# How to say hello in Chinese URL: https://verychinesetimeinmylife.com/say/hello-in-chinese/ Updated: 2026-11-05 Hello in Chinese is 你好 (ní hǎo). Say it to strangers, shop staff and people you meet for the first time. The usual answer is the same word back. ## The phrase **你好！** (ní hǎo!): Hello! Pinyin is written the way the words are said, tone changes included, the same as in the game. ### What it means 你好 (ní hǎo) means “hello”. 你 (nǐ) is “you” and 好 (hǎo) is “good”. Nobody hears it as “you good”. It is just the standard greeting. Use it with strangers, shop staff and people you are meeting for the first time. Close friends usually skip it and just start talking. ### How to say it Say ní hǎo. ní rises. hǎo dips low. Both characters have the dipping tone on their own: nǐ and hǎo. When two dipping tones come together, the first one rises. So textbooks write nǐ hǎo, but people say ní hǎo. The game writes ní hǎo. ## When to use it ### Before you ask something In a small shop or at a market stall, say 你好 (ní hǎo) before your question. Many people then add 不好意思 (bù hǎo yì si, excuse me). ### When someone greets you Say 你好 (ní hǎo) back. Children often greet foreigners with “Hello!” in English, then 你好 (ní hǎo) in Chinese. ### Meeting someone for the first time 你好 (ní hǎo) is enough for a friend of a friend or a relative. Older people are often greeted with a family title first: 爷爷你好 (yé ye ní hǎo, hello, grandpa). ## Other ways to say it Other greetings from the game. Each one fits a time of day or a kind of person. - **早上好！** (zǎo shang hǎo!): Good morning! - When: Used at shops and hotel desks until about ten. In the game you say it at the fruit shop and to the hotel staff. - **晚上好！** (wǎn shang hǎo!): Good evening! - When: The driver on the first night greets you with it. You say it first at the evening places in the game. - **早！** (zǎo!): Morning! - When: The short version. People who see each other every day use it, like neighbours, or a stall owner and a regular customer. - **爷爷你好** (yé ye ní hǎo): Hello, grandpa - When: People greet older men with 爷爷 (yé ye, grandpa), even if he is not their own grandfather. ## What people say back - **你好！** (ní hǎo!): Hello! - When: Someone greets you first. - They may say: **你好！** (ní hǎo!): Hello! (The usual answer is the same word back.) - **早上好！** (zǎo shang hǎo!): Good morning! - When: You walk into a small shop in the morning. - They may say: **早上好！要点什么？** (zǎo shang hǎo! yào diǎn shén me?): Good morning! What do you want? (Next the shopkeeper asks what you want. Have your answer ready.) - **晚上好！** (wǎn shang hǎo!): Good evening! - When: You get into a car you booked, in the evening. - They may say: **晚上好！是去酒店吗？** (wǎn shang hǎo! shì qù jiǔ diàn ma?): Good evening! Going to the hotel? (The driver checks where you are going. A yes is enough.) ## Common mistakes ### Saying nǐ hǎo with two dips People say ní hǎo. Make the first syllable rise. ### Saying hello to friends all the time 你好 (ní hǎo) sounds stiff between friends. Friends say the other person’s name, ask “have you eaten?”, or just start talking. ### Expecting a long chat Shop staff answer with a quick 你好 (ní hǎo) and go straight to business: what you want, how many, eat here or take away. That is normal, not unfriendly. ## Where it comes up in the game ### On the metro platform A small girl runs up to you shouting “Hello! 你好！”. You greet her back and tell her you are a foreigner. She asks to take a photo with you. ### Morning and evening The first night starts with a driver saying 晚上好 (wǎn shang hǎo, good evening). Later in the week you greet the fruit shop owner with 早上好 (zǎo shang hǎo, good morning), then buy a gift for a family you are visiting. ### Visiting a family You arrive for a home-cooked lunch and greet the grandfather at the door with 爷爷你好 (yé ye ní hǎo, hello, grandpa). ## Questions ### How do you say hello in Chinese? Hello in Chinese is 你好 (ní hǎo). 你 (nǐ) means “you” and 好 (hǎo) means “good”. It is the standard greeting for strangers, shop staff and people you meet for the first time. ### Why does the first syllable of 你好 rise? The first syllable rises because 你 and 好 both have the dipping tone, and when two dipping tones come together, the first one rises. Textbooks write nǐ hǎo. People say ní hǎo. ### How do you say good morning in Chinese? Good morning in Chinese is 早上好 (zǎo shang hǎo). People often shorten it to 早 (zǎo). It is used until mid-morning. ### How do you say good evening in Chinese? Good evening in Chinese is 晚上好 (wǎn shang hǎo). Drivers, hotel staff and restaurant staff use it in the evening. ### What do you say back when someone says 你好? Say 你好 (ní hǎo) back. A shopkeeper will usually follow it with a question about what you want. ### Do Chinese people say 你好 to friends? Chinese people rarely say 你好 (ní hǎo) to friends. Friends and family greet each other by name or just start talking. 你好 (ní hǎo) is for strangers and people you have just met. ### How do I greet an older person in Chinese? Put a family title before 你好 (ní hǎo): 爷爷你好 (yé ye ní hǎo, hello, grandpa) for an older man, 奶奶好 (nǎi nai hǎo, hello, grandma) for an older woman. People use these titles for any older person, not only their own grandparents. ## Related pages - [How to say goodbye in Chinese](https://verychinesetimeinmylife.com/say/goodbye-in-chinese/): The standard goodbye, the everyday “bye-bye”, and the “take care” that shopkeepers say as you leave. - [How to say excuse me in Chinese](https://verychinesetimeinmylife.com/say/excuse-me-in-chinese/): What to say before you stop a stranger or after a small mistake, how it differs from a real “sorry”, and how people address strangers. - [How to say thank you in Chinese](https://verychinesetimeinmylife.com/say/thank-you-in-chinese/): The word for thanks, how its soft second syllable sounds, when to use it, and what people say back. - [50 Chinese phrases for your first week in China](https://verychinesetimeinmylife.com/phrases/first-week-in-china/): 50 everyday Mandarin phrases, grouped by situation. Each has pinyin as it is said, English, and when to use it. Free CSV download.