你好

Chinese

Chinese phrasebook

This entry is part of the phrasebook project, which presents criteria for inclusion based on utility, simplicity and commonness.

		you	good; well; be fond of
trad. (你好)		你	好
simp. #(你好)		你	好
alternative forms		汝好 Min

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Standard)

  (Pinyin): nǐ hǎo

  (Zhuyin): ㄋㄧˇ ㄏㄠˇ

  (Xi'an, Guanzhong Pinyin): nì hào

  (Dungan, Cyrillic and Wiktionary): ни хо (ni ho, III-III)

• Cantonese (Jyutping): nei⁵ hou²

• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): ngì-hó / nì-hó / ǹ-hó / ǹg-hó

  (Meixian, Guangdong): ngi² hau³ / n² hau³

• Northern Min (KCR): nì-hǎu
• Eastern Min (BUC): nṳ̄ hō̤

• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): lí hó / lí hó / lír hó / lú hó

  (Teochew, Peng'im): le² ho² / lu² ho²

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: nǐ hǎo [Phonetic: níhǎo]
    • Zhuyin: ㄋㄧˇ ㄏㄠˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: nǐ hǎo
    • Wade–Giles: ni³ hao³
    • Yale: nǐ hǎu
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: nii hao
    • Palladius: ни хао (ni xao)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ni²¹⁴⁻³⁵ xɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
  • (Xi'an)
    • Guanzhong Pinyin: nì hào
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ni⁵³ xau⁵³/
  • (Dungan)
    • Cyrillic and Wiktionary: ни хо (ni ho, III-III)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ni⁴⁴ xɔ⁴⁴/

    (Note: Dungan pronunciation is currently experimental and may be inaccurate.)

• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: nei⁵ hou²
    • Yale: néih hóu
    • Cantonese Pinyin: nei⁵ hou²
    • Guangdong Romanization: néi⁵ hou²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /nei̯¹³ hou̯³⁵/
    • Homophones:

      edit edit 你好 您好

• Hakka
  • (Northern Sixian, incl. Miaoli)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: ngì-hó / nì-hó / ǹ-hó
    • Hakka Romanization System: ngi^ˇ ho^ˋ / ni^ˇ ho^ˋ / n^ˇ ho^ˋ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: ngi² ho³ / ni² ho³ / n² ho³
    • Sinological IPA: /ŋi¹¹ ho³¹/, /ni¹¹ ho³¹/, /n¹¹ ho³¹/
  • (Southern Sixian, incl. Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: ngì-hó / ǹg-hó / ǹ-hó
    • Hakka Romanization System: ngi^ˇ ho^ˋ / ng^ˇ ho^ˋ / n^ˇ ho^ˋ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: ngi² ho³ / ng² ho³ / n² ho³
    • Sinological IPA: /ŋi¹¹ ho³¹/, /ŋ̍¹¹ ho³¹/, /n¹¹ ho³¹/
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: ngi² hau³ / n² hau³
    • Sinological IPA: /ŋi¹¹ hau³¹/, /n̩¹¹ hau³¹/
• Northern Min
  • (Jian'ou)
    • Kienning Colloquial Romanized: nì-hǎu
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ni⁴² xau²¹/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: nṳ̄ hō̤
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /nˡy³³ ho³³/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Kaohsiung)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: lí hó
    • Tâi-lô: lí hó
    • Phofsit Daibuun: lie hoir
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /li⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ hɤ⁴¹/
    • IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou): /li⁵³⁻⁴⁴ ho⁵³/
  • (Hokkien: Jinjiang, Philippines)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: lí hó
    • Tâi-lô: lí hó
    • Phofsit Daibuun: lie hoir
    • IPA (Jinjiang, Philippines): /li⁵⁵⁴ ho⁵⁵⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: lír hó
    • Tâi-lô: lír hó
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /lɯ⁵⁵⁴ ho⁵⁵⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Taipei)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: lú hó
    • Tâi-lô: lú hó
    • Phofsit Daibuun: luo hoir
    • IPA (Taipei): /lu⁵³⁻⁴⁴ ho⁵³/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: le² ho² / lu² ho²
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: lṳ́ hó / lú hó
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /lɯ⁵²⁻³⁵ ho⁵²/, /lu⁵²⁻³⁵ ho⁵²⁻²¹/

Interjection

你好

1. hello; hi

   你好，好久不見。 [MSC, trad.]
   你好，好久不见。 [MSC, simp.]

