below.

Knowing a variety of different ways to say «hi» in Chinese will ensure that you’re prepared for every situation.

2. 您好 | Nínhǎo | Hello (polite)

Many beginning students of Chinese will have learned that the formal way to say hello is 您好 (nínhǎo). If you’re new to Chinese, you can remember that 您好 is used to show respect by noticing that the only difference between 你 and 您 is that the 您 in 您好 has 心 (xīn), the Chinese character for heart, underneath it.

This detail can be thought of as indicating that 您好 is more heartfelt or sincere.

The best time to use this greeting is when you’re meeting a person who’s substantially older than you, a teacher, a superior or an important person. It can also be used to address someone to whom you otherwise want to show respect for the first time. You can also use 您好 in written form as a greeting in more formal correspondence.

Hello from Guilin!

3. 大家好 | Dàjiā hǎo | Hello everybody!

If you’re looking for a way to greet a group of people, you’ve found it in “大家好” (dàjiā hǎo). 大家 means “everybody” or “everyone” in Chinese, so this greeting literally means “everyone good.”

More accurately, though, it can be translated as “hello everybody.” This is a great greeting with which to address a group.

If you continue reading, you’ll soon notice many Chinese greetings can be created by adding 好 after other characters that represent either the person or people you want to address. This is the case with 大家好.

Greetings are also frequently created by adding 好 after characters representing a time of day. One example of this is the phrase 下午好 (xiàwǔhǎo, or “Good afternoon”), discussed below.

As a student in China, knowing how to say «hello teacher» in Chinese is an essential skill.

4. 老师好 | Lǎoshī hǎo | Hello, teacher!

If you’re studying Chinese, you can consider greeting your teacher by saying 老师好 (lǎoshī hǎo). Translated literally, this phrase means “teacher good,” but it actually means “Hello, teacher.”

This greeting follows a pattern that’s similar to 你好 (nĭhǎo) and 大家好 (dàjiā hǎo) above. To construct it, first write the characters for the person you wish to address, in this case, your teacher, or 老师. Then, add 好.

In the United States, teachers are addressed just like everyone else using a combination of their titles and last names. In China, however, it’s common to call teachers 老师. As a matter of fact, most Chinese people greet those who work as teachers with 老师好 even if they’re not their teacher.

The Confucian tradition still has an outsized influence on modern Chinese society. As a result, education is considered very important and teachers are held in high esteem. People sometimes even refer to those they respect who don’t actually work as teachers as 老师 to show how much they admire them!

Playing traditional Chinese strategy games like go is a great way to practice your Chinese language skills.

5. 下午好 | Xiàwǔhǎo | Good afternoon!

Another common pattern used to create greetings is to include the time of day when you’re meeting the person you wish to greet, followed by 好.

For example, if you’re greeting someone in the afternoon, which is 下午 in Mandarin, then you’d say 下午好 (xiàwǔhǎo).

6. 晚上好 | Wǎnshànghǎo | Good evening!

In keeping with the pattern introduced above, if you happen to meet someone at night, you can create a greeting by starting with the Chinese word for night, which is 晚上, and adding 好 at the end. Thus, your greeting becomes 晚上好 (wǎnshànghǎo).

Be careful: the literal translation for this phrase is “night good,” and English speakers may be tempted to reverse the order and assume that this is actually a way to say “good night.” However, this interpretation is incorrect. In English, “goodnight” is not a greeting. Rather, it’s a way to say goodbye to someone.

In Chinese, by contrast, 晚上好 (wǎnshànghǎo) means “good evening” and is a greeting, not a way to bid someone goodnight.

If you want to say goodnight to someone in Chinese, you should say 晚安 (wǎn’ān).

Just like English, Chinese has different greetings to use for different times of day.

7. 早 | Zǎo | Good morning (informal)

If you wish to greet someone in the morning, use the word for morning, which is 早上, followed by 好. This produces the common greeting 早上好 (zǎoshànghǎo; good morning). It’s also possible to say 早 (zǎo), which also means good morning.

