How to Say Hello in Chinese: 18 Greetings with Audio

"Hello" in Chinese is 你好 (nǐ hǎo) — literally "you good". It is the first thing every learner says and it works everywhere. But Chinese speakers have a whole set of greetings for different people and moments, and a few of the textbook ones are hardly used in real life. Here are the greetings worth knowing, with pinyin and native audio (press ▶), and when to use each.

The basic hello: 你好

Chinese	Pinyin	English	Listen
你好	nǐ hǎo	hello	▶
您好	nín hǎo	hello (polite)	▶
你们好	nǐmen hǎo	hello (to several people)
大家好	dàjiā hǎo	hello everyone

One pronunciation detail: when two third tones meet, the first one rises, so 你好 is actually said ní hǎo. Listen to the audio and you will hear it. Use 您好 with older people, customers and anyone you want to show respect to — shop staff will greet you with it.

Good morning, good evening, good night

Chinese	Pinyin	English	Listen
早	zǎo	morning! (short and friendly)	▶
早上好	zǎoshang hǎo	good morning
晚上好	wǎnshang hǎo	good evening
晚安	wǎn’ān	good night (when going to bed)	▶

A simple 早 is what colleagues and neighbours say to each other in the morning. 晚安 is only for saying goodnight at the end of the day — never as a greeting when you arrive in the evening.

"How are you?" — and what people say instead

Chinese	Pinyin	English	Listen
你好吗？	nǐ hǎo ma?	How are you?	▶
我很好，谢谢。	wǒ hěn hǎo, xièxie.	I'm fine, thank you.	▶
你呢？	nǐ ne?	And you?	▶
最近怎么样？	zuìjìn zěnmeyàng?	How have you been lately?
好久不见！	hǎojiǔ bú jiàn!	Long time no see!
吃了吗？	chī le ma?	Have you eaten? (a friendly hello)

Every textbook teaches 你好吗, but in daily life it sounds a bit stiff — people use it with someone they have not seen for a while, not as a routine hello. Friends are more likely to say 最近怎么样. The classic 吃了吗 ("Have you eaten?") is not an invitation to lunch: it simply means "I care how you are", and "吃了" (I have) is a perfectly good answer. You will hear it most from older people.

Casual hellos and on the phone

Chinese	Pinyin	English	Listen
嗨	hāi	hi	▶
哈喽	hālóu	hello (borrowed from English)
喂	wéi / wèi	hello? (answering the phone)	▶

Young people often just say 嗨 or 哈喽. On the phone, Chinese speakers answer with 喂 (usually wéi with a rising tone) — it only works on the phone, not face to face.

Introducing yourself

Chinese	Pinyin	English	Listen
你叫什么名字？	nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?	What's your name?	▶
我叫大卫。	wǒ jiào Dàwèi.	My name is David.	▶
认识你很高兴。	rènshi nǐ hěn gāoxìng.	Nice to meet you.	▶
欢迎！	huānyíng!	Welcome!	▶

Goodbye, thank you and sorry

Chinese	Pinyin	English	Listen
再见	zàijiàn	goodbye	▶
拜拜	báibái	bye-bye (casual)
谢谢	xièxie	thank you	▶
不客气	bú kèqi	you're welcome	▶
对不起	duìbuqǐ	I'm sorry	▶
没关系	méi guānxi	it's OK / never mind	▶

These come in pairs: 谢谢 is answered with 不客气, and 对不起 with 没关系. Learn them as pairs and you will never be lost for the reply.

Quick tips

• A nod and a smile go with any greeting. Handshakes are common in business; hugs and kisses on the cheek are not.
• Greet people by title more than by name: 老师 (lǎoshī, teacher), 王老师, 李经理 (Manager Li).
• When in doubt, 你好 always works.

Frequently asked questions

How do you say hello in Chinese?

你好 (nǐ hǎo). To be more polite, say 您好 (nín hǎo).

How do you say good morning in Chinese?

早上好 (zǎoshang hǎo), or just 早 (zǎo) among people who know each other.

What does "chī le ma" mean?

吃了吗 literally means "Have you eaten?" and is a friendly way of saying hello, especially around mealtimes.

How do you say goodbye in Chinese?

再见 (zàijiàn), or the casual 拜拜 (báibái).

From greetings to reading

你好 is two characters, and both are among the most common in the language — 好 alone appears in hundreds of words. Learning characters in order of frequency means every one pays off again and again: see the most common Chinese characters. When you want to go further, Character Mastery takes you through the 2,500 characters behind 98% of everyday Chinese, with meanings in your own language — $1 for the first seven days, then $29/month.