Greeting in Chinese

When travelling in China, learning some simple words or sentences about how to greeting in Chinese will let you China tour more joyful.

When you are looking for a destination or a hotel in China, opening with “Ni Hao” and then you may get help from locals. Besides, there are many interesting short sentences can help you to go smoothly during your China experience.

The following form lists some daily frequent used Chinese greeting sentences for your reference:

Sentences for beginning a talk

English Greetings	Chinese Greetings	Chinese Characters
Hi	Ni Hao	你好
Good morning	Zao Shang Hao	早上好/早
Good afternoon	Xia Wu Hao	下午好/午安
Good evening	Wan Shang Hao	晚上好

Note: in Chinese, “hi” can be understood by most Chinese, so it is a multi-functional word to begin a talk such as asking road or some helps.

Sentences for beginning friends’ talks

English Greetings	Chinese Greetings	Chinese Characters
Hi	Ni Hao	你好
How are you	Ni Hao Ma	你好吗
Welcome to China	Huan Ying Lai Zhong Guo	欢迎来中国
Hey! Friends!	Hai! Peng You!	嗨！朋友！
Long time no see	Hao Jiu Bu Jian	好久不见

Notes:

When you have friends in China, you can use about sentences to begin your talking.

“Long time no see” is used for greeting to the person who has already been your friend for a long time.

Sentences for using in some normal situation:

English Greetings	Chinese Greetings	Chinese Characters
Excuse me	Da Rao Yi Xia/Jie Guo	打扰一下/借过
Thank you	Xie Xie	谢谢
You’re welcome	Bu Yong Xie	不用谢
Sorry	Bu Hao Yi Si/Dui Bu Qi	不好意思/对不起
See you/Good bye	Zai Jian	再见
No	Bu Yao	不要

Notes:

The above sentences can be widely used during so many situations, such as

When you want to walk through the crowded people, you can say “Jie Guo (借过)”

When you step or interrupt others unconsciously, you can say “Bu Hao Yi Si (不好意思)”

When you are push to do something you dislike, you can say “Bu Yao (不要)”

A special sentence for greeting friends in China – Ni Chi Le Ma

Ni Chi Le Ma

Chinese characters: 你吃了吗

In English: Do you have the meal

“Ni Chi Le Ma” is a very very traditional greeting between friends in China. This sentence is just like “how are you” in English. No need to have the exact answer, just a way to say hello to neighbours, friends, relatives, or even the vendors who can be seen on every day.

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