Note that while it’s possible to simply say 早 in the morning, shortening greetings in this way doesn’t work in other contexts. It’s not acceptable to follow this pattern by simply saying “下” for 下午好 (xiàwǔhǎo) or “晚” for 晚上好 (wǎnshànghǎo). Only 早上好 can be shorted this way.

While 早 and 早上好 are both more or less the same, 早 is slightly less formal. You can think of 早 (zǎo) as being similar to the more relaxed English greeting “mornin’.” 早上好, on the other hand, is simply “good morning.”

早 can be used among friends or people you are familiar with. 早上好 (zǎoshanghǎo) is better to use with older people, superiors, or people you’ve just met.

Learning a martial art like tai chi is a wonderful way to gain a deeper understanding of Chinese culture while practicing your language skills.

8. 喂 | Wéi | Hello (used when answering the phone)

喂, or “wéi” in pīnyīn, is a greeting that’s exclusively used for answering the phone in China.

In English speaking countries, the greetings used over the phone are usually the same as those used in everyday life. Indeed, most English speakers simply say “hello” when they pick up the phone.

In China, however, it sounds strange to answer the phone by saying 你好 (nĭhǎo). Instead, most people answer the phone by saying 喂 (wéi). Usually, they put extra emphasis on this character’s rising tone, pronouncing it like a single-word question.

If you want to be more polite or you suspect that there’s an important caller on the other end of the line, you can also add 你好 (nĭhǎo). However, it sounds more natural to say 喂，你好 (wéi, nĭhǎo) than to simply say 你好 by itself.

Note that many dictionaries present two different entries for 喂, one with a rising tone (wéi) and one with a falling tone (wèi). When pronounced with a falling tone, 喂 can sometimes serve as an interjection used to get other people’s attention. However, it most commonly occurs as a way to answer the phone. In that context, it’s pronounced with a rising tone.

The more ways to say «hi» in Chinese that you know, the more comfortable you’ll feel engaging in day-to-day interactions while living in China.

9. 你吃了吗 | Nĭ chī le ma? | Have you eaten?

Beginning students of Chinese are sometimes taught that “你吃了吗?” (Nĭ chī le ma?) which means “Have you eaten?,” is a common greeting in China.

This greeting is less commonly used than you might think, however. Today, it’s somewhat outdated, and it’s more common to hear it from older people, especially those living in the countryside or in smaller towns.

Young people are very unlikely to greet each other this way. In fact, saying this to anyone except members of the older generations sounds a bit strange in modern China.

This greeting can be confusing, since it sounds like a question that actually requires an answer, much like the common American English greeting “How’s it going?” However, 你吃了吗 isn’t meant as an actual question that requires a detailed answer.

Contrary to what many might think, this greeting is not meant as an invitation to a meal. It’s simply a polite thing to say. Thus, even if you haven’t actually eaten anything, it’s usually easier to reply “吃了，你呢?” (Chī le, nĭ ne?), which means, “I’ve eaten, and you?”

If you answer that you haven’t eaten anything yet, you’ll put the person who greeted you in an awkward situation. This is because they’ll feel compelled to invite you to eat, an invitation which they’ll then expect you to politely turn down.

Keep in mind that this greeting is not normally used upon the first meeting. Usually, you’ll only be asked this by people with whom you’re already somewhat familiar.

How to say Dates in Chinese – a full guide

Being able to dates is important to know when learning any language, and Chinese is no exception. In this post I will explain how to say dates, days of the week, months and years as well as provide example phrases and important vocabulary such as seasons.

Table of Contents

How to say numbers in Chinese

Before learning how to say dates, it is important to know Chinese numbers. Check out my post on how to count in Chinese, however as a quite guide I’ve provided numbers from 1 to 31 below. Note that while Chinese write numbers using standard Arabic numerals as we do in English, such as 1,2,3,etc., it is important to be able to know how to say the numbers

How to write dates in Chinese

The order that you write dates in Chinese are therefore different to the United States, which writes dates as MONTH – DAY – YEAR or many other countries which typically write days as DAY – MONTH – YEAR. Technically the Chinese way of writing dates is known as “big-endian”, meaning the largest value, being the year, is written first. By comparison writing days with the smallest value, the day, first is known as “little-endian”; finally writing days as MONTH – DAY – YEAR, is known as “middle-endian”.

