Chinese Conversation · Level 2
86 words
Chinese word
您好
Pronunciation
Pinyinnín hǎo
Meaning
- interjectionhello
Example
您好，请问洗手间在哪里？nín hǎo qǐng wèn xí shǒu jiān zài ná lǐ
Hello, excuse me, where is the restroom?
More examples
写邮件时，开头可以写您好。xiě yóu jiàn shí kāi tóu ké yǐ xiě nín hǎo
When writing an email, you can start with "Hello."
Core concept
A polite doorway into conversation that gives special respect to the person being greeted.
Common phrases
初次见面说您好chū cì jiàn miàn shuō nín hǎo
say hello when meeting someone for the first time
上课前对老师说您好shàng kè qián duì lǎo shī shuō nín hǎo
say hello to a teacher before class
邮件开头写您好yóu jiàn kāi tóu xiě nín hǎo
write hello at the start of an email
Similar words
你好ní hǎo: A friendly, widely used greeting for meeting people or starting a call.
喂wèi: A brief phone greeting that calls for the other person's attention.
Definition in Chinese
用于需要表示尊敬或礼貌的问候，语气比「你好」更正式，适合对长者、客户或初次见面时作为开场白。yòng yú xū yào biǎo shì zūn jìng huò lǐ mào de wèn hòu yǔ qì bǐ ní hǎo gēng zhèng shì shì hé duì zháng zhě kè hù huò chū cì jiàn miàn shí zuò wéi kāi chǎng bái
Word origin
您好 (nínhǎo, "hello") is formed from 您 (nín, "you, respectful") and 好 (hǎo, "well"), so the greeting carries both recognition and courtesy.
Usage tips
- English uses hello across many levels of familiarity, but this Chinese form signals a more formal relationship and fits public-facing conversations especially well.