This is the "classic" greeting that most English-speakers learn as their very first way to say hello in Chinese. There's nothing wrong with this greeting per se, but it's not one that's common among actual Chinese people. Some claim that this sounds a little "stiff" or unnatural — a little like how a greeting like "Hi, how are you doing?" would sound in English.The approximate pronunciation here is "knee how." The first syllable is a rising tone (it starts low and ends high), while the second is a "dip" tone — its pitch dips in the middle.In Chinese, this phrase is written "你好."


, The very slight difference in this phrase is used to give the phrase a formal tone. Be aware that, even more than "nǐ hǎo," this phrase can imply a "distance" between the two speakers. If you use it with a friend, it can come across as rather cold and corporate.


The pronunciation is very similar to "nǐ hǎo," but with a very delicate n sound at the end of the first syllable.
 Unlike in English, Chinese uses different words for when you speak to multiple people as opposed to a single person. The meaning and tone here is basically the same as for "nǐ hǎo," only applied to multiple people.


This phrase is pronounced "knee-min how." The first syllable again is a rising tone while the last one is a "dip" tone.
Use "nǐ hǎo" as a standard greeting.
Use "nǐn hǎo" as a more formal greeting.
Use "nǐmén hǎo" to address a group of people.
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