Basic Chinese Greetings for Beginners

The goal of greetings is not complexity; it is starting a conversation quickly. “你好” and “最近怎么样” cover many casual situations.

Practice by changing time and relationship: use “早上好” in the morning, “你好” with new people, and “最近怎么样” with someone you know.

Do not translate every English greeting word for word. In Mandarin, short greetings plus one simple question sound more natural.

For a first meeting, “你好” is the safest choice. In the morning with a teacher, coworker, or front desk staff, “早上好” sounds natural. With friends, “嗨” or “最近怎么样？” is more conversational.

Mandarin small talk does not need to be long. One greeting plus one light question is enough, such as “你好，最近怎么样？” or “早上好，今天忙吗？”

Textbooks teach “你好吗？”, but in daily life people more often say “最近怎么样？”, “吃了吗？” (have you eaten?), or “去哪儿啊？” (where are you headed?). The last two are usually just small talk, not literal questions — a quick polite reply is all you need.

With elders, teachers, or shop staff, use “title + 好”, such as “老师好” or “王阿姨好”. “您好” is more respectful than “你好” and fits elders or formal settings; with friends, “嗨” or “哈喽” is fine.

You: 你好！好久不见. Other person: 是啊，最近怎么样？ You: 挺好的，你呢？ Other person: 我也不错. You: 很高兴又见到你.

Listen once, then repeat line by line. Swap “挺好的” for “还不错”, “有点忙”, or “最近很累”, and “好久不见” for “早上好”, to cover both a first meeting and seeing someone again.

“早上好” is simple, but in real use the relationship matters. It sounds natural with teachers, coworkers, or front desk staff; with close friends, “来了？” or “最近怎么样？” may sound more native.

Practice the same greeting with three people: a new friend, a teacher, and someone familiar. You will notice that politeness in Mandarin often comes from address and tone, not from making the sentence longer.

Minute one is only for the core lines: “你好！”、“您好！”、“早上好。”. Do not add new vocabulary yet; first make sure you can read the characters aloud and turn the English meaning back into Mandarin.

Minutes two to four change one real variable: place, quantity, time, person, or preference. In the final minute, close the page and say the idea with your own details. PandaKiko treats this guide as learned only when you can turn “你好！” into your own sentence.