Salutations essentielles en Chinese

Saying hello

你好 works at any hour of the day, and the time-of-day versions instantly warm people up. Start here — literally.

1. 1 你好 nǐ hǎo — Hello
2. 2 早上好 zǎo shang hǎo — Good morning
3. 3 晚上好 wǎn shang hǎo — Good evening

First meetings

Names first, then the classic nice-to-meet-you. These two lines plus a smile carry an entire introduction.

1. 4 你叫什么名字？ nǐ jiào shén me míng zì — What is your name?
2. 5 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.

1. 6 你好吗 nǐ hǎo ma — How are you?
2. 7 我很好，你呢？ wǒ hěn hǎo, nǐ ne — I'm fine, and you?
3. 8 你吃了吗？ nǐ chī le ma — Have you eaten?

Please, thanks, sorry

Gratitude, the standard reply, an apology, and the phrase that politely gets a stranger's attention. Deploy these generously.

1. 9 谢谢 xiè xiè — Thank you
2. 10 不客气 bú kè qì — You're welcome
3. 11 对不起 duì bù qǐ — Sorry
4. 12 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.

1. 13 再见 zài jiàn — Goodbye
2. 14 回头见 huí tóu jiàn — See you later
3. 15 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