Days of the Month Chinese Vocabulary

今 jīn 天 tiān 1 1 0 0 号 hào
jīntiān 10 hào

When talking about the date, 号 hào is more casual and used when speaking, while 日 rì is more formal and used for written Chinese. When writing a date 日 rì should be used e.g. 2 2 0 0 2 2 0 0 年 nián 1 1 月 yuè 3 3 日 rì (3rd January 2020). 日 rì is also used in the word for Sunday, that is 星 Xīng 期 qī 日 rì (xīngqírì) is the word for Sunday

How to say “today”, “tomorrow” and “yesterday” in Chinese

Here is how to say, today, tomorrow and yesterday in Chinese:

It is common to use 今 jīn 天 tiān in phrases as you would in English, for example：

s s t t r r o o n n g g > > 今 jīn 天 tiān / / s s t t r r o o n n g g > > 我 wǒ 想 xiǎng 去 qù 公 gōng 元 yuán
jīntiān wǒ xiǎng qù gōngyuán

Today I want to go to the park

How to say “the day after tomorrow” and “the day before yesterday” in Chinese

In Chinese the is a special word for both the day after tomorrow and the day before yesterday:

I have to go to work the day after tomorrow

How to say “three days ago” in Chinese

If you would like to talk about a given number of days in the past the Chinese word for “before” or “prior” 前 (qián) is used, so for example:

It is also fine to say：

So for example, you could say:

s s t t r r o o n n g g > > 三 sān 天 tiān 前 qián / / s s t t r r o o n n g g > > 我 wǒ 们 men 去 qù 海 hǎi 滩 tān 了 le
sān tiān qián wǒmen qù hǎitānle

Three days ago we went to the beach

How to say “in three days” in Chinese

If you would like to talk about a given number of days in the future the Chinese word for “after” 后 hòu (hòu) is used, and is literally used to say “X days after”. For example:

Consistent with talking about days in the past, for days in the future you can also say:

Days of the week Chinese Vocabulary

The days of the week in Chinese is very easy, as Monday to Saturday are simply numbered from one through to six, with Sunday pronounced separately.

Here 星 xīng 期 qī really just means “day of week” or simply “day’, thus 星 Xīng 期 qī 一 yī means “day one” for example.

You may wonder if you could write days with numbers instead of the Chinese characters, for example 星期1 or 星期5; this is not how days are written and is not an acceptable form.

How to say “next Monday” in Chinese

In Chinese when talking about future or past days, the phrases use ”last” 上 shàng (shàng) or “next” 下 xià ( xià) as are used:

Chinese Vocabulary for Weeks

Below is are the phrases you will need when talking about this week, last week, next week, a few notes:

Below are the full phrases that you will find useful when talking about weeks. Pay attention to the use of either 星 xīng 期 qī (xīngqí) or 周 zhōu (zhōu) being used, both mean week.

How to say “Weekend” in Chinese

The word for “weekend” in Chinese is 周 zhōu 末 mò (zhōumò), where 周 zhōu is the word for week, which I covered above, and 末 means “end”, so 周 zhōu 末 mò literally means “week end”. The phrases for talking about this, last and next weekend are the same as those used for talking about weeks, however “weekend” 周 zhōu 末 mò (zhōumò) is used rather than “week” 周 zhōu (zhōu):

How to say Next Month, This Month and Last Month in Chinese

Similar to weeks, when talking about months you should use the ”last”上 (shàng) and “next”下 ( xià) characters.

Chinese Vocabulary for Months

Chinese write months as the month number followed by the character for month, 月 (yuè), where January is the first month and December is the last month:

What is the difference between 月 and 月份 (yue and yuefen)?

Both of these are acceptable.

Chinese vocabulary for years

How to write “last year”, “this year” or “next year” in Chinese

Below is a table with the vocabulary for talking about years:

As you can see the vocabulary used for years is very similar to that used for days, with the exception that: 去 qù (qù) is used when saying “last year” 去 qù 年 nián (qùnián) and essentially means “the year just passed”.

