Essential Chinese Greetings
First impressions run on greetings. This guide covers 15 Chinese greetings — from casual hellos to polite goodbyes — each with romanization, a sounds-like hint and example sentences you can use immediately.
Saying hello
你好 works at any hour of the day, and the time-of-day versions instantly warm people up. Start here — literally.
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你好 nǐ hǎo Hello
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早上好 zǎo shang hǎo Good morning
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晚上好 wǎn shang hǎo Good evening
Upgrade to 您
For elders, customers or anyone you want to honor, swap 你 (nǐ) for respectful 您 (nín). That's why hotel staff greet you with 您好 — same hello, extra courtesy.
First meetings
Names first, then the classic nice-to-meet-you. These two lines plus a smile carry an entire introduction.
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你叫什么名字？ nǐ jiào shén me míng zì What is your name?
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很高兴认识你 hěn gāo xìng rèn shí nǐ Nice to meet you
How are you?
The textbook question works fine, but listen for the real-life version — being asked whether you've eaten yet.
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你好吗 nǐ hǎo ma How are you?
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我很好，你呢？ wǒ hěn hǎo, nǐ ne I'm fine, and you?
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你吃了吗？ nǐ chī le ma Have you eaten?
Have you eaten?
你吃了吗？ ('have you eaten?') is a classic warm greeting between neighbors and friends — it's about care, not lunch plans. A cheerful 吃了 ('eaten!') or a smile is all it expects back.
Please, thanks, sorry
Gratitude, the standard reply, an apology, and the phrase that politely gets a stranger's attention. Deploy these generously.
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谢谢 xiè xiè Thank you
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不客气 bú kè qì You're welcome
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对不起 duì bù qǐ Sorry
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打扰一下 dǎ rǎo yī xià Excuse me (getting attention)
Goodbyes
再见 is the everyday goodbye and 回头见 promises another meeting soon. Save 晚安 for the very end of the night.
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再见 zài jiàn Goodbye
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回头见 huí tóu jiàn See you later
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晚安 wǎn ān Good night
Bedtime only — it closes the day. For an evening hello, use 晚上好 instead.
In real life: meeting someone new
你好，我叫小明。 nǐ hǎo, wǒ jiào xiǎo míng
Hello, my name is Xiao Ming.
你好，很高兴认识你。 nǐ hǎo, hěn gāo xìng rèn shí nǐ
Hello, nice to meet you.
很高兴认识你，希望我们能做朋友。 hěn gāo xìng rèn shí nǐ, xī wàng wǒ men néng zuò péng yǒu
Nice to meet you — I hope we can be friends.
好的，回头见。 hǎo de, huí tóu jiàn
Alright, see you later.
Test yourself
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Frequently asked questions
How do I greet someone politely in Chinese?
Match the greeting to the situation: the list above runs from everyday hellos to time-specific and formal greetings. When in doubt, choose the more polite option — it is never rude to be too respectful.
How do I pronounce these Chinese phrases?
Every phrase comes with romanization — the phrase spelled out in Latin letters. Read it out loud slowly, then work up to the rhythm of the full phrase. Native speakers care far more about confidence and context than perfect pronunciation.
What is the best way to memorize these phrases?
Little and often beats cramming. Review a handful of phrases a day, say them out loud, and revisit them tomorrow. The Pretalk app turns lists like this one into bite-size lessons with spaced review, so the phrases actually stick.
More Chinese phrases
Greetings phrases in other languages
Practice Chinese on the go
Turn these phrases into real conversations. Learn Chinese in five-minute lessons with Pretalk — free on iOS and Android.
