6 Other Ways to Say Hello in Chinese

 “nǐhǎo” is basically the first phrase that you learn in Chinese class. People tend not to use it so much with people who they’re at all familiar with. It is kind of awkwardly formal.

“nínhǎo” is the respectful form of “nǐhǎo” – it’s used with people whom you want to express respect towards (a teacher, perhaps). “nínhǎo” is actually used and appropriate in such situations.

 1. 早！ zǎo – “Morning!”

This is short for 早上好 (zǎoshang hǎo), which means “good morning.” It’s pretty much used the exact same way as it is in English. You can’t go wrong with this on, unless if it’s the evening.

2. 你吃了吗？ nǐ chī le ma – “Have you eaten?”

When someone says “nǐ chī le ma?”, they’re not asking you out to lunch. You can just say “chī le, nǐ ne?” (I’ve eaten, how about you?). That pretty much suffices. It’s a way to lightly express that you care about the other person. But like the expression “how are you” in English, don’t come back with a long description of the sandwich you just had – they’re just being polite.

3. 最近好吗？ zuìjìn hǎo ma – “How are you these days?”

This is basically equivalent to “how are you” in English. The length of your response can be similar to what you’d say in English. You can just grunt with an “en”, which would be similar to “yep.” Or you can reply with a few lines about how things are going.

4. 去哪儿？qù  nǎr  – “Where are you going?”

This is an Chinese greeting that’s commonly used when you run into someone.

This one might seem quite nosy by non-Chinese standards, but don’t be bothered by that – this is another way that people express that they care by showing interest.

It’s common to use a variation of this expression by putting in a location. For example, if you run into a student, you might say “qù shàngkè le?” (“going to class?”).

5. 喂 wèi – “Hello?”

This is the first thing that Chinese people say when they pick up the phone. It’s just like when English speakers say “hello?” on the phone. The person is saying hello, but also expecting that the person on the other end identify themselves.

6. 好久不见！hǎojiǔ bújiàn – “Long time no see!”

This is the expression that is used between old friends. It’s a very positive greeting.