How do you write AD or BC in Chinese?

What is the name of the Western Gregorian calendar in Chinese?

The modern Western or Gregorian calendar is know as:

China adopted the Western (Gregorian) calendar on 1st January 1912, however many holidays are still based on the lunar calendar.

What is the name of the traditional lunar calendar in Chinese?

The Chinese calendar is essentially a solar-lunar calendar, meaning that years and months are based on the seasons (the earths rotation around the sun) and the moon. Specifically, each month starts on the first day of a new moon, while the years start two or three lunar months after the Winter Solstice, that is the shortest winter day.

The traditional lunar calendars can be written as:

The Chinese names and timing of public holidays in China

Chinese public holidays are based on either the lunar or Gregorian (Western) calendar:

How to say the seasons in Chinese

As china is a large country, you will see the seasons defined differently. The names and months of the season in China are:

The traditionally Chinese seasons are based on the lunar-solar traditional Chinese Calendar 农 nóng 历 lì (nónglì). Specifically the names for the start of the seasons are:

In fact there are 24 solar terms, and the start of spring, summer, autumn and winter are only four of the 24 terms. The actual dates and names of the terms isn’t particularly relevant or useful to commit to memory.

What is the lunisolar calendar?

The lunisolar is the traditional Chinese calendar where the date indicates both the time of the year and the moon phase. Essentially the lunisolar calendar year is broken in to 24 “solar terms” based on the longitude of the sun. This is why the start of the seasons vary slightly on the western (Gregorian) calendar from year to year.

Vocabulary Summary

This is a quick summary of how to say day, days of the week, weeks, weekend, month, year and seasons in Chinese:

Below is a summary of how to talk about previous, current and future days, weeks, weekends, months and years:

Below is the pinyin for the above phrases

Conclusion

As you can see there is a lot of vocabulary that is involved when talking about dates in Chinese. Much of the vocabulary is repetitive, so you should try to take a holistic approach to this vocabulary.

Note that the best way of remember this vocabulary is to use it, even if only by talking to yourself every day in saying something like:

今 jīn 天 tiān 是 shì 星 Xīng 期 qī 一 yī
jīntiān shì xīngqí yī

If you keep a physical diary of any kind, write the date each day in Chinese. As with any vocabulary, if you don’t think about it, internalise it and use it, you will forget it.

How to Say «And» in Chinese

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Some English words have several possible Mandarin Chinese translations. Knowing when to use the correct word is one of the main challenges for both beginner-level Mandarin students and professional translators alike.

For example, the English word for «can« has at least three possible Mandarin translations: 能 (néng), 可以 (kě yǐ), and 会 (huì). Another English word with multiple translations is “and.” You may think that there can be no possible variations for «and,» but there are many different meanings for this word. It depends on the subtle nuances of the speaker or writer’s meaning or the context in which this conjunction is used.

Joining Nouns

In sentences that combine nouns or noun phrases, there are three ways to say «and.» All three of these connectors are interchangeable and commonly used. They are:

Note that hé and hàn use the same character. The hàn pronunciation is most commonly heard in Taiwan. The example sentences are given first in English, followed by a transliteration in Chinese called pinyin, a Romanization system used to help beginners learn Mandarin.

Pinyan transcribes the sounds of Mandarin using the Roman alphabet. Pinyin is most commonly used in Mainland China for teaching school children to read and it is also widely used in teaching materials designed for Westerners who wish to learn Mandarin. The sentences are then listed in Chinese characters in traditional and simplified forms where appropriate.

He and I are colleagues.
Wǒ hàn tā shì tóngshì.我和他是同事｡

Both pineapple and mango are good to eat.
Fènglí hé mángguǒ dōu hěn hǎo chī.(traditional form) 鳳梨和芒果都很好吃｡
(simplified form) 凤梨和芒果都很好吃｡

She and mom went for a walk.
Tā gēn māma qù guàng jiē.她跟媽媽去逛街｡
她跟妈妈去逛街｡

This pair of shoes and that pair of shoes are the same price.
Zhè shuāng xié gēn nà shuāng xié jiàqian yíyàng.這雙鞋跟那雙鞋價錢一樣｡
这双鞋跟那双鞋价钱一样｡

Joining Verbs

The Mandarin Chinese character 也 (yě) is used to join verbs or verb phrases. It translates as either “and” or “also.”

