How to say hello in Chinese: 你好 (nǐ hǎo)
Hello in Chinese is 你好, written nǐ hǎo in pinyin and ㄋㄧˇ ㄏㄠˇ in 注音. Both syllables are written as third tones, but when two third tones meet, the first one rises like a second tone, so you actually say ní hǎo: a rise on 你, then a low dip on 好.
Standard and spoken
Our native speaker recorded 你好 twice: standard, slow and clear like a textbook, and spoken, at normal speed. Both lines are drawn on the same time scale.
Recording coming soon.
Written, 你 and 好 are both third tones.
In 你好, two third tones meet, so the first one changes to a rise: ní hǎo. This happens to every 3+3 pair in Mandarin.
In the standard recording of 你好, the line starts in the lower middle of the voice, climbs to near the top about halfway through, then falls to the bottom and stays there. The climb is the rising 你, and 好 ends low with no lift at the end.
Syllable by syllable
- 你Written as a third tone, said as a second tone here: start in the middle of your voice and rise. n as in no, i as in see.
- 好Third tone: drop low and stay low. h is breathier than English h, ao rhymes with how.
Common mistakes
- Saying two full dips: nǐ hǎo with both syllables going down and up.Make 你 rise (ní), then dip on 好.
- Ending 好 with a big rise, so hello sounds like a question.Keep 好 low and let it end there.
- Saying hao like the English how with a hard h.The h is breathier, from further back in the throat.
Common phrases and replies
- 您好hello (polite)To an older person, a customer or on the phone at work.
- 大家好hello, everyoneOpening a class, a talk or a video.
- 早安good morningThe usual morning greeting in Taiwan.
- 你好嗎how are you?A real question, not a greeting; often answered 很好 or 還不錯.
Taiwan and mainland
你好 is correct everywhere, but friends in Taiwan rarely say it to each other. 嗨 (hāi) and 哈囉 (hā luó) are the casual hellos, 早安 is the morning greeting, and in shops staff greet you with 歡迎光臨 (huān yíng guāng lín, welcome).
Practise it out loud
Say it and see your pitch drawn over the recording.
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Questions
Why is 你好 said ní hǎo when it is written nǐ hǎo?
Two third tones in a row: the first becomes a rising tone. Pinyin keeps the written tone, so you have to know the rule. It applies to every 3+3 pair, like 可以 (kě yǐ, said ké yǐ) and 很好 (hěn hǎo).
Is 你好 too formal?
No, but it is a bit stiff between friends. It is right for strangers, emails and first meetings. With friends, 嗨 or just their name works better.
How do I reply to 你好?
Say 你好 back. If someone asks 你好嗎 (how are you?), answer 很好 (hěn hǎo, good), 還不錯 (hái bú cuò, not bad) or 還好 (hái hǎo, okay).
Should 好 rise at the end?
No. In the standard recording of 你好, 好 falls to the bottom and stays there. A rise at the end makes it sound like a question.