Greetings and politeness in Mandarin Chinese
Hello, please, thank you, sorry: the ten openers everything else builds on. Play the ten Mandarin Chinese words against the clock, with a note on how locals really use each one after every answer. All ten are written out below.
All 11 Mandarin Chinese phrases in this lesson
- 你好nee-HOW
- Hello
- 早上好dzow-shang-HOW
- Good morning
- 晚上好wan-shang-HOW
- Good evening
- 再见dzai-JYEN
- Goodbye
- 回头见hway-toh JYEN
- See you
- 请ching
- Please
- 谢谢SHYEH-shyeh
- Thank you
- 不客气boo-kuh-CHEE
- You're welcome
- 对不起dway-boo-CHEE
- Sorry
- 不好意思boo-how-EE-suh
- Excuse me
- 很高兴认识你hen gow-SHING ren-shir nee
- Nice to meet you
The universal greeting, never wrong. To show respect to someone older, 您好 (neen-HOW) uses the polite "you". Fun fact: two third tones in a row, so 你 shifts to a rising tone; just copy how locals say it.
Often shortened to just 早 (dzow), the friendly morning nod between colleagues and neighbors. One syllable, maximum warmth.
Literally "evening good". In daily life 你好 (nee-HOW) covers it.
Literally "see again". In real life almost everyone says 拜拜 (bai-bai), borrowed from bye-bye, especially in cities. Both are fine everywhere.
Literally "see you in a turn of the head". Friends also say 拜拜 (bai-bai). 再见 (zai-JYEN) is the standard goodbye.
Starts polite requests: 请坐 (please sit), 请问 (ching-WEN), "may I ask", the magic word that opens every question to a stranger. Everyday transactions skip please; tone carries the politeness.
The everyday form. Adding the person: 谢谢你 (thank you), 谢谢您 for elders. It doubles as a polite no to street vendors: 谢谢 plus a wave-off means "no thanks".
Literally "don't be polite". You will also hear 不用谢 (boo-yong-SHYEH), "no need to thank". Both deflect the thanks, which is the culturally graceful move.
The real apology, for a mistake that matters. For a bump, 不好意思 (boo-how-EE-suh) is softer.
The soft "sorry to bother you", for squeezing past, getting attention, small apologies. The heavier 对不起 (dway-boo-CHEE) is for actual apologies. Bù hǎoyìsi is the one you will use hourly.
Literally "very happy to know you".