Learn common Chinese greetings and farewells
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| 晚安。 (Wǎn'ān.) |
| 早上好。 (Zǎoshàng hǎo.) |
| 再见。 (Zàijiàn.) |
| What do these words mean? Stick around. |
| In this quick lesson, you’ll learn basic Chinese greetings that all beginners must know. |
| Before we start, did you know that in China, asking 'Have you eaten?' can be a way to say hello? Can you guess why? |
| Keep watching for the answer at the end. |
| 你好。 (Nǐhǎo.) |
| "Hello." |
| [SLOW] 你好。 (Nǐhǎo.) |
| 你好。 (Nǐhǎo.) |
| 你 literally means 'you' and 好 literally means 'good’. You can use '你好’ in many situations, whether you’re meeting someone for the first time or just saying hi to a friend. It’s simple and polite! |
| Jack greets Steve at a networking event. |
| Jack: 你好，你今天好吗？ (Nǐhǎo, nǐ jīntiān hǎo ma?) |
| Steve: 我很好，谢谢！你呢？ (Wǒ hěn hǎo, xièxie! Nǐ ne?) |
| 晚安。 (Wǎn'ān.) |
| "Goodnight." |
| [SLOW] 晚安。 (Wǎn'ān.) |
| 晚安。 (Wǎn'ān.) |
| 晚安。 |
| Two…?? Your turn. |
| Three?? |
| 晚安!! |
| Steve and Tom say goodnight after watching a movie. |
| Steve: 晚安。我玩得很开心。 (Wǎn'ān. Wǒ wán de hěn kāixīn.) |
| Tom: 晚安。明天见。 (Wǎn'ān. Míngtiān jiàn.) |
| 早上好。 (Zǎoshàng hǎo.) |
| "Good morning." |
| [SLOW] 早上好。 (Zǎoshàng hǎo.) |
| 早上好。 (Zǎoshàng hǎo.) |
| The character 早 (zǎo) is made of two parts — the top part 日 means sun, and the bottom part shows grass or the earth. |
| It’s like the sun just rising above the ground — that’s why 早 means early, when the day begins. |
| Shuang'er greets her friends before heading out on a hiking trip. |
| Shuang'er: 大家早上好。 (Dàjiā zǎoshàng hǎo.) |
| Tom: 早上好！很高兴见到你。 (Zǎoshàng hǎo! Hěn gāoxìng jiàndào nǐ.) |
| 很高兴认识你。 (Hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ.) |
| "Nice to meet you." |
| [SLOW] 很高兴认识你。 (Hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ.) |
| 很高兴认识你。 (Hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ.) |
| When someone says 很高兴认识你, you can answer 我也很高兴认识你, which means "Nice to meet you, too." |
| Lin greets a new student. |
| Lin: 很高兴认识你。请进来。 (Hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ. Qǐng jìnlái.) |
| Gabriel: 谢谢。我也很高兴认识你。 (Xièxie. Wǒ yě hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ.) |
| 你好吗？ (Nǐhǎo ma？) |
| "How are you?" |
| [SLOW] 你好吗？ (Nǐhǎo ma？) |
| 你好吗？ (Nǐhǎo ma？) |
| 你好吗 literally means "you good?" |
| It’s a common way to ask "How are you?" in Chinese in casual conversations. |
| Steve greets Tom at a party. |
| Steve: 很高兴在这里见到你！你好吗，汤姆？ (Hěn gāoxìng zài zhèlǐ jiàndào nǐ! Nǐhǎo ma, Tāngmǔ?) |
| Tom: 我很好，谢谢！你呢？ (Wǒ hěn hǎo, xièxie! Nǐ ne?) |
| 再见。 (Zàijiàn.) |
| "Goodbye." |
| [SLOW] 再见。 (Zàijiàn.) |
| 再见。 (Zàijiàn.) |
| 再 means "again" or "once more." |
| 见 means "to see" or "to meet." |
| So, 再见 literally translates to "see you again" or "meet again." |
| Jack says goodbye after meeting with Steve. |
| Jack: 再见。我们下次见！ (Zàijiàn. Wǒmen xià cì jiàn!) |
| Steve: 再见。保重！ (Zàijiàn. Bǎozhòng!) |
| Let's review. |
| You'll see the words in English and your job is to say the words in Chinese. |
| Ready? |
| Do you remember how to say "Hello."? |
| 你好。 (Nǐhǎo.) |
| 你好。 (Nǐhǎo.) |
| And how to say "Goodnight."? |
| 晚安。 (Wǎn'ān.) |
| 晚安。 (Wǎn'ān.) |
| How about "Good morning."? |
| 早上好。 (Zǎoshàng hǎo.) |
| 早上好。 (Zǎoshàng hǎo.) |
| Do you remember how to say "Nice to meet you."? |
| 很高兴认识你。 (Hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ.) |
| 很高兴认识你。 (Hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ.) |
| And how to say "How are you?"? |
| 你好吗？ (Nǐhǎo ma？) |
| 你好吗？ (Nǐhǎo ma？) |
| And finally, do you remember how to say "Goodbye."? |
| 再见。 (Zàijiàn.) |
| 再见。 (Zàijiàn.) |
| Did you know that in China, asking 'Have you eaten?' can be a way to say hello? Can you guess why? |
| In China, people often greet each other by asking, 你吃了吗? (Nǐ chī le ma?), which means "Have you eaten?" This question is a warm way to say hi, especially when it's close to meal times. It shows you care and highlights how important food is in Chinese culture. |
| Thanks for watching! Don't forget to practice these new words and phrases, and see you next time! |
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