Hello in Mandarin Chinese // 20 Top Ways To Greet Someone in Mandarin

How do you say hello in Chinese?

It’s usually the first thing students ask when starting out learning Mandarin.

The most common way to say hello in Chinese is 你好 (nǐ hǎo), which literally means “you good” and works in almost any situation. For extra politeness with someone older or senior, use 您好 (nín hǎo).

Mandarin has many other greetings too, from 早 (zǎo) in the morning to 喂 (wèi) on the phone and 好久不见 (hǎojiǔ bú jiàn) for old friends.

You may have already heard of 你好 nǐ hǎo, but did you know there’s more than 20 ways of greeting someone in Mandarin?

And that’s not even counting Cantonese or Shanghainese greetings!

In this article, we’ll take you through our top 20 ways of saying hello in Mandarin Chinese, including both formal and informal greetings.

Hello in Chinese || Quick Reference Table

Hello in Chinese || 20 Ways To Say Hello

Bonus || Casual Check-ins and Chinese New Year

Hello in Chinese || Common Mistakes

Hello in Chinese || Example Dialogues

Hello in Chinese || FAQ’s

Hello in Chinese // Quick Reference Table

Here are all 20 greetings at a glance, with how formal each one is.

Native speakers use far more than 20 greetings. Almost any friendly question about someone’s day can work as a hello, so treat this table as your starting set.

💡 The characters in this guide are simplified, which is what you’ll see in Beijing, Shanghai and Singapore. In Taipei and Kaohsiung you’ll read traditional characters, so a few greetings look different: 你好嗎, 你怎麼樣, 好久不見, 久聞大名 and 哈囉. 你好, 您好, 早 and 喂 are written the same way in both.

1. 你好 – Nǐ hǎo

你好

The standard, well-known greeting, and one of the first things anyone studying Mandarin learns. It literally means “you good”: 你 (nǐ) is “you” and 好 (hǎo) is “good”.

You can use it in almost any situation, with strangers, shop staff or new classmates.

👉 If you’re new to Chinese, it’s pronounced like “knee how”.

Those squiggly lines above the i and a are tone marks. Both 你 and 好 are third tone, the low, dipping tone.

In natural speech, when two third tones sit side by side, the first one changes to a rising second tone. This is called third-tone sandhi, so nǐ hǎo is actually said ní hǎo: let the first syllable rise, then dip down on hǎo. The pinyin stays the same on paper. Only the way you say it changes.

TIP💡 The same rule applies to 你好吗, which you say as ní hǎo ma. Check out our guide to Chinese tones for the full picture, then practice your Chinese pronunciation until it feels natural.

2.  您好 – Nín hǎo

您好

您好 (nín hǎo) is similar to 你好, but with the difference that this version of “you” is polite, 您. 

So when you’re meeting someone older than you, in a high position, or you simply want to be extra polite, 您好 is a safe bet!

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3. 你好吗? – Nǐ hǎo ma?

你好吗

你好吗 means ‘how are you?’ and is used either as an opening greeting or as a follow-up straight after 你好. It’s the textbook version, so see our guide to asking how someone is doing for the phrases friends actually use.

You may have noticed that it’s the same as 你好 (nǐ hǎo), but with the addition of 吗 (ma).

Let’s break it down a little:

你 nǐ – you

好 hǎo – good

吗 ma – question particle used for ‘yes or no’ questions

BONUS || Check out how to ask ‘How are you?’ in Japanese

4. 您好吗? – Nín hǎo ma?

您好吗?

您好吗 (nín hǎo ma) is the same as 你好吗, but with the polite 您.

Don’t stop at hello! Learn these other useful phrases:

🤝 Learn how to say thank you in Chinese

❤️ Learn how to say I love you in Chinese

📚 Pick up more essential beginner Chinese phrases

5. 你怎么样? – Nǐ zěnmeyàng?

An informal greeting most often used when meeting friends or people you’re familiar with.

Means “how are you doing?” or “what’s up?”

6. 幸会 – Xìnghuì

幸会

A traditional way to say “nice to meet you”, often used by older generations, although some younger people use 幸会 in a joking or ironic way.

For everyday first meetings, the phrase you’ll hear most is 很高兴认识你 (hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ), literally “very happy to know you”. You can also flip it to 认识你很高兴 (rènshi nǐ hěn gāoxìng), and if someone says it to you, a simple 我也是 (wǒ yě shì), “me too”, is a perfect reply.

Want to practice greeting someone in Chinese? Start studying with certified, native speaker teachers today on our online Flexi Classes platform!

7.  久仰 – Jiǔyǎng

久仰

Very, very formal way of greeting.

久仰 is not used between friends, but in professional settings when meeting someone for the first time. 久 (jiǔ) means “long” and 仰 (yǎng) means “to look up to”, so the phrase means “I have long looked forward to meeting you”.

8. 久闻大名 – Jiǔwéndàmíng

久闻大名

Even more formal than the previous greeting.

Only use this one when greeting someone you have a tremendous amount of respect for, and who is at least somewhat famous.

Literally it’s “long heard (your) great name”: 久 (jiǔ) long, 闻 (wén) hear, 大名 (dàmíng) great name. In other words, “I have heard so much about you”.

9. 早！Zǎo

早

“Morning!”, short for 早上好 (zǎo shang hǎo), meaning “good morning.”

Use it as you would use the English equivalent, and you’ll be safe… as long as it’s in the morning.

10. 你吃了吗？ Nǐ chī le ma

你吃了吗？

“Have you eaten?” probably the single greeting which has caused the most amount of confusion.

If you’re not familiar with Chinese culture you might interpret it as a question and not a greeting!