I like to watch movies and listen to music.
Wǒ xǐhuan kàn diànyǐng yě xǐhuan tīng yīnyuè.我喜歡看電影也喜歡聽音樂｡
我喜欢看电影也喜欢听音乐｡

He doesn’t like to go for walks and he doesn’t like to exercise.
Tā bù xǐhuan guàng jiē yě bù xǐhuan yùndòng.他不喜歡逛街也不喜歡運動｡
他不喜欢逛街也不喜欢运动｡

Other Transition Words

There are a few Mandarin Chinese words that can be translated as “and,” but which more accurately mean “furthermore,» “moreover,” or other such transition words. These words are sometimes used to show a cause-and-effect relationship between the two phrases.

Chinese transition words include:

Sentence Examples of Transition Words

As noted, the particular form of «and» that you use in Mandarin Chinese depends heavily on the context and meaning of the word. It can be helpful, therefore, to peruse some example sentences to see how the different forms of «and» are used in various contexts.

This is a very good movie and (moreover) the music is very nice.
Zhè bù diànyǐng hěnhǎokàn érqiě yīnyuè hěnhǎo tīng.這部電影很好看而且音樂很好聽｡
这部电影很好看而且音乐很好听｡

This knapsack is very practical and (furthermore) the price is reasonable.
Zhègè fángshuǐ bēibāo hěn shíyòng bìngqiě jiàgé hélǐ.這個防水背包很實用並且價格合理｡
这个防水背包很实用并且价格合理｡

We can first go have dinner and then see a movie.
Wǒmen xiān qù chī wǎncān ránhòu zài qù kàn diànyǐng.我們先去吃晚餐然後再去看電影｡
我们先去吃晚餐然后再去看电影｡

Eat dinner, and then you can eat dessert.
Chī wán wǎncān yǐhòu jiù néng chī tián diǎn.吃完晚餐以後就能吃甜點。
吃完晚餐以后就能吃甜点。

I’m cold because I didn’t wear enough clothes, and on top of that it’s snowing now.
Wǒ lěng yīnwèi wǒ chuān bùgòu yīfú, hái yǒu xiànzài xià xuěle.我冷因為我穿不夠衣服，還有現在下雪了。
我冷因为我穿不够衣服，还有现在下雪了。

Let’s quickly go see the cherry blossoms. The weather is nice today, furthermore it will rain tomorrow.
Wǒmen kuài qù kàn yīnghuā. Tiānqì hěn hǎo, cǐwài míngtiān huì xià yǔ.我們快去看櫻花。天氣很好，此外明天會下雨。
我们快去看樱花。 天气很好，此外明天会下雨。

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How to say thank you in Chinese: 4 Ways to Show Your Gratitude

Saying thank you in Chinese is as essential as saying hello in everyday life and is a must-know in your Survival Chinese toolkit. Whether you’re traveling to China or living in China, thank you in Chinese is a basic word you’ll find yourself using all the time.

As you know, being polite and thankful towards people will always bring you good things, especially if you make the effort to say them in their native language. Try these expressions to see!

谢谢 is one of the first words to learn in Chinese to say thank you. But did you know there are many more expressions to say thank you in Chinese? Let’s start with the basic ways to say thank you in Chinese and introduce 3 more ways to thank you in Chinese to you.

#1 Thank you in Chinese: 谢谢 – Thank you

Let’s start from the beginning. 谢谢 xiè xie thank you is the most used word to thank someone in Chinese.

When receiving food, gifts or anything else you’re feeling thankful for, you can definitely say 谢谢. Here’s an example:

我买了巧克力给你 Wǒ mǎile qiǎokèlì gěi nǐ I bought chocolate for you

Bonus uses of 谢谢:

If you’re texting or messaging someone and want to thank them, you can also use

多谢 is mostly used in writing. But nowadays, people sometimes use it when speaking as well.

