German Phrase
你好
Meaning
Literally “you good”, it is the standard way to say “hello” in Mandarin Chinese. It can be used at any time of day and works in both casual and semi‑formal situations.
When to use
Use 你好 when you meet someone for the first time, when you greet a colleague, or when you answer the phone. It is the go‑to greeting for most everyday interactions.
✦Grammar Breakdown
你好
你 (nǐ)
Second‑person singular pronoun meaning “you”.
好 (hǎo)
Adjective meaning “good”. In the greeting it functions as a polite verb “to be well”.
🗨In Conversation
你好！
Hello!
你好！
Hello!
✕Common Mistakes
你 好
Do not separate the characters with a space; they form a single lexical unit.
你好吗
你好吗 means “How are you?” – it’s a different question, not a simple greeting.
ni hao
The tones are omitted in pinyin; saying it with flat tones sounds unnatural.
↔Alternatives
您好
Hello (polite, used with elders or strangers)
嗨
Hi (very informal, borrowed from English)
早上好
Good morning
晚上好
Good evening
Cultural Tip
In Mainland China, 你好 is universally understood and accepted. When speaking to someone older, in a business setting, or to a customer, it’s safer to use the more respectful 您好. Tone is crucial – a flat or wrong tone can change the meaning entirely.