It’s a greeting that shows somebody cares about you, so don’t describe in detail what you’ve eaten or how hungry you are.

Rather, you should answer “chī le, nǐ ne?” which means “I’ve eaten, how about you?”

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11. 最近好吗？Zuìjìn hǎo ma

最近好吗？

最近好吗 means “How have you been recently?”

Let’s break it down in greater detail:

最近 zuì jìn – recently

好 hǎo – good

吗 ma – question particle used for yes or no questions

Similar to “how are you” in English, you can answer with a quick word or two, or you could go into greater detail.

Another alternative, used in the exact same way, is:

最近过得怎样呀?

Zuìjìn guò de zěnyàng ya?

How has life been recently?

12. 去哪儿？Qù nǎr

去哪儿?

“Where are you going?” similar to 你吃了吗 previously, it’s a way to show you care, and not meant to be nosy.

As this greeting often depends on location, for example, if you meet someone on the subway in the morning you might ask:

你去上班吗？ – Nǐ qù shàngbān ma? Meaning “are you going to work?”

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13. 喂！Wèi

喂

“Hello?” speaking of subways, if you’ve ever been to China you’ve most certainly heard someone shout 喂! Wèi on your morning commute.

That’s because 喂 (wèi) is how you say hello when answering the phone.

Like in English, if the connection is poor, or the line drops, you’d shout “hello?” people in China will shout 喂 wèi?

14. 好久不见！Hǎo jiǔ bú jiàn

好久不见

好久不见 (hǎojiǔ bú jiàn) is a common way to greet someone in Chinese.

“Long time no see!”

Used when old friends meet, this is a very positive, happy greeting.

The literal translation “long time, no see” has also made its way into the English language.

FUN FACT: many people believe English got “long time no see” from 好久不见 through Chinese Pidgin English in the late 1800s. Some researchers trace it to other pidgin forms of English instead, so its origin isn’t completely settled.

15. 大家好 – Dàjiā hǎo

大家好

Hello everyone: used when addressing a crowd.

大家 dàjiā simply means everyone, so 大家好 suits a classroom, a meeting or a stage.

For a smaller group you’re talking to directly, such as a few colleagues or a table of friends, say 你们好 (nǐmen hǎo), “hello, all of you”. 们 (men) makes 你 plural.

The same 好 pattern works with titles. Put a title, or a surname plus a title, in front of 好 and you have a respectful hello:

TIP💡 In Chinese classrooms, students greet their teacher with 老师好 at the start of class, and the teacher replies 同学们好.

16. 下午好 – Xiàwǔ hǎo

下午好

下午好 means good afternoon.

下午 (xiàwǔ) means afternoon and 好 (hǎo) means good.

17. 晚上好 – Wǎnshàng hǎo

晚上好

This is an ideal one for you night owls out there.

晚上好 means good evening. 晚上 (wǎnshàng) means evening or night and 好 (hǎo) means good.

Don’t mix it up with 晚安 (wǎn’ān), “good night”. 晚安 isn’t a greeting: you say it when you leave for the night or before bed, and it’s often the last WeChat message of the day.

18. 哈罗！ Hā luō

哈罗

哈罗 (hā luō) is a phonetic adaptation of the English “hello”.

It’s mostly used by young, urban people and is a more fun way to greet someone. In messages and on social media you’ll very often see it written 哈喽 (hā lóu).

19. 嗨！Hāi, and 20. 嘿！ Hēi！

嗨！ 嘿！

嗨 (hāi) and 嘿 (hēi) are phonetic adaptations of “hi” and “hey”. Like 哈罗, they’re used mainly by young, urban people and between friends, so save them for casual chats rather than meetings.

Bonus Greetings // Casual Check-ins and Chinese New Year

Between friends, a quick 干嘛呢 (gànmá ne), “what are you up to?”, often replaces hello altogether, especially in messages.

During Chinese New Year, swap your usual hello for one of these:

Planning a trip around the festival? Check out Chinese National Holidays before you book.

Common Mistakes When Saying Hello in Chinese

Asking 你好吗 all the time

你好吗 (nǐ hǎo ma) is grammatically correct, but in daily life it can sound stiff, like a line from a textbook. Friends are far more likely to ask 最近怎么样 (zuìjìn zěnmeyàng), “how have things been?”, or simply 吃了吗 (chī le ma).

Saying 你好 to people you know well

你好 is perfect for strangers and first meetings. With close friends or family it can feel a little distant, so greet them by name, with 早 in the morning, or with a casual 嗨.

Stopping at hello

You’ll need a goodbye too. 再见 (zàijiàn), “see you again”, works almost anywhere, but you’ll also hear 拜拜 (bàibai) and 明天见 (míngtiān jiàn), “see you tomorrow”. Learn the full set in our 17 ways to say goodbye.

Bowing when you greet someone

Bowing isn’t part of everyday greetings in China. A smile and a nod is the norm with friends and neighbors, and a handshake is common when you meet someone in a business setting. Let the more senior person offer their hand first.

Hello in Chinese // Example Dialogues

See how the greetings above fit together in real conversations.

Meeting a new colleague

Bumping into an old friend

Morning with a neighbour

There you have it, 20 ways to greet someone in Mandarin Chinese. Tones and register take real practice, so say these out loud to real people as often as you can.

When you’re ready to hear them every day, find your perfect Mandarin program.

Got anymore that we may have missed?

Leave a comment below and add your favourites or check out our other guide to more greetings in Chinese which includes a free quiz!

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Want to discover more basic greetings?

Why not check out our guide to Japanese greetings, informal and formal ways to say hello in Korean and the best ways to say hello in Vietnamese whilst you’re here?

Hello in Mandarin Chinese // FAQs

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