How to Say Hi in Chinese: A Complete Guide for All Situations

How to Say “Hi” in Chinese: A Complete Guide for All Situations

Learning how to greet someone in Chinese is essential for travelers, business professionals, and language learners. The most common way to say “hi” in Mandarin Chinese is “Nǐ hǎo” (你好), but there are many variations depending on the situation, relationship, and formality.

This guide covers:
✅ Basic Greetings (Formal & Casual)
✅ Greetings for Friends & Family
✅ Time-Specific Greetings
✅ Regional Variations
✅ Pronunciation Tips

1. The Most Common Way to Say “Hi” in Chinese

Nǐ hǎo (你好) – “Hello” (Standard & Neutral)

Usage: Suitable for most situations (formal and informal).
Breakdown:
- Nǐ (你) = You
- Hǎo (好) = Good
Example:
- Nǐ hǎo! Wǒ jiào Lǐ Huá. (你好！我叫李华。) → “Hello! My name is Li Hua.”

Nǐmen hǎo (你们好) – “Hello” (Plural)

Usage: When greeting a group of people.
Breakdown:
- Nǐmen (你们) = You (plural)
- Hǎo (好) = Good

2. Casual & Friendly Ways to Say “Hi”

Hāi / Hēi (嗨 / 嘿) – “Hi” or “Hey” (Very Informal)

Usage: With close friends, peers, or younger people.
Example:
- Hāi! Zuìjìn zěnmeyàng? (嗨！最近怎么样？) → “Hey! How have you been?”

Nǐ hǎo ma? (你好吗？) – “How are you?” (Polite)

Common Reply:
- Wǒ hěn hǎo, xièxie! (我很好，谢谢！) → “I’m good, thanks!”

3. Time-Specific Greetings

Time of Day	Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning
Morning	早上好	Zǎoshang hǎo	Good morning
Afternoon	下午好	Xiàwǔ hǎo	Good afternoon
Evening	晚上好	Wǎnshang hǎo	Good evening

Example:

Zǎoshang hǎo! Jīntiān tiānqì zhēn hǎo. (早上好！今天天气真好。) → “Good morning! The weather is nice today.”

4. Greetings for Friends & Family

Lǎojià (老家) – “Long time no see!” (Casual)

Usage: When meeting an old friend.
Example:
- Lǎojià! Zuìjìn máng shénme? (老家！最近忙什么？) → “Long time no see! What have you been up to?”

Chīle ma? (吃了吗？) – “Have you eaten?” (Very Casual)

Usage: A friendly, common greeting (no need to answer literally).
Example:
- Chīle ma? Yīqǐ qù chīfàn ba! (吃了吗？一起去吃饭吧！) → “Have you eaten? Let’s grab food together!”

5. Formal & Business Greetings

Nín hǎo (您好) – “Hello” (Respectful)

Usage: For elders, bosses, or formal situations.
Breakdown:
- Nín (您) = Polite “you”
- Hǎo (好) = Good

Qǐngwèn… (请问…) – “May I ask…?” (Polite)

Usage: When asking for help or directions.
Example:
- Qǐngwèn, cèsuǒ zài nǎlǐ? (请问，厕所在哪里？) → “Excuse me, where is the restroom?”

6. Regional Variations

Region	Greeting	Pinyin	Meaning
Cantonese (Hong Kong, Guangdong)	你好	Néih hóu	Hello
Taiwanese (Hokkien Influence)	你好	Lí-hó	Hello
Shanghai (Wu Chinese)	侬好	Nóng hó	Hello

7. Pronunciation Tips

Nǐ hǎo (你好) → “Nee how” (Not “knee how”)
Tones Matter! Mandarin is tonal:
- Nǐ (你) = 3rd tone (falling then rising)
- Hǎo (好) = 3rd tone (but often flattens in speech)
Listen & Repeat: Use apps like HelloChinese or Pleco for practice.

1. Chinese Pinyin Alphabet (Pronunciation Guide)

(Mandarin uses Romanized “Pinyin” for pronunciation)

Letter	Pronunciation (Like English)	Example (Chinese)
a	“ah” (father)	阿 (ā)
b	“b” (boy)	北京 (Běijīng)
c	“ts” (cats)	菜 (cài)
d	“d” (dog)	大 (dà)
e	“uh” (her)	饿 (è)
f	“f” (fish)	飞机 (fēijī)
g	“g” (go)	狗 (gǒu)
h	“h” (hello)	好 (hǎo)
i	“ee” (see)	一 (yī)
j	“j” (jeep)	家 (jiā)
k	“k” (kite)	开 (kāi)
l	“l” (love)	来 (lái)
m	“m” (mom)	妈妈 (māma)
n	“n” (no)	你 (nǐ)
o	“o” (or)	我 (wǒ)
p	“p” (pen)	朋友 (péngyou)
q	“ch” (cheese)	请 (qǐng)
r	“r” (run)	人 (rén)
s	“s” (sun)	三 (sān)
t	“t” (tea)	天 (tiān)
u	“oo” (food)	书 (shū)
v	Not used in Mandarin	–
w	“w” (water)	我 (wǒ)
x	“sh” (she)	谢谢 (xièxie)
y	“y” (yes)	有 (yǒu)
z	“dz” (adz)	再见 (zàijiàn)

2. Essential Daily Words

English	Chinese (汉字)	Pinyin
Hello	你好	Nǐ hǎo
Thank you	谢谢	Xièxie
Sorry	对不起	Duìbuqǐ
Yes	是	Shì
No	不是	Bù shì
Goodbye	再见	Zàijiàn
Please	请	Qǐng
Water	水	Shuǐ
Food	食物	Shíwù
Help!	救命！	Jiùmìng!

3. Daily Communication Sentences

Greetings

English: Good morning!
Chinese: 早上好！
Pinyin: Zǎoshang hǎo!
English: How are you?
Chinese: 你好吗？
Pinyin: Nǐ hǎo ma?

Basic Questions

English: What is your name?
Chinese: 你叫什么名字？
Pinyin: Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?
English: Where is the restroom?
Chinese: 厕所在哪里？
Pinyin: Cèsuǒ zài nǎlǐ?

Shopping/Eating

English: How much is this?
Chinese: 这个多少钱？
Pinyin: Zhège duōshǎo qián?
English: I want to order this.
Chinese: 我要点这个。
Pinyin: Wǒ yào diǎn zhège.

Emergency Phrases

English: I need help!
Chinese: 我需要帮助！
Pinyin: Wǒ xūyào bāngzhù!
English: Call the police!
Chinese: 叫警察！
Pinyin: Jiào jǐngchá!

4. Tone Rules (Critical for Pronunciation)

Mandarin has 4 tones + neutral:

First tone (ā) – High & flat (e.g., 妈 mā – “mom”)
Second tone (á) – Rising (e.g., 麻 má – “hemp”)
Third tone (ǎ) – Falls then rises (e.g., 马 mǎ – “horse”)
Fourth tone (à) – Sharp fall (e.g., 骂 mà – “scold”)
Neutral (no mark) – Light & quick (e.g., 吗 ma – question marker)

5. Practice Tips

Use apps: Duolingo, HelloChinese, Pleco
Watch shows: With Chinese subtitles (e.g., Netflix’s The Untamed)
Speak daily: Even simple phrases like 谢谢 (xièxie) help!