Chinese Greetings
The 26 greetings and polite phrases you actually need, with pinyin, audio and when to use each.
The universal greeting — safe with anyone, any time of day.
Respectful form for elders, teachers, customers.
Opening a talk or entering a group.
Before ~10am; colleagues often just say 早 (zǎo).
Greeting after dark — not a goodbye.
Only when someone is going to sleep.
The standard goodbye — literally "see again".
Casual, borrowed from English; very common.
When you expect to meet again soon, same day.
Between classmates and colleagues at day’s end.
Everyday thanks; reply with 不客气.
Standard reply to 谢谢 — literally "don’t be polite".
A real apology; for "excuse me" use 不好意思.
Mild apology — interrupting, squeezing past, small favors.
Reply to an apology — "no problem".
Polite opener before any question to a stranger.
Warm greeting after a long gap — the English phrase is a loan from Chinese.
Casual catch-up question between friends.
Traditional friendly greeting — an idiom, not a dinner invitation.
Welcoming a guest; shops say 欢迎光临.
After being introduced for the first time.
All-purpose encouragement — literally "add fuel".
For good news; doubled as 恭喜恭喜 in celebration.
Both January 1st and Chinese New Year.
Sung to the same melody as the English song.
Host to departing guest — literally "walk slowly".
Greetings are the highest-value words in any language: tiny, endlessly reused, and the first impression you make. Mandarin adds two twists — the polite 您 (nín) form for elders and customers, and greetings that are really idioms, like 你吃了吗 ("have you eaten?"), which is a warm hello, not a dinner invitation.
Every phrase here carries pinyin, a usage note and audio. Pay attention to the tones on 你好: it is two third tones, so it is actually pronounced *ní hǎo* — the first one rises. That sandhi change is exactly the kind of detail the TonePerfect app checks when you record yourself.
What is the difference between 你好 and 您好?
您 (nín) is the respectful "you" — use 您好 with elders, teachers, customers and strangers you want to honor. 你好 is the neutral default with peers.
Do Chinese people actually say 你好?
To strangers, yes. Between friends it is more natural to greet by name, with 嘿, or with a situational question like 吃了吗 or 去哪儿 — see the phrases in this list marked casual.
How do I pronounce 你好 correctly?
Two third tones in a row: the first becomes rising, so say ní hǎo, not nǐ hǎo. Play the audio and copy the contour, then record yourself in the app to check.
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