Various ways to say “Hello” in Chinese

The common expressions

你好 / 您好 (nǐ hǎo/ nín hǎo)

Chinese people don’t really say 你好 in real life. It can come off as overly formal, or even awkward. But you’ll still hear it in professional contexts. It’s most frequently used when meeting someone for the first time, such as being introduced to a new business contact. We often say 您好 when shaking hands.

e.g.

你好，很高兴认识你。（Nǐ hǎo, hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ.）Hello, nice to meet you.

你好，我是这次活动的负责人。（Nǐ hǎo, wǒ shì zhè cì huódòng de fùzé rén.）Hello, I am the person in charge of this event.

 您好，欢迎光临。（Nín hǎo, huānyíng guānglín. ）Hello, welcome.

您好，久仰大名！（Nín hǎo, jiǔyǎng dàmíng!） Hello, I have heard a lot about you!

嗨 (hāi) / 嘿 (hēi) / 哈喽 (Hā lóu)

Members of the younger generation often prefer to use more informal l greetings than 你好. Keep in mind that these are very casual and should not be used in formal settings because they can be seen as nonchalant or disrespectful. These terms are phonetic translations from English, as Hi, Hey, Hello.

e.g.

嗨，好久不见! (Hāi, hǎojiǔ bújiàn!) Hi, long time no see!

嘿，你也在这儿？(Hēi, nǐ yě zài zhèr?) Hey, you’re here too?

哈喽，你们来啦？(Hā lóu, nǐmen lái la?) Hello, you guys are here?

The extended phrases to express “Hello” in Chinese

Time-Related Greetings

These are very short and straightforward greetings. Just like in other languages, you can use them based on the time you see each other. The best way to respond to these is to just repeat the greeting back to them. Pay attention to 晚安, which is used just before bed.

• 早 / 早安 / 早上好 (zǎo/ zǎo ān/ zǎoshang hǎo) Good morning
• 下午好 (xiàwǔ hǎo) Good afternoon
• 晚上好 (wǎnshàng hǎo) Good evening
• 晚安 (wǎn’ān) Good night

e.g.

早！上班去啦？(Zǎo! Shàngbān qù la?) Good morning! Are you going to work?

同学们下午好，我们开始上课吧。(Tóngxuémen xiàwǔ hǎo, wǒmen kāishǐ shàngkè ba.) Good afternoon, students, let’s start the class.

各位朋友，晚上好！欢迎大家来到我们的活动现场。(Gèwèi péngyǒu, wǎnshàng hǎo! Huānyíng dàjiā lái dào wǒmen de huódòng xiànchǎng.) Good evening, friends! Welcome to our event.

晚安，我的宝贝。(Wǎn’ān, wǒ de bǎobèi.) Good night, my baby.

你吃了吗？(Nǐ chīle ma?) / 吃饭了吗？(Chīfànle ma?)

It’s not an invitation to lunch. This greeting is basically the same as “hello.” It actually dates back to ancient times. Back then, whether or not someone had eaten was linked to their overall health and wellbeing.

e.g.

A: 你吃了吗？ (Nǐ chī le mɑ?) Have you eaten yet?
B: 吃了，你呢？ (Chī le, nǐ ne.) Yes. How about you?
A: 还没呢。 (Hái méi ne.) Not yet.

吃饭了吗？要一起吗？(Chīfànle ma? Yào yīqǐ ma?) Have you eaten yet? Do you want to join us?

Place-Related Greetings

你去哪儿？(Nǐ qù nǎr?) Where are you going?

This might seem a bit rude and nosy at first, but it’s fairly common in China to ask someone where they are going if you see them leaving their house. Actually, most of the time, they don’t really want to invade your privacy. It’s just a simple way to show they care and say hello. In response, if it’s not too personal, then you can tell them specifically where you’re headed.

e.g.

A: 你去哪儿？(Nǐ qù nǎr?) Where are you going?
B: 我出去有点事。(Wǒ chūqu yóu diǎn shì.) I’m going out to handle some personal business.

Alternatively, if you have an idea where they might be going, you can ask them more specifically：

• 出门啊？(Chūmén a?) Are you going out?
• 出去玩？(Chūqù wán?) Going out to play?
• 上班去啊？(Shàngbān qù a?) Going to work?
• 上学去啊？(Shàngxué qù a?) Going to school?

e.g.

A: 出门啊？(Chūmén a?) Going out?
B:出去散散步。(Chūqù sàn sànbù.) Going out for a walk.

A: 出去玩？(Chūqù wán?) Going out for fun?
B: 天气好，去公园走走。(Tiānqì hǎo, qù gōngyuán zǒu zǒu.) The weather is nice, let’s go for a walk in the park.

A: 上班去啊？(Shàngbān qù a?) Going to work?
B: 是啊，你都锻炼回来啦？(Shì a, nǐ dōu duànliàn huílái la?) Yes, you’re back from exercise?

And if you see them coming home, you can say:

• 回来了啊！(Huíláile a!) You’re back!
• 下班了? (Xià bān le?) Off work?
• 放学了？(Fàngxué le?) Off school？

e.g.

A: 回来了啊？(Huíláile a?) Are you back?
B: 嗯，你出门啊？(En, nǐ chūmén a?) Yes, are you going out?

A：下班了？(Xiàbānle?) Off work?
B：没，回来取个东西，还得回公司呢。(Méi, huílái qǔ gè dōngxī, hái dé huí gōngsī ne.) No, I came back to pick up something. I have to go back to the company.

A：放学了？(Fàngxuéle?) Off school?
B:  是的，阿姨好！(Shì de, āyí hǎo!) Yes, hello, Auntie!

When you haven’t seen each other for a while

好久不见 (hǎo jiǔ bú jiàn) Long time no see!

This greeting is used when you haven’t seen a friend or acquaintance for a while. Keep in mind that the length of time is relative. You can say it if it’s been a few years or only a few weeks.

e.g.

A: 好久不见！（Hǎojiǔ bùjiàn!）Long time no see!
B: 好久不见，别来无恙啊?（Hǎojiǔ bùjiàn,  bié lái wúyàng a?）Long time no see! How are you?

A: 好久不见！上次见面都是四年前了。（Hǎojiǔ bùjiàn! Shàng cì jiànmiàn dōu shì sì nián qiánle. ）Long time no see! The last time we met was four years ago.
B: 是啊，时间过得太快了。(Shì a, shíjiānguò dé tài kuàile.) Yes, time flies by so fast.

最近好吗? (zuì jìn hǎo mā) How have you been?

This is a great follow-up to 好久不见, although it can also be used as a standalone greeting when accompanied by their name.

Here are some similar expressions:

• 你怎么样？(Nǐ zěnme yàng?) How are you doing?
• 你还好吗？ (Nǐ hái hǎo ma?) How are you?

e.g.

A: 最近好吗？(zuì jìn hǎo mā) How have you been?
B: 还行！ (Hái xíng!) Not bad!

A: 你怎么样？(Nǐ zěnme yàng?) How are you doing?
B: 还行！ (Hái xíng！) Not bad!

A: 你还好吗？ (Nǐ hái hǎo ma?) How are you?
B:凑活。(Còu huo) So-so.