Etiquettes is a great part of the Chinese culture, using the appropriate greetings can often help to build close business relationships and allow businesses to run smoothly and pleasantly. However, they are not difficult to pick up. Here are a few most frequently used Chinese greetings to make you sound both polite and native!

Formal ways to say hello:

• 你好 (nǐ hǎo) - Hello
• 您好 (nín hǎo) - Hello (a more polite alternative)

Casual ways to say hi:

• 嗨 (hāi) - Hi
• 哈喽 (hā lou) - Hello
• 嘿 (hēi) - Hey

Asking 'How are you?' in Chinese:

• 你好吗？ (nǐ hǎo ma) - How are you?
• 你吃了吗？ (nǐ chī le ma?) - Have you eaten yet? (a common greeting in China, not so much the question itself at face value)

Good morning in Chinese:

• 早上好 (zǎo shang hǎo) - Good Morning (formal)
• 早 (zǎo) - Mornin' (informal)

Good afternoon in Chinese:

• 下午好 (xià wǔ hǎo) - Good Afternoon (formal)

Good evening in Chinese:

• 晚上好 (wǎn shang hǎo) - Good Evening (formal)

Other greetings:

• 喂 (wéi) - Hey (mostly for picking up calls)
• 好久不见 (hǎo jiǔ bù jiàn) - Long time no see
• 最近你怎么样？ (zuì jìn nǐ zěn me yàng) - How's things?
• 你去哪里？ (nǐ qù nǎ lǐ?) - Where are you going?
• 你在干嘛呢？ (nǐ zài gàn má ne?) - What are you doing?
• 大家好 (dà jiā hǎo) - Hello everyone

Meeting someone for the first time:

• 很高兴见到你 (hěn gāo xìng jiàn dào nǐ) - Nice to meet you.
• 很高兴再次见到你 (hěn gāo xìng zài cì jiàn dào nǐ) - Nice to see you again.

Goodbyes:

• 再见 (zàijiàn) - Goodbye (more formal)
• 拜拜 (bàibài) - Goodbye (less formal)
• 明天见 (míngtiān jiàn) - See you tomorrow
• 一会儿见 (yīhuì'er jiàn) - See you later/see you soon
• 再联系 (zài lián xì) - Contact you again/Keep in touch.

This article is brought to you by Bluente, the world's first business language learning app.
To find out more, visit us at app.bluente.com.