Chinese Class: Lesson 2 — Greetings (打招呼 Dǎzhāohū)

Greetings are the first step to connecting with people. In Chinese, they are simple, polite, and easy to learn. Here are the most common ones you’ll hear every day.

👋 Common Greetings

• 你好 (Nǐ hǎo) — Hello (most common, polite for most situations)
• 早上好 (Zǎoshang hǎo) — Good morning
• 下午好 (Xiàwǔ hǎo) — Good afternoon
• 晚上好 (Wǎnshàng hǎo) — Good evening
• 你好吗? (Nǐ hǎo ma?) — How are you?
  Responses: 我很好 (Wǒ hěn hǎo) — I’m fine. / 还可以 (Hái kěyǐ) — Not bad.

🙋 Informal & Friendly Greetings

• 嗨 (Hāi) — Hi (casual, borrowed from English)
• 嘿 (Hēi) — Hey (used with close friends)
• 最近怎么样? (Zuìjìn zěnmeyàng?) — How’s it going recently?

✅ Quick Practice

A: 你好！(Nǐ hǎo!)
B: 你好！你好吗？(Nǐ hǎo! Nǐ hǎo ma?)
A: 我很好，谢谢！(Wǒ hěn hǎo, xièxiè!)

📌 Tip: In China, greetings often come with caring phrases like “吃了吗? (Chī le ma?) — Have you eaten?” It’s more about showing kindness than actually asking about food.

Hafrik Chinese Class – Learn a new word every day.