Chinese word

嗨

Pronunciation

Pinyinhāi

Meaning

  • interjectionhi

Example

嗨，你今天怎么样？hāi nǐ jīn tiān zěn me yàng

Hi, how are you today?

Illustration for 嗨 (hi)

More examples

见面就说嗨是很自然的开场白。jiàn miàn jiù shuō hāi shì hěn zì rán de kāi chǎng bái

Saying hi when you first meet is a natural opening.

Core concept

A quick signal that says a conversation is beginning.

Common phrases

  • 发消息说嗨fā xiāo xī shuō hāi

    send a message that says hi

  • 见面就说嗨jiàn miàn jiù shuō hāi

    say hi when you first meet

Similar words

你好ní hǎo: A polite everyday greeting suitable for first meetings and formal situations.
哈喽hā lóu: A casual hello used to open a chat or phone call.
嘿hēi: A friendly call used to start talking with a friend.
喂wèi: A short call used when answering a phone call.

Definition in Chinese

作为非正式的招呼用语，用于打招呼或开始对话，常见于短信、社交媒体和口头交流。zuò wéi fēi zhèng shì de zhāo hū yòng yǔ yòng yú dǎ zhāo hū huò kāi shǐ duì huà cháng jiàn yú duǎn xìn shè jiāo méi tǐ hé kǒu tóu jiāo liú

Word origin

嗨 (hāi, "hi") represents the English greeting hi through Chinese characters chosen mainly for their sound.

Usage tips

  • In a message, this greeting can appear by itself before the main topic, while a formal letter usually uses a more conventional opening.

Other meanings

  • heyinterjection

Word lists with this word