Language Learning
How to say hello in Chinese: Mandarin greetings guide
Hello in Mandarin Chinese is 你好 (nǐ hǎo). It is the single most useful word in the language and the first thing almost every learner hears. This guide covers how to pronounce it correctly, what it literally means, when to use a more formal version, and the range of greetings that go beyond 你好 in everyday Mandarin — including the casual forms you actually hear in Taiwan.
Hello in Chinese: the direct answer
The standard way to say hello in Mandarin Chinese is 你好, written in Traditional Chinese as used in Taiwan. The pinyin — the phonetic romanisation of Mandarin — is nǐ hǎo. It is used across all times of day, in person and in writing, with strangers and with people you know. If you learn one word in Mandarin, this is the one.
A quick reference:
- Characters: 你好
- Pinyin: nǐ hǎo
- Tones: third tone + third tone
- Literal meaning: "you good" / "you well"
- Used for: general greeting, any time of day, most social contexts
How to pronounce 你好 correctly
Both syllables in 你好 carry the third tone, which is the dipping tone — your voice starts at a mid-level pitch, drops down, and then rises slightly. In isolation, you can think of it as the tone you use when you say "huh?" in English — a short dip with a question-like quality.
In practice, though, native Mandarin speakers almost never pronounce two third tones in a row with equal dips. The standard rule in Mandarin phonology is tone sandhi: when the third tone is immediately followed by another third tone, the first syllable shifts to a second (rising) tone. So in everyday speech, 你好 is pronounced ní hǎo — the first syllable rises, the second dips. This is not an error; it is the standard spoken form.
The consonant at the start of 你 (nǐ) is a standard English 'n'. The vowel in the first syllable is similar to the 'ee' in "bee" but slightly more central. The second syllable (hǎo) starts with a light 'h' and the vowel combination 'ao' runs from a low 'ah' sound to a rounded 'oh' sound — roughly like saying "ow" in "cow" with the 'h' at the front.
Putting it together: nee-how, with the first syllable rising and the second dipping. This approximation is imperfect — the tones and exact vowel quality matter — but it is close enough to be understood immediately.
What 你好 literally means
你好 is a two-character phrase. 你 (nǐ) means "you" — the standard second-person pronoun in Mandarin. 好 (hǎo) means "good," "well," or "fine." Together the phrase is literally "you good" or "you well" — closer in spirit to the old English "how do you do" or "are you well" than to the English "hello," which carries no literal meaning at all.
This matters slightly for learners, because 你好 is not a question — you do not need to answer it with information about how you actually are. It functions as a pure social greeting, equivalent to "hello" in practical use. The appropriate response is simply to say 你好 back.
The character 好 also appears in a huge number of other words and phrases — 很好 (hěn hǎo, "very good"), 好的 (hǎo de, "okay / alright"), 好久不見 (hǎo jiǔ bù jiàn, "long time no see"). Learning this character well pays dividends throughout the language.
Formal hello: 您好 (nín hǎo)
When greeting someone who deserves extra respect — an elder, a teacher, a superior at work — the appropriate form is 您好 (nín hǎo). The only difference from 你好 is the pronoun: 您 (nín) is the respectful or formal "you," equivalent to the distinction between "tu" and "vous" in French, or "du" and "Sie" in German.
In Taiwan, 您 is used with:
- Grandparents and elderly relatives
- Teachers addressing the class (and students addressing teachers)
- Formal business or official contexts
- Any situation where you want to signal extra deference
Children at Coachers learn this distinction early — greeting a teacher with 老師好 (lǎoshī hǎo, "teacher, hello") rather than the plainer 你好, and greeting grandparents with 您好. These personalised forms of hello are considered warmer and more respectful than the generic greeting.
Casual and informal hello in Mandarin
In everyday speech, especially among younger speakers in Taiwan, you will hear greetings that feel closer to casual English equivalents:
- 嗨 (hāi) — borrowed directly from English "hi." Widely used among friends and in informal settings. Single syllable, first tone.
