Ni hao! Do you want to learn how to say “hello” in Chinese? In this blog post, we will teach you five different ways to greet someone in Mandarin.
You will be able to use these phrases when you are traveling in China, or when you are speaking with a Chinese friend or colleague. Let’s get started!
Using nin hao – formal way to say hello in Chinese
The best way to say “hello” in Mandarin is “nin hao”. It can be used in both formal and informal situations. If you are greeting someone for the first time, or if you are speaking to a superior, you should use “nin hao.”
In order to understand “nin hao” in Mandarin, you need to know the characters for “nin” and “hao.”
“Nin” is the second person singular pronoun, which means “you.” “Hao” is a word that can be used to mean “good,” “well,” or ” okay.”
When you put these two characters together, you get the phrase “nin hao.” This phrase means “hello.” So, when you see this phrase written in Chinese, you will know that the speaker is greeting you.
If you want to respond to “nin hao,” you can say “nin hao.” This is the most common way to say “hello” in Mandarin.
Using ni hao – informal way to say hello in Chinese
The second phrase we will learn is “ni hao.” This phrase is used when you are greeting a friend or someone who is the same age as you. It is more informal than “nin hao,” and it shows that you have a close relationship with the person you are speaking to.
It’s informal and can be used with friends, family, and people you know well.
The difference between “nin hao” and “ni hao” is that “nin hao” is more formal, and “ni hao” is more casual. If you are not sure which phrase to use, it is always best to use “nin hao.”
Using ni hao ma – Asking someone how they are doing in Chinese
The next phrase we will learn is “ni hao ma?” This phrase is used when you are asking someone how they are doing. It is a way to show concern for the other person, and it is considered to be a polite conversation.
So, when you put these characters together, you are essentially saying “how are you?” For example, if someone says “nin hao ma?” to you, you can reply with “wo hen hao, ni ne?” This means “I’m doing well, and you?”
Using zui jin hao ma – Asking someone how they have been lately in Chinese
Another phrase we will learn is “zui jin hao ma?” This phrase is used to ask someone how they have been recently, and it is considered to be more casual than “ni hao ma?” It is often used between friends or family members.
“Zui jin” means “most recently,” and it is used to ask someone how they have been lately.
Zui jin hao ma? means “how have you been?”.
Using hao jiu bu jian – Long time no see in Chinese
We can also use the phrase “hao jiu bu Jian.” This phrase is used to say “long time no see.” It is a way to show that you are happy to see the other person, and it shows that you have been thinking about them.
In order to understand “hao jiu bu Jian,” you need to know the characters for “hao” and “jiu.” “Hao jiu” means “a long time” in Chinese.
When you put these characters together, you get the phrase “hao jiu bu Jian.” This phrase means “it’s been a long time since I’ve seen you.”
Greetings in Chinese
In China, there are many ways to greet someone depending on the occasion and relationship between the people. Here are some basic greetings that you can use in everyday situations:
- Hello/Hi (informal): 你好 (ní hǎo)
- Hello/Hi (polite): 您好 (nín hǎo)
- Hello/Hi (formal): 您好 (nín hǎo)
- How are you?: 你好吗？(ní hǎo ma?)
- Good morning!: 早上好！ (zǎo shang hǎo!)
- Good afternoon!: 下午好！(xià wǔ hǎo!)
- Good evening!: 晚上好！ (wǎn shang hǎo!)
- Good night!: 晚安！ (wǎn an!)
- Thank you!: 谢谢！ (xiè xie!)
- You’re welcome!: 不用谢！(bù yòng xiè!)
- Goodbye (informal): 再见！ (zài jiàn!)
- Goodbye (polite): 再见！(zài jiàn!)
- Goodbye (formal): 再见！(zài jiàn!)
- See you later!: 再见！(zài jiàn!)
We hope you enjoyed learning these five ways to say “hello” in Mandarin! If you want to learn more about the Chinese language, be sure to check out our other blog posts. Thanks for reading!