你好, 你好吗?, 谢谢! The phrases you'll use from your very first Chinese conversation — simple but essential everyday interactions.
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Greetings — 问候 wènhòu
Chinese greetings are simpler than in many languages. Context and relationship matter more than time of day.
你好 nǐ hǎo
· nee HOW
hello
你好，老师！
早上好 zǎoshang hǎo
· dzow-shahng HOW
good morning
早上好，大家！
下午好 xiàwǔ hǎo
· shyah-woo HOW
good afternoon
下午好！
晚上好 wǎnshang hǎo
· wahn-shahng HOW
good evening
晚上好，李先生！
再见 zàijiàn
· dzai-jyen
goodbye
再见，明天见！
拜拜 bàibai
· bai-bai
bye-bye (casual)
拜拜！
你好吗 nǐ hǎo ma
· nee how MAH
how are you?
你好吗？— 我很好！
最近怎么样 zuìjìn zěnmeyàng
· dzway-jin dzen-muh-yahng
how've you been?
最近怎么样？
In daily life, Chinese people often greet with 你吃了吗？ (Have you eaten?) — it's not a literal question about food, just a friendly greeting like 'How are you?'
Nǐ hǎo! Nǐ hǎo ma? — Wǒ hěn hǎo, xièxie!
Hello! How are you? — I'm fine, thanks!
Zǎoshang hǎo, lǎoshī! 早上好，老师！
Good morning, teacher!
Introductions — 自我介绍 zìwǒ jièshào
How to introduce yourself, ask someone's name, and make a great first impression in Chinese.
我叫… wǒ jiào
· woh jyow
my name is…
我叫安娜。
你叫什么名字 nǐ jiào shénme míngzi
· nee jyow shun-muh MING-dzih
what's your name?
你叫什么名字？
认识你很高兴 rènshi nǐ hěn gāoxìng
· ren-shih nee hun gow-shing
nice to meet you
认识你很高兴！
我是…人 wǒ shì…rén
· woh shih...ren
I am from…
我是哥伦比亚人。
我住在… wǒ zhù zài
· woh joo dzai
I live in…
我住在北京。
谢谢 xièxie
· shyeh-shyeh
thank you
谢谢你！
不客气 bú kèqi
· boo kuh-chee
you're welcome
不客气！
对不起 duìbuqǐ
· dway-boo-chee
I'm sorry
对不起，我迟到了。
没关系 méi guānxi
· may gwahn-shee
it's okay/no problem
没关系！
请 qǐng
· ching
please
请坐。
Chinese names have the family name first: 李明 = Li (family) Ming (given). When meeting someone, use 您好 (nín hǎo) for extra politeness instead of 你好.