你好 (nǐ hǎo) — hello; hi

你好 (nǐ hǎo)

你好 is the standard everyday greeting in Mandarin, equivalent to "hello" or "hi." It is used when greeting one person in an informal or neutral setting.

Meanings

1. [phrase] Hello; hi. A general greeting directed at one person.

Example Sentences

你好！很高兴认识你。 Nǐ hǎo! Hěn gāoxìng rènshí nǐ. Hello! Nice to meet you.

你好，请问你叫什么名字？ Nǐ hǎo, qǐngwèn nǐ jiào shénme míngzì? Hello, may I ask your name?

A: 你好！ B: 你好！ A: Nǐ hǎo! B: Nǐ hǎo! A: Hello! B: Hello!

老师，您好！ Lǎoshī, nín hǎo! Hello, teacher! (using polite form for teacher)

Usage Notes

你好 is appropriate for greeting any one person in daily life — classmates, shopkeepers, new acquaintances. The response is simply to say 你好 back. When greeting more than one person, use 你们好 (nǐmen hǎo). When greeting an elder, a superior, or someone deserving extra respect, switch to 您好 (nín hǎo), which uses the formal "you." 你好 is not typically used to greet close friends multiple times a day — in that case a simple 嗯 or 哎 is more natural, but 你好 is always correct and polite.

Collocations or Common Phrases

Memory Hook

你好 literally means "you good" — you are wishing the other person well the moment you meet.