When meeting someone for the first time, talking to someone higher-ranked or older than you then you certainly want to be more formal when thanking them.

You can use 谢谢你 xiè xie nǐ thank you to be a little more formal but when talking someone hierarchically higher than you, it’s better to say 谢谢您 xiè xienín as 您 is the formal form of 你.

When someone offers you an awesome gift you can tell them:

谢谢你的礼物! Xièxie nǐ de lǐwù! Thank you for your gift!

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#2 Thank you in Chinese: 非常感谢你 – Thank you very much

Sometimes in life you’re truly grateful. ”感谢” ”gǎnxiè” ”to is a great verb to use for those times. It emphasizes on the emotions, the feeling you’re going through.
When someone has been very nice with you and you feel like you owe them something then you can express your feelings of gratitude by saying:

Be careful, though, this sentence is formal, so don’t use it when receiving a present or food, for instance. Save for times when you’re feeling extremely grateful.

Here’s when you can use this expression, for example. Imagine a situation in which you have to take the train and are very late – I can feel your pain – and someone you don’t even know helps you get to the train station by calling and paying a taxi for you to make sure you make your train. This is what you must tell them:

非常感谢你的帮助 Fēicháng gǎnxiè nǐ de bāngzhù Thank you very much for your help

You’ll see a big smile on their face!

#3 Thank you in Chinese: 感激 – To be grateful

当我消沉的时候，你鼓励了我。对此我十分感激。 Dāng wǒ xiāochén de shíhòu, nǐ gǔlìle wǒ. Duì cǐ wǒ shífēn gǎnjī. I really appreciate that you helped lift my spirits when I was feeling low.

#4 Thank you in Chinese: 哪里哪里 – You’re too kind

The expression 哪里哪里 nǎlǐ nǎlǐ you’re too kind is something you can also use to say thank you in Chinese, but only when you are praised by the others. When Chinese people are being paid compliments, they tend to prefer to show humility and modesty.
So, they avoid saying thank you which might be seen as too direct and which would make them seem too confident. Therefore, instead of using 谢谢 to acknowledge the compliment, the Chinese would rather say 哪里哪里 to deflect the compliment (while secretly enjoying the praise).

If someone says:

你很漂亮 Nǐ hěn piàoliang You’re beautiful

A native would answer:

哪里哪里 nǎlǐ nǎlǐ you’re too kind

Now that you know how to thank people, when to thank someone and how to show your gratitude in every situation, you can easily immerse yourself in the Chinese society. +1 for your basic Chinese survival skills! But what if someone says thank you in Chinese to you? What can you answer them?

Bonus: 3 ways to say “You’re welcome”

– 不客气 bù kèqì you’re welcome is, as you can guess, the most used expression. It fits nearly every situation.

As you see, there are many ways to show you’re thankful in Chinese. Saying thank you is not only about showing you’re polite, it’ also about fitting in society. Once you master the four expressions you just learned here, you’ll be able of showing your gratitude and know how to say thank you in Chinese. These expressions will be very useful to you on a daily basis, we’re sure!

The next step for you is to use it and see what you get in return. Lots of smiles I guess. 🙂

For more daily useful Chinese expressions, you can check out our posts about saying yes in Chinese and saying sorry in Chinese as well as this awesome guide to 20 survival phrases.

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Tips and tricks to help you learn Chinese

13 Ways To Say Hello In Chinese

How do you say hello in Chinese? You may answer 你好 which is the most common way to greet someone in Chinese. But did you know there were many other ways to say hello in Chinese? With this list of all the expressions to say hello in Chinese, from when you want to be polite to when you’re on the phone, you’ll have a 你好 nǐ hǎo Hello for every situation.

Did you know that 你好 nǐ hǎo was not the only way to say hi in Chinese? Get to know how to use these 13 expressions in Mandarin hello, in different situations and you’ll be soon saying hello in Chinese like a native. You can also head to Ninchanese to practice your hello and speak like a native.

