The standard way to say hello in Chinese is 你好 (nǐ hǎo). Use 您好 (nín hǎo) to be polite, 大家好 (dàjiā hǎo) for a group, 早 (zǎo) for “morning,” and 喂 (wéi) on the phone. Below are 15+ greetings for every situation, each with pinyin and English.
“你好” is the first phrase almost everyone learns — and the one that instantly marks you as a beginner if it’s the only greeting you know. Native speakers shift their hello by time of day, who they’re talking to, and how well they know them. Learn a handful of these and you’ll sound natural instead of textbook from your very first sentence.
The essential greeting: 你好 (nǐ hǎo)
你好 literally means “you good.” It works in almost any situation and is always safe. Note the tone change: two third tones in a row, so the first becomes a rising tone — it’s said “ní hǎo.”
Greetings by time of day
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 早上好 | zǎoshang hǎo | Good morning |
| 早 | zǎo | Morning! (casual, very common) |
| 下午好 | xiàwǔ hǎo | Good afternoon |
| 晚上好 | wǎnshang hǎo | Good evening |
| 晚安 | wǎn'ān | Good night (before sleep) |
Casual & friendly greetings
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 嗨 | hāi | Hi (borrowed from English) |
| 你好吗？ | nǐ hǎo ma? | How are you? |
| 最近怎么样？ | zuìjìn zěnmeyàng? | How have you been lately? |
| 好久不见 | hǎojiǔ bújiàn | Long time no see |
| 你去哪儿？ | nǐ qù nǎr? | Where are you off to? (casual greeting) |
Polite & situational greetings
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 老师好 | lǎoshī hǎo | Hello, teacher |
| 您早 | nín zǎo | Good morning (polite) |
| 欢迎 | huānyíng | Welcome |
| 久仰 | jiǔyǎng | I've heard a lot about you (formal) |
The cultural greeting textbooks skip: 你吃了吗?
In everyday China, a very common friendly greeting is 你吃了吗？ (nǐ chī le ma?) — literally “Have you eaten?” It’s not really a question about food; it’s a warm way of saying “hi, how’s it going?” You can simply answer 吃了 (chī le, “I’ve eaten”) and ask back. Knowing this one makes you sound like you actually understand the culture, not just the dictionary.
Quick rules for greeting like a native
- 你好 is always safe, but vary it — natives rarely use it among friends.
- Match formality: 您好 for elders, teachers and customers; 嗨 for friends.
- Time-based greetings (早, 晚上好) sound warm and natural.
- Remember the tone change in 你好: ní hǎo, not nǐ hǎo.
Get every greeting’s real pronunciation
Hanzijo gives each greeting native audio and color-coded tones, so you nail the 你好 tone change from day one. A built-in tone trainer sharpens your ear, exclusive mnemonics lock the characters in, and one SRS schedule keeps them all in memory. Home-screen and lock-screen widgets resurface phrases through your day — so greetings become reflexes.
Speak Chinese Naturally — FreeFrequently asked questions
Is it nǐ hǎo or ní hǎo?
It’s written 你好 (nǐ hǎo) but pronounced “ní hǎo” because of a tone-change rule: when two third tones meet, the first becomes a rising (second) tone.
How do you say hello on the phone in Chinese?
Say 喂 (wéi) — it’s the standard phone “hello.” It’s used almost exclusively for answering calls.
How do you greet a group of people?
Use 大家好 (dàjiā hǎo), “hello everyone.” You’ll hear it constantly in speeches, videos and classrooms.
What’s the most polite way to say hello?
您好 (nín hǎo) uses the respectful “you” (您) and is ideal for elders, teachers, officials and customers.