20 Essential Chinese Greetings Beyond Ni Hao

Formal Greetings

你好 (nǐ hǎo) remains the standard polite greeting, appropriate in most situations. For extra politeness, especially with elders or in formal contexts, use 您好 (nín hǎo), where 您 is the respectful form of "you."

很高兴认识你 (hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ) means "pleased to meet you" and is used during introductions. In business settings, people often exchange name cards while saying this phrase.

久仰大名 (jiǔ yǎng dà míng) is an elegant expression meaning "I have long admired your name." Used in formal introductions, it shows respect and cultural sophistication.

Casual Greetings

Among friends, Chinese speakers often greet each other with practical questions rather than generic hellos. 吃了吗 (chī le ma) — "Have you eaten?" — is one of the most traditional casual greetings, reflecting the cultural importance of meals.

最近怎么样 (zuìjìn zěnme yàng) means "How have things been lately?" and works well when you haven't seen someone in a while. The response is usually 还好 (hái hǎo, "pretty good") or 还行 (hái xíng, "not bad").

忙什么呢 (máng shénme ne) — "What are you busy with?" — is a common conversation opener that shows friendly interest.

Time-Based Greetings

早上好 (zǎoshang hǎo) for good morning, 下午好 (xiàwǔ hǎo) for good afternoon, and 晚上好 (wǎnshang hǎo) for good evening. These are slightly more formal than casual greetings. For a quick informal morning greeting, just say 早 (zǎo).

晚安 (wǎn'ān) means good night and is used when parting in the evening or before sleep.

Phone and Business

喂 (wéi) is the standard phone greeting — equivalent to "hello" when answering a call. In business contexts, 你好，请问… (nǐ hǎo, qǐng wèn…) meaning "Hello, may I ask…" is a polite way to begin.

Use our Pinyin Converter to check the pronunciation of any greeting, and explore our tones guide to make sure your greetings sound natural.