How to Say ‘Hello’ in Chinese: Greetings & Pronunciation Guide

Exploring how to say hello in Chinese shows the language’s richness and expressiveness. The most common way to greet someone is “Nǐ hǎo” (你好), which means “you good.” It works everywhere, from casual chats to formal meetings. These greetings are essential in everyday talk, showing respect and politeness. Getting them right is crucial for anyone looking to build relationships in Chinese-speaking areas.

Unique ways to say “hello” in Chinese, including both formal and informal greetings:

When learning a new language, one of the first things we often learn is how to say “hello.” In Chinese, several unique greetings, from formal to informal, can help you connect with speakers in different settings. Chinese is a rich language with varied expressions depending on the context, the relationship between speakers, and the formality of the situation. Understanding these different greetings can enrich your communication and show respect for cultural nuances.

Here are some unique ways to say “hello” in Chinese, including both formal and informal options, helping you easily navigate social and professional situations.

No.	Chinese (Simplified)	Pinyin	English Translation	Formal/Informal
1	你好	nǐ hǎo	Hello	Formal
2	您好	nín hǎo	Hello (polite)	Formal
3	嘿	hēi	Hey	Informal
4	你好吗	nǐ hǎo ma	How are you?	Informal
5	最近怎么样?	zuì jìn zěn me yàng?	How have you been lately?	Informal
6	你好啊	nǐ hǎo a	Hello there	Informal
7	大家好	dà jiā hǎo	Hello everyone	Formal
8	您最近好吗?	nín zuì jìn hǎo ma?	How have you been lately?	Formal
9	早上好	zǎo shàng hǎo	Good morning	Formal
10	下午好	xià wǔ hǎo	Good afternoon	Formal
11	晚上好	wǎn shàng hǎo	Good evening	Formal
12	安安	ān ān	Hi (casual)	Informal
13	见到你很高兴	jiàn dào nǐ hěn gāo xìng	Nice to see you	Formal
14	你在做什么?	nǐ zài zuò shén me?	What are you doing?	Informal
15	好久不见!	hǎo jiǔ bú jiàn!	Long time no see!	Informal
16	听说你很忙	tīng shuō nǐ hěn máng	I heard you’re busy	Informal
17	你最近忙吗?	nǐ zuì jìn máng ma?	Are you busy lately?	Informal
18	你好吗？	nǐ hǎo ma?	How are you?	Informal
19	有空吗?	yǒu kòng ma?	Are you free?	Informal
20	早安	zǎo ān	Good morning	Formal
21	晚安	wǎn ān	Good night	Formal
22	您吃了吗?	nín chī le ma?	Have you eaten?	Formal
23	吃了吗?	chī le ma?	Have you eaten?	Informal
24	你回来了?	nǐ huí lái le?	You’re back?	Informal
25	哈喽	hā lóu	Hello (casual)	Informal
26	嘿，你好吗?	hēi, nǐ hǎo ma?	Hey, how are you?	Informal
27	你真棒!	nǐ zhēn bàng!	You’re awesome!	Informal
28	你太厉害了!	nǐ tài lì hài le!	You’re amazing!	Informal
29	早上好，大家!	zǎo shàng hǎo, dà jiā!	Good morning, everyone!	Formal
30	你怎么样?	nǐ zěn me yàng?	How are you doing?	Informal
31	最近好么?	zuì jìn hǎo me?	How have you been?	Informal
32	哎呀!	āi yā!	Oh!	Informal
33	你来啦!	nǐ lái la!	You’re here!	Informal
34	请问，您是哪位?	qǐng wèn, nín shì nǎ wèi?	May I ask who you are?	Formal
35	见到你真好!	jiàn dào nǐ zhēn hǎo!	Good to see you!	Informal
36	您好吗?	nín hǎo?	How are you?	Formal
37	我来了!	wǒ lái le!	I’m here!	Informal
38	您要喝水吗?	nín yào hē shuǐ ma?	Do you want some water?	Formal
39	有什么新鲜事吗?	yǒu shén me xīn xiān shì ma?	What’s new?	Informal
40	听说你来了	tīng shuō nǐ lái le	I heard you came	Informal
41	你看起来不错!	nǐ kàn qǐ lái bù cuò!	You look good!	Informal
42	最近有趣的事情吗?	zuì jìn yǒu qù de shì qíng ma?	Any interesting news?	Informal
43	你怎么了?	nǐ zěn me le?	What’s wrong?	Informal
44	今天怎么样?	jīn tiān zěn me yàng?	How’s today?	Informal
45	你在干嘛呢?	nǐ zài gàn ma ne?	What are you up to?	Informal
46	怎么样?	zěn me yàng?	How’s it going?	Informal
47	祝你有美好的一天!	zhù nǐ yǒu měi hǎo de yī tiān!	Wish you a great day!	Formal
48	你还好吗?	nǐ hái hǎo ma?	Are you still good?	Informal
49	准备好了吗?	zhǔn bèi hǎo le ma?	Are you ready?	Informal
50	一切都好吗?	yī qiè dōu hǎo ma?	Is everything good?	Informal
51	不见不散!	bù jiàn bù sàn!	See you later!	Informal
52	来玩吧!	lái wán ba!	Come and play!	Informal
53	你家怎么样?	nǐ jiā zěn me yàng?	How’s your family?	Informal
54	你好，朋友!	nǐ hǎo, péng yǒu!	Hello, friend!	Formal
