Hello, thank you, sorry, goodbye
你好, 您好, 谢谢, 不客气, 对不起, 没关系, 再见
Part of the free A0 Chinese course (about HSK 1–2). Examples are in Simplified characters with pinyin; press the speaker to hear one with your device's Chinese voice.
These seven expressions get you through your first conversations. Learn each one with its reply: in Chinese, as in English, thank you and sorry each have their own answer.
Saying hello
| Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| 你好 | nǐ hǎo | hello | the everyday greeting (literally "you good") |
| 您好 | nín hǎo | hello (polite) | to an older person, a teacher, a customer |
| 你们好 | nǐmen hǎo | hello, everyone | to a group |
Remember that 你好 is said ní hǎo (two third tones: see Tone changes: 你好, 不 and 一). 您 (nín) is the polite "you" (more in I, you, he, she: personal pronouns).
- 你好，我是王明。(Nǐ hǎo, wǒ shì Wáng Míng.)Hello, I'm Wang Ming.
- 您好，李老师！(Nín hǎo, Lǐ lǎoshī!)Hello, Teacher Li!
- 你们好！(Nǐmen hǎo!)Hello, everyone!
Chinese people often greet a teacher with a title + 好: 老师好！(Lǎoshī hǎo!) = Hello, teacher! The family name goes first: 李老师 is "Teacher Li".
You may also meet 你好吗？(Nǐ hǎo ma?), "How are you?". It is a real question, used with people you know, not a general hello. Questions with 吗 are in Yes/no questions with 吗.
Thank you, you're welcome
| Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 谢谢 | xièxie | thank you |
| 不客气 | bú kèqi | you're welcome (literally "don't be polite") |
| 不谢 | bú xiè | don't mention it |
- 谢谢老师！(Xièxie lǎoshī!)Thank you, teacher!
- 不客气。(Bú kèqi.)You're welcome.
Sorry, that's all right
| Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 对不起 | duìbuqǐ | I'm sorry |
| 没关系 | méi guānxi | that's all right (literally "no connection") |
- 对不起，我很忙。(Duìbuqǐ, wǒ hěn máng.)Sorry, I'm busy.
- 没关系。(Méi guānxi.)That's all right.
In 对不起, the 不 is light (neutral tone): duìbuqǐ.
Goodbye
再见 (zàijiàn) means "goodbye", word for word "again see". Swap 再 for a time word to say "see you…": 明天见 (míngtiān jiàn), "see you tomorrow".
- 再见，明天见！(Zàijiàn, míngtiān jiàn!)Goodbye, see you tomorrow!
Excuse me
To stop a stranger and ask something, start with 请问 (qǐngwèn), "may I ask": 请问… is the polite way in.
Common mistakes
- Answering 谢谢 with 谢谢: that only works when you are thanking them too. To accept thanks, answer 不客气 (bú kèqi) or 不谢 (bú xiè).
不客气in reply to 对不起: "you're welcome" answers thanks. To accept an apology, say 没关系 (méi guānxi).xièxiè: the second 谢 is neutral: xièxie.老师王for "Teacher Wang": in Chinese the family name comes first: 王老师 (Wáng lǎoshī).- Using 你好吗 as a casual "hi": it really asks how someone is. For a simple hello, use 你好.
Practice
- Someone says 谢谢 (xièxie) to you. What do you answer?Options: 不客气 (bú kèqi) · 没关系 (méi guānxi) · 对不起 (duìbuqǐ) · 再见 (zàijiàn)
Show the answer
不客气 (bú kèqi) — 不客气 is the reply to thanks.
- Someone says 对不起 (duìbuqǐ) to you. What do you answer?Options: 没关系 (méi guānxi) · 不客气 (bú kèqi) · 谢谢 (xièxie) · 你好 (nǐ hǎo)
Show the answer
没关系 (méi guānxi) — 没关系 accepts an apology: “that's all right”.
- Which greeting is the most polite, for a teacher or an older person?Options: 您好 (nín hǎo) · 你好 (nǐ hǎo) · 你们好 (nǐmen hǎo)
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您好 (nín hǎo) — 您 is the polite “you”.
- You walk into a room with several friends. Which greeting fits?Options: 你们好！(Nǐmen hǎo!) · 您好！(Nín hǎo!) · 再见！(Zàijiàn!)
Show the answer
你们好！(Nǐmen hǎo!) — 你们 is “you” for a group.