How to say “How are you?” in Chinese
“How are you?” in Chinese is 你好吗？, written in pinyin as Nǐ hǎo ma?.
你好吗？
Nǐ hǎo ma?
How are you?
Word by word
What each part of 你好吗？ actually means.
- 你nǐyou
- 好hǎogood
- 吗maquestion particle
When you use it
Natural among friends, slightly formal with strangers. It is often answered with 很好.
Use 你好吗？ in everyday situations. Greetings, thanks and the small words you use all day.
Common questions
- How do you say "How are you?" in Chinese?
- "How are you?" in Chinese is 你好吗？ — written in pinyin as Nǐ hǎo ma?. It is a everyday phrase you would use in China.
- What does 你好吗？ mean in Chinese?
- 你好吗？ (Nǐ hǎo ma?) means "How are you?". Broken down word by word: 你 (nǐ) means "you"; 好 (hǎo) means "good"; 吗 (ma) means "question particle".
- When would you use "How are you?" in Chinese?
- Natural among friends, slightly formal with strangers. It is often answered with 很好. You would say 你好吗？ (Nǐ hǎo ma?) in everyday conversation.
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