你好
hello
nǐ hǎo
What does 你好 mean?
你好 (nǐ hǎo) is the standard Chinese greeting — a literal 'you good' that functions like English 'hello.' Use it on first meeting, when answering the phone in a neutral context (though 喂 wèi is more common), or when greeting someone you do not know well.
Two things surprise English speakers: first, 你好 is rarely said between close friends or family, who tend to skip greetings entirely or use 嘿 / 嗨 / 早 instead; second, the second tone on 你 changes to a third tone in 'half-third' pronunciation when followed by another third tone, but tone marks are still written as nǐ hǎo. The polite upgrade for elders and formal contexts is 您好 (nín hǎo).
Note: Works in almost any first-meeting context. For close friends, casual 嗨 or just 嘿 is more common; for elders or strangers in a formal setting, 您好 (nín hǎo) is the polite upgrade.
Character breakdown
you (singular, informal)
good; fine
Memory hook: 'You good?' — literally what you'd say to check someone is well; in Chinese it became the standard hello.
Example sentences
你好，我叫李明。
Nǐ hǎo, wǒ jiào Lǐ Míng.
Hello, my name is Li Ming.
neutral
你好，请问洗手间在哪儿？
Nǐ hǎo, qǐng wèn xǐshǒujiān zài nǎr?
Hi, may I ask where the bathroom is?
spoken, polite to a stranger
大家好，我是新来的。
Dàjiā hǎo, wǒ shì xīn lái de.
Hello everyone, I'm the new one.
neutral
老师，您好！
Lǎoshī, nín hǎo!
Hello, teacher!
polite
Common phrases with 你好
Synonyms
Polite upgrade. Use 您好 with elders, customers, strangers in a formal setting, or anyone you want to show respect to. 你好 between equals; 您好 when status matters.
Casual loan from English 'hi.' Common among younger urban speakers and online. 你好 is more universal; 嗨 marks you as casual and modern.
'Morning' — shortened form of 早上好. Use 早 only before noon. 你好 works any time of day.
Don't confuse 你好 with
好的 means 'okay / will do' — a response of agreement. 你好 is a greeting. Saying 好的 when someone says 你好 to you is a beginner mix-up.
你好吗 ('how are you?') is a question, not a greeting. Native speakers rarely ask it the way English speakers ask 'how are you?' — it usually means a sincere check-in rather than a passing greeting.
FAQ
Acquire by listening
Hear 你好 in real Chinese, not in a flashcard.
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