Hello in Chinese: 你好

你好 literally combines 你 (you) and 好 (good or well), but the phrase functions as a fixed greeting. It is usually written with two characters and is one of the first expressions learners recognise. The meaning is friendly and neutral rather than religious or ceremonial.

你好, 您好 and 大家好

你好 is the familiar general greeting. 您好 (nín hǎo) uses the polite form 您 and is used with elders, teachers, customers, officials or people addressed respectfully. 大家好 (dàjiā hǎo) means “hello, everyone” and works when speaking to a group.

早上好 and other time-specific greetings

早上好 (zǎoshang hǎo) means “good morning.” 晚上好 (wǎnshang hǎo) is “good evening,” while 晚安 (wǎn'ān) is usually “good night” before sleep rather than a greeting used on arrival. Choose a time-specific greeting when the context calls for it.

你好吗 — how are you?

你好吗 (nǐ hǎo ma) means “How are you?” It is common in teaching materials and some check-in conversations, but it is not always the most natural opener with strangers. A greeting such as 你好 followed by the person’s name or a context-specific question can sound more natural in everyday conversation.

Pronunciation and tone change

你 and 好 are both third-tone syllables when read separately. In natural speech, when two third tones occur together, the first commonly changes to second tone, so 你好 often sounds like ní hǎo. Pinyin dictionaries may still write the underlying tones as nǐ hǎo. Listen to fluent speech and avoid treating written tone numbers as an exact performance script for every sentence.

Writing and formality

你好 is written the same in simplified and traditional Chinese. 您好 is also the same. The main choice is register: 你 for familiar or neutral situations and 您 when the relationship calls for more respect or distance.

Design notes

Two characters form a compact horizontal greeting. Keep 你 and 好 aligned and preserve both components. Do not mirror the characters or replace one with a decorative symbol. The phrase is simple enough that changes in proportion are easy to notice.

What it does not mean

你好 is a greeting, not a promise of friendship, good luck or a particular result. It does not automatically fit every formal context, which is why 您好 and time-specific greetings are useful alternatives.