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Most used word to say hello in Chinese

#1 你好- Hello: the perfect start

It would be inconceivable to not mention 你好 nǐ hǎo which is the most common and most used expression to say hello in Mandarin. If you want to learn Chinese, you definitely need to learn this useful word and if you are, this was most likely one of the first things you learned. As 你 nǐ is the informal form of “you”, Chinese people use 你好 when they want to greet friends or acquaintances. But watch out, this expression is used to greet one person at a time!

For example if you run across a classmate of yours you can say:

#2 您好 – Hello: to be the most polite Chinese learner

For example, when you meet someone’s grandfather, you have to say:

, plus, they’ll be very pleased to hear you greeting them that way.

Note: The Taiwanese tend to use more 你好 nǐ hǎo than 您好 nín hǎo to greet people, even those they don’t know well.

#3 大家好 – Hello everyone: to greet a crowd

Let’s set the background, if you go to the bakery and there are many sellers and people inside, you can definitely say:

大家好 dàjiā hǎo Hello everyone

When greeting many people at a time, you can also say

你们好 nǐmen hǎo hello everyone

How to greet people in Chinese at different times of a day

You know now how to greet people depending on how many they are with the most used and common expressions. Let’s see now how to say hello in Chinese based on what time of day it is. These following expressions are used as often as their equivalents in English. So don’t be surprised if someone greets you that way, it’ll happen.

#1 早上好 / 上午好 – To start the day the right way

But be careful, 早上好 is only used if you meet someone early in the morning, specifically from 6am to 9am. After that, from 9am to 12am, you must say 上午好 shàngwǔ hǎo Good morning which also means good morning. 上午 shàngwǔ means morning.

#2 下午好 – Good afternoon: the greeting for the tea lovers

Let’s pretend it’s the afternoon and you’re going over a friend’s house for tea time. When arriving, you can say

朋友下午好 péngyǒu xiàwǔ hǎo Good afternoon my friend

#3 晚上好 – Good evening: the greeting for the night owls

Short and cool expressions to say hello in Chinese

Nowadays, Chinese people have added more expressions to say hi in Mandarin. Young people, especially, have created their own expressions inspired by the Western greeting expressions. See how and when you can get rid of 你好.

#1 喂 – Hello: to pick up the phone like a pro

The expression 喂 wèi Hello is only used in one situation: when answering your phone. If you’ve heard a Chinese person on the phone, then you have to have heard that 喂 before! For instance, if someone calls you on your phone, when you answer,you can say 喂 wèi Hello to greet them and indicate you’ve picked up This is a very cute and yet simple word to say hello in Chinese. 喂 is used by everyone, age doesn’t matter here.

#2 哈罗 – Hello: the one that sounds familiar

#3 嗨 – Hi: to sound cool in Chinese

Young people are very creative, here’s another expression to say hello in Chinese you can use when talking to young people, or people of your age to show how cool you are. 嗨 hāi Hi is also a loanword the Chinese borrowed from English, if you say it out loud you’ll hear it sounds just like the English word Hi.

Current expressions to greet people in Chinese

When sometimes, you think a 你好 is not enough to greet someone, you can use these following expressions that will help you to be friendly with people and greet others in Chinese.

#1 好久不见 ！- Long time no see!: the greeting sentence for old friends

#2 最近过得怎样呀？- How has been life recently?

The expression 最近过得怎样呀？ zuìjìn guò dé zěnyàng ya? How has been life recently? can also be translated by “How are you?” in English, as the same kind of answers are expected. For example when you meet one of your friends you haven’t seen in a little while, they can ask you 最近过得怎样呀？ zuìjìn guò dé zěnyàng ya? How has been life recently? you can answer several things:

Final words:

你好 may be the most used expression to say hello in Chinese but they are plenty of other ways to greet someone like a native Chinese. Learn the 13 expressions offered in this list and you’ll be able to change your lingo and adapt in different situations just like a real language chameleon. You can learn all these expressions and practice them on Ninchanese so you’ll never forget about them.

Did you know all these Chinese sayings for hello? Were you surprised by the loanwords? Let us know in the comments.