- 哈囉 (hā luó) — borrowed from English "hello." Casual, used in text messages and informal speech. Heard more in Taiwan than on the mainland.
- 喂 (wèi) — specifically for answering the phone, similar to English "hello?" when picking up a call. Fourth tone, not used as a general in-person greeting.
- 哩賀 (lí hò) — a phonetic borrowing from Taiwanese Hokkien for "hello." You may hear this in Taiwan, particularly from older speakers or those who mix Mandarin and Taiwanese naturally.
For most situations, 你好 is the safest and most broadly understood choice — it works in formal and informal contexts, in person and in writing, and is immediately recognised by speakers of all ages and backgrounds.
Greeting people by title: the Taiwan convention
In Taiwan, it is common and considered more polite to greet people using their relationship title rather than the generic 你好. Instead of just 你好, you say:
- 老師好 (lǎoshī hǎo) — hello, teacher
- 爺爺好 (yéye hǎo) — hello, grandpa (paternal)
- 奶奶好 (nǎinai hǎo) — hello, grandma (paternal)
- 阿姨好 (āyí hǎo) — hello, auntie (or any adult woman close to the family)
- 叔叔好 (shūshu hǎo) — hello, uncle (or any adult man close to the family)
The pattern is: title + 好. Children learn these forms as one of the first practical social skills in Chinese. If your child attends a Mandarin programme or visits relatives, they will be expected to greet adults using the appropriate title, not just 你好.
How to say hello again after time apart
When greeting someone you have not seen for a while, 你好 works fine, but two specific phrases are more appropriate:
- 好久不見 (hǎo jiǔ bù jiàn) — "long time no see." Directly translatable and widely used. Works in speech and writing. The English phrase "long time no see" is actually borrowed from this Chinese structure.
- 最近好嗎？ (zuìjìn hǎo ma?) — "How have you been lately?" A natural follow-up after the initial hello with someone you know.
Hello in Chinese characters: Traditional vs Simplified
你好 is written the same way in both Traditional and Simplified Chinese. The characters 你 and 好 have not changed between writing systems, so this particular word requires no additional effort from learners depending on which character set they are working in.
好 appears often enough in Chinese that recognising it quickly matters. It is composed of two elements: 女 (nǚ, woman) on the left and 子 (zǐ, child) on the right. The character is often explained as representing a mother and child — an image of goodness or wellbeing. Whether or not this etymology is historically precise, it gives learners a visual anchor for one of the most-used characters in Mandarin.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say hello in Chinese?
The standard greeting is 你好 (nǐ hǎo), pronounced roughly "nee-how" with rising then dipping tones. For a formal or respectful hello, use 您好 (nín hǎo). For a casual hello with friends, 嗨 (hāi) or 哈囉 (hā luó) are common, especially in Taiwan.
What does ni hao mean literally?
你好 (nǐ hǎo) means "you good" or "you well." 你 means "you" and 好 means "good." The phrase functions as a general-purpose greeting equivalent to "hello" in English, used any time of day with people of all ages.
Is nihao considered rude or offensive?
No. 你好 is a polite, standard greeting. For elderly relatives or authority figures, the more respectful 您好 (nín hǎo) is preferred, but 你好 is never rude. Attempting the greeting in Mandarin is warmly received.
How do you respond to ni hao?
Say 你好 back — the same way English speakers reply "hello" with "hello." You can add 你好啊 (nǐ hǎo a) for a warmer tone, or follow up with 你好嗎？(nǐ hǎo ma?) meaning "how are you?"
What is hello in Chinese for kids?
Children use 你好 the same way adults do. In Taiwan, children are taught to greet adults with the person's title plus 好 — for example, 老師好 (hello, teacher) or 阿姨好 (hello, auntie) — which is considered more polite and warm than a plain 你好.