您好
nín hǎo
Hello (polite)
How to ask "How are you?" in Chinese
你好吗？
nǐ hǎo ma?
How are you?
Grammar and structure
你好吗 is 你 (you) + 好 (good) + 吗 (question particle). It literally asks "Are you good?"
When to use it
Use 你好吗 as a greeting, but note it is less common than in English. Chinese speakers often skip it and go straight to the topic. English speakers might expect a detailed response; a simple 我很好 (wǒ hěn hǎo) suffices.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “How are you?” in Chinese?
“How are you?” in Chinese is 你好吗？ (nǐ hǎo ma?).
How do you pronounce 你好吗？?
你好吗？ is pronounced nǐ hǎo ma?.
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