Greetings are a wonderful part of any language—they help us connect, communicate, and build relationships. If your child is learning Mandarin, one of the first and most fun things to master is how to say hello in Chinese.
Learning different ways to greet others in Mandarin isn’t just about memorizing words—it’s also a window into Chinese culture and everyday politeness. Saying hello can be a joyful moment when your child meets a new friend, or a respectful gesture when greeting teachers and elders.
In this guide, we’ll explore 8 fun and easy ways to say hello in Chinese, perfect for helping your child start speaking Mandarin naturally and confidently.
💡 Want to make your child’s Mandarin journey even more exciting? Join our LingoAce free online Chinese course for kids, designed to build a strong foundation through interactive lessons, songs, and games that make saying “hello” (你好 nǐ hǎo) just the beginning of their language adventure.
1. 你好 Nĭ hǎo - Hello
This is the most famous greeting in Mandarin Chinese. For beginners, this is often the first greeting they learn. Nĭ hǎo is usually considered a formal greeting by native Mandarin Chinese speakers. More like a handshake than a wave of a hand.
It is commonly used as a way to introduce new people who are meeting for the first time but are considered equals more or less. Sometimes, it may be used to greet someone who is considered junior to you. In any case, it is rarely used as a greeting among friends. If used for friends, it may be considered too formal.
2. 大家好 Dà jiā hǎo - Hello everybody
A separate Mandarin Chinese greeting is used to address a group of people. To greet many people together, this is the greeting that is used. In Mandarin Chinese, Dà jiā means “everybody” or “everyone”. By adding it before hǎo, it can be translated to “hello everybody”.
The word hǎo can be preceded by a person’s name or a group’s name to create a personalized hello message. This greeting is usually considered semi-formal by Mandarin Chinese speakers. It can be used, for instance, when your child wants to refer to their entire class of peers.
3. 老师好 Lǎo shī hǎo - Hello, teacher
If you are learning Mandarin Chinese, you can greet your teacher with lǎo shī hǎo which means “hello teacher”. When translated to English, the literal translation of this greeting is "teacher" and "good". The tone of saying this greeting is similar to nĭ hǎo. Though for all other purposes it means "hello teacher".
If someone is a teacher by profession, this greeting can be used to say hello, even if you are not a student. In Chinese culture, teachers are given a lot of respect, and greeting teachers is a way of expressing that respect.
4. 早 Zǎo - Good morning
The way to greet someone "good morning" is to say zǎo. It is an informal way of saying zǎo shàng hǎo which is a more formal way of saying "good morning". It can also be used for formal occasions, but it is not preferred in meetings. It is a relaxed way of greeting a friend or a peer.
Zǎo shàng hǎo can be used with relatives and older people. A Mandarin Chinese native is aware of these distinctions, but people learning Mandarin Chinese may have some doubts about which greeting is appropriate for different occasions. For instance, this greeting is a good choice for new people or people you have just met. It is one of the easiest greetings for children to learn and speak initially when they are learning Mandarin Chinese.
5. 喂 Wéi - Hello
Wéi is a particular type of "hello" in Mandarin Chinese that is used exclusively to answer the telephone. In the English language, there are summon greetings for the telephone and all other occasions but in Mandarin Chinese, there are separate greetings for events.
Wéi is said in a questioning tone to inquire about the purpose of a phone call. If you wish to make the tone slightly more subtle, you can add a Nĭ hǎo to the greeting. Wéi nĭ hǎo sounds both polite and inquisitive if spoken together.
6. 嘿 Hēi - Hey
This is an adapted version of the greeting "hey" in English. It has been incorporated into the urban Mandarin Chinese working language. Colleagues and peers greet each other with a hēi. The word was popularized by the social networking app called WeChat and is still mostly used for texting.
Since young individuals have become habituated to using this greeting while texting, they have started using it extensively in person as well. This greeting indicates that Mandarin Chinese culture is also influenced greatly by a global urban culture and that it is dynamic and evolving.
7. 哈喽 Hā lóu - Hello
Hā lóu is a borrowed word from the English dictionary, just like hēi. It is an alternative to “hey” and is mostly used by urban youth. It is not the most traditional way of greeting in Mandarin Chinese, but it is very versatile. This greeting is a little more playful than hēi and is used in person rather than in texts.
It is being used on social media and informal meetings. “Hello” is a global greeting. Every language has imbibed it in some version. It can be used for both formal and informal meetings. Hā lóu can be said at any time of the day.
8. 晚上好 Wǎn shàng hǎo - Good evening
If you happen to meet someone in the evening or at night, wǎn shàng hǎo is a great way to greet them. The literal translation of the word is "night good" but it means "good evening" in English.
Greetings are the first step of starting a conversation in Mandarin Chinese. When you meet new people, you want to give a good first impression, and getting these greetings right is a good place to start.
Mandarin Chinese greetings are also a great way to introduce your child to the Mandarin Chinese language. It gives them a sense of achievement and confidence because they can use the words independently, without knowing how to construct full sentences yet.
If you want to introduce your child to the Mandarin Chinese language through uplifting and educational programs, you are at the right place! At LingoAce, each lesson your child takes with us is a product of over 100 hours of curriculum creation, courseware production, mock teaching, teacher training and quality control (QC) rounds.
Experience a redefined Mandarin Chinese learning first-hand through a free trial lesson with us today.