   Nǐ hǎo, hǎojiǔbùjiàn. [Pinyin]

   Hi, long time no see.

Usage notes

Often used as a polite way of getting someone's attention.

Derived terms

• 你好嗎 / 你好吗 (nǐ hǎo ma)
• 你好無 / 你好无

 

Descendants

• → English: nihao
• → Japanese: 你好(ニーハオ) (nīhao)
• → Zhuang: mwngz ndei (calque)

See also

• 好 (hǎo, “good (often used in greetings)”)
• 您好 (nín hǎo, “hello (polite)”)
• 你們好／你们好 (nǐmen hǎo, “hello (to a group)”)
• 喂 (wéi, “hello (on the phone)”)
• 幸會／幸会 (xìnghuì)
• 哈囉／哈啰 (hāluó) (from "hello")
• 嗨 (hāi) (from "hi")
• (Wu) 儂好／侬好
• (Cantonese, informal) 哈佬 (hālǎo) (from "hello")
• (Min) 汝好

Japanese

Kanji in this term
你	好
にい Hyōgai	はお Grade: 4
irregular

Etymology

From modern Mandarin 你好 (nǐ hǎo, “hello”).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) ニイハオ [níꜜìhàò] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [ɲ̟iːha̠o̞]

Interjection

你好(ニイハオ) or 你好(ニーハオ) • (nīhao) 

1. (informal, rare) hi, hello (in a Chinese context)
   • 1967, リービ英雄, 我的中国, Page 221

     「你好(ニーハオ)」と僧(そう)はすこし驚(おどろ)いた表(ひょう)情(じょう)で答(こた)えた。

     “Nīhao” to sō wa sukoshi odoroita hyōjō de kotaeta.

     The monk said "Nihao", looking a little surprised

   • 1985, 山崎豊子, ”虱”だらけの指導者・胡耀邦 in 『山崎豊子全集19 大地の子（一）』, 2005, Page 605

     小(しょう)学(がっ)校(こう)帰(がえ)りの赤(あか)いスカーフを胸(むな)もとに巻(ま)いた児(じ)童(どう)たちに出会(であ)い、你好(ニイハオ)！と声(こえ)をかけると、どこでも你好(ニイハオ)！と挨(あい)拶(さつ)が返(かえ)って来(く)る

     Shōgakkō gaeri no akai sukāfu o munamoto ni maita jidō tachi ni deai, nīhao! to koe o kakeru to, doko demo nīhao! to aisatsu ga kaette kuru

     When I meet children with a red neckerchief on their chest on their way back to home from school, and I say nihao to them, wherever it is, they return a greeting of nihao to me

   • 1987, 鈴木孝雄, 異文化融合と民族性と…… in 『公明』, 1987, No. 7, Page 99

     「你好(ニイハオ)」と声(こえ)をかけたら「你好(ニイハオ)」と顔(かお)をあげた。「みかけない顔(かお)だ、どこから来(き)たか」「日(に)本(ほん)から来(き)た」

     “Nīhao” to koe o kaketara “nīhao” to kao o ageta.“Mikakenai kao da, doko kara kita ka” “Nihon kara kita”

     "Nihao," I talked to him. "Nihao", he said, looking up at me, "I haven't seen you around here. Where are you from?" - "I came from Japan."

Synonyms

• こんにちは (konnichi wa)

See also

• 謝謝(シエシエ) (shieshie, “thank you (in Chinese context)”)