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hello; hi · interjection
你
nǐ · you
Radical: 亻
7 strokes
好
hǎo · good
Radical: 女
6 strokes
The most common greeting in Mandarin Chinese. Used in both formal and informal contexts. It literally combines "you" (你) and "good" (好), essentially asking "Are you good?" as a form of greeting.
More casual than 您好 (nín hǎo), which uses the respectful form of "you." Use 你好 with peers, friends, and people of similar age. Use 您好 with elders, bosses, or in very formal situations.
你好，请问你叫什么名字？
Nǐ hǎo, qǐng wèn nǐ jiào shén me míng zì?
Hello, may I ask what your name is?
你好！很高兴认识你。
Nǐ hǎo! Hěn gāo xìng rèn shi nǐ.
Hello! Nice to meet you.
老师你好，我是新来的学生。
Lǎo shī nǐ hǎo, wǒ shì xīn lái de xué shēng.
Hello teacher, I'm the new student.
你 (you) + 好 (good) = "You good?" — the simplest, friendliest way to say hello! Think of it as checking in on someone's wellbeing.