👋 Saying hello

Unit 1 · Tones, greetings & introductions (HSK 1) · 7 min

你好 is the everyday greeting. Use 您好 with elders, clients and managers. To "你好吗?" answer "我很好，谢谢" (I am fine, thanks).

Words in this lesson

• 你好 (nǐ hǎo) — hello; hi
• 您好 (nín hǎo) — hello (polite)
• 你好吗 (nǐ hǎo ma) — how are you?
• 很好 (hěn hǎo) — very good
• 早上好 (zǎo shang hǎo) — Good morning!

Two 3rd tones in a row: the first becomes 2nd tone (ní hǎo).

Project: Tomorrow greet a Chinese person: "您好！你好吗？" and note their reply.