55	你终于来了!	nǐ zhōng yú lái le!	You finally made it!	Informal
56	你在这儿吗?	nǐ zài zhè er ma?	Are you here?	Informal
57	你真好!	nǐ zhēn hǎo!	You are so nice!	Informal
58	您最近在忙什么?	nín zuì jìn zài máng shén me?	What are you busy with lately?	Formal
59	你太客气了!	nǐ tài kè qì le!	You’re too polite!	Informal
60	请您多多关照!	qǐng nín duō duō guān zhào!	Please take care of me!	Formal
61	您的近况如何?	nín de jìn kuàng rú hé?	How have you been?	Formal
62	你觉得怎么样?	nǐ jué de zěn me yàng?	What do you think?	Informal
63	有什么计划吗?	yǒu shén me jì huà ma?	Any plans?	Informal
64	你还在这儿吗?	nǐ hái zài zhè er ma?	Are you still here?	Informal
65	很高兴见到你!	hěn gāo xìng jiàn dào nǐ!	Nice to meet you!	Formal
66	最近有空吗?	zuì jìn yǒu kòng ma?	Are you free lately?	Informal
67	你要去哪儿?	nǐ yào qù nǎ er?	Where are you going?	Informal
68	你想喝点什么?	nǐ xiǎng hē diǎn shén me?	What do you want to drink?	Informal
69	有什么好玩的?	yǒu shén me hǎo wán de?	What’s fun to do?	Informal
70	你在哪里?	nǐ zài nǎ lǐ?	Where are you?	Informal
71	你明天有空吗?	nǐ míng tiān yǒu kòng ma?	Are you free tomorrow?	Informal
72	哎，今天真热!	āi, jīn tiān zhēn rè!	Oh, it’s so hot today!	Informal
73	真是太好了!	zhēn shì tài hǎo le!	That’s great!	Informal
74	希望你一切顺利!	xī wàng nǐ yī qiè shùn lì!	Hope everything goes well!	Formal
75	希望你开心!	xī wàng nǐ kāi xīn!	Hope you are happy!	Formal
76	我来啦!	wǒ lái la!	I’m here!	Informal
77	你今天忙吗?	nǐ jīn tiān máng ma?	Are you busy today?	Informal
78	今天过得好吗?	jīn tiān guò dé hǎo ma?	Did you have a good day?	Informal
79	有什么好消息吗?	yǒu shén me hǎo xiāo xī ma?	Any good news?	Informal
80	听说你旅行了!	tīng shuō nǐ lǚ xíng le!	I heard you traveled!	Informal
81	你真有趣!	nǐ zhēn yǒu qù!	You’re so interesting!	Informal
82	一起去玩吧!	yī qǐ qù wán ba!	Let’s go have fun!	Informal
83	最近好吗?	zuì jìn hǎo ma?	How have you been?	Informal
84	我很高兴见到你!	wǒ hěn gāo xìng jiàn dào nǐ!	I’m glad to see you!	Formal
85	你想一起吃饭吗?	nǐ xiǎng yī qǐ chī fàn ma?	Do you want to eat together?	Informal
86	你好，久仰了!	nǐ hǎo, jiǔ yǎng le!	Hello, nice to meet you!	Formal
87	有什么新计划吗?	yǒu shén me xīn jì huà ma?	Any new plans?	Informal
88	很高兴再次见到你!	hěn gāo xìng zài cì jiàn dào nǐ!	Nice to see you again!	Formal
89	有什么好提议吗?	yǒu shén me hǎo tí yì ma?	Any good suggestions?	Informal
90	你喜欢什么?	nǐ xǐ huān shén me?	What do you like?	Informal
91	最近忙于工作吗?	zuì jìn máng yú gōng zuò ma?	Are you busy with work?	Formal
92	欢迎回来!	huān yíng huí lái!	Welcome back!	Informal
93	你真特别!	nǐ zhēn tè bié!	You are special!	Informal
94	你好，老朋友!	nǐ hǎo, lǎo péng yǒu!	Hello, old friend!	Informal
95	听说你毕业了!	tīng shuō nǐ bì yè le!	I heard you graduated!	Informal
96	你在哪里工作?	nǐ zài nǎ lǐ gōng zuò?	Where do you work?	Informal
97	有空一起喝茶吗?	yǒu kòng yī qǐ hē chá ma?	Do you want to drink tea together?	Informal
98	你有什么爱好?	nǐ yǒu shén me ài hào?	What are your hobbies?	Informal
99	你有兄弟姐妹吗?	nǐ yǒu xiōng dì jiě mèi ma?	Do you have siblings?	Informal
100	祝你快乐!	zhù nǐ kuài lè!	Wish you happiness!	Formal

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Other Ways to Say Hello in Chinese

When you dive deeper into Chinese, you’ll find many ways to say hello, each fitting different situations. For close friends or family, you might ask, “How have you been recently?” It’s a warm, caring way to catch up. In a work setting, saying “You’re good,” with a formal touch, shows respect to bosses or clients.

If you answer the phone, just a simple “Hello?” does the trick. Knowing these differences helps you talk appropriately in various situations, keeping things respectful and suitable for the occasion.

Conclusion

In summary, the Chinese language has many ways to say hello, each reflecting different aspects of culture and social relationships. These greetings help people communicate better and show respect for each other’s social positions and personal connections. When you learn and use these greetings, you show a fundamental understanding of Chinese culture, which helps make meaningful connections with Chinese speakers.