It’s just that Chinese people prefer to use food-related expressions. Audio links are marked with . You can simply respond to being greeted by offering a Not only will these basic Chinese greetings work in Asia, they'll be understood in communities no matter where you go. ... You might find more useful Mandarin phrases. 您好 / 您好 nín hǎo (Polite and honoring way to say) Hello最近怎么样？ / 最近怎麼樣？ zuìjìn zěnme yàng? We also recommend LingQ as an alternative with similar features. But reserve "ha-lo" for casual and informal situations. In a real-life setting, we do use this expression to greet people, but usually to someone who is not our close friend or family member. By using ThoughtCo, you accept ourHow to Say Good Morning and Good Evening in Chinese When we get a chance to video chat with friends, this phrase comes in handy.How have you been lately? My students used to ask me why Chinese greet people with something related to eating? After saying hello in Chinese, you may end up making new friends — particularly if at a banquet or in a drinking establishment. It would seem a bit odd if you greet your close friend with “你好 nǐ hǎo.” For instance, today is the first day of school and you are a freshman in a high school.
So, if you want to sound more like a native, and to maybe impress your Chinese friends, learn some of these Mandarin Chinese greetings: 您好 (nín hǎo) – “Hello” This is a more polite way to say “hello” in Chinese. For instance:Keep this in mind that when you hear people greet you with this phrase, they ARE NOT implying the meaning that if you haven’t eaten, you are welcome to their house to have some food. You've got the Russian case system, weird verbs of motion. Of all the English-language slang in the world, I find British slang to be some of the most creative and interesting. It is written as 你好 / nǐ hǎo. Mandarin is written with Chinese characters called Hànzì (漢字 or 汉字) which literally means "Han characters". A relatively short word can take completely different meanings depending on which of the four tones in Mandarin is used. As when bowing in Japan, maintaining eye contact as you bow is seen as a martial arts challenge!


The literal translation is "you ok/good," but this is the easiest way to say "hello" in Chinese. Share with us!Thank you for signing up! Well, it reminds me of a Chinese idiom, it says 民以食为天 Mín yǐ shí wéi tiān, which literally means “Food is the God of the people.”  It means “People view food as the primary need.” Food first and everything else is secondary. Given Hong Kong's English history, you'll often hear "ha-lo" as a friendly hello! I only know [...] Impress Your Dutch Friends With These Essential Phrases How have you been lately?10 Ways to Say Hello in Mandarin Chinese Infographic新年快乐 / 新年快樂 xīn nián kuài lè Happy Chinese New Year!恭喜发财 / 恭喜發財 gōng xǐ fā cái May you have a prosperous New Year!祝您 __ 年行大运 / 祝您 __ 年行大運 zhù nín ＿＿ nián xíng dà yùn(A student is writing an email to his teacher to ask what the assignment is)(You see your colleague in the parking lot in the morning… )The usage of this expression is similar to the one above. But keep in mind that we only say it to those who are working, meaning that you wish their career or work will do well in the coming New Year. How to Say Hi in Chinese Is The First Thing You Should Learn in Mandarin to Get You Started Talking to Someone. It can be translated to “hello.” When answering the phone in Chinese, we usually say,10 Ways to Say Hello in Mandarin Chinese Infographic新年快乐 / 新年快樂 xīn nián kuài lè Happy Chinese New Year!许天 Xǔ tiān is visiting his grandpa and grandma’s house.恭喜发财 / 恭喜發財 gōng xǐ fā cái May you have a prosperous New Year!祝您 __ 年行大运 / 祝您 __ 年行大運 zhù nín ＿＿ nián xíng dà yùnEnjoy reading this? You'll usually be understood and will get plenty of smiles for the effort, particularly if you utilize a few See some examples below:If you pronounce both of these two phrases, you will find one sounds just like “Hello,” and another one sounds like “hi.” Yes, they are transliterations. I want to show you how to say “hi” in Chinese and how to use other greetings in Chinese.So, if you want to sound more like a native, and to maybe impress your Chinese friends, learn some of these Mandarin Chinese greetings:This is a more polite way to say “hello” in Chinese.Most likely, if you lose the one “n” at the end of “nín” and say But be aware, a lot of older and traditional Chinese people will appreciate if you use When you translate the phrase character by character, it means “Have you eaten?”But this is one of the most common ways to say “hi” in Chinese.Native Chinese people use it very often, and although sometimes they actually want to ask you if you’ve had your dinner or not, most likely they’re just greeting you.This has the same meaning as the previous phrase, but it’s a bit longer.But, again, it’s just one of the most common greetings in Mandarin Chinese.It’s like saying “Hello, how are you?”. There’s a lot that actually makes Russian easy to learn such as the absence of articles or the regularity of noun gender. What is it… I know I know! It would probably be like saying “Greetings” in English – nobody really uses it anymore, but it’s still acceptable and people understand it.But don’t stop there! In a real-life setting, we do use this expression to greet people, but usually to someone who is not our close friend or family member. Along with knowing how to say hello in Chinese, learning Xièxiè nín!I did not go to school today because I was sick. As I say, you are in for a [...] Its literal meaning is “are you good lately?” People usually use this phrase to greet someone they know and haven’t seen them for a while. Unconventional language hacking tips from Benny the Irish polyglot; travelling the world to learn languages to fluency and beyond!So you want to know: “How do you say hello in Chinese?”I’d like to show you how to master Chinese greetings so you’ll know how to say “hello” in Chinese.Saying “hello” is usually the first thing you learn when studying a new language.