Greetings
How to say “how are you” in Chinese
“你好吗？” (nǐ hǎo ma?) means how are you. It is a bit textbook-like: friends more often say “最近怎么样？” (how have you been lately?) or just “你好”. You can answer “我很好，你呢？” (I'm fine, and you?).
In Chinese
你好吗？
nǐ hǎo ma?
How are you?
Other ways to say “how are you”
-
最近怎么样？
zuìjìn zěnmeyàng?
How have you been lately?
Natural between friends.
-
你怎么样？
nǐ zěnmeyàng?
How are you doing?
Casual.
-
吃了吗？
chī le ma?
Have you eaten?
A traditional greeting, especially in northern china.
-
您身体好吗？
nín shēntǐ hǎo ma?
Are you in good health?
Respectful, for elders.
Example sentences
-
你好吗？— 我很好，谢谢，你呢？
nǐ hǎo ma? — wǒ hěn hǎo, xièxie, nǐ ne?
How are you? — I'm fine, thanks, and you?
-
最近怎么样？— 还不错。
zuìjìn zěnmeyàng? — hái búcuò.
How have you been? — Not bad.
-
你吃了吗？— 吃了，你呢？
nǐ chī le ma? — chī le, nǐ ne?
Have you eaten? — Yes, and you?
How to reply
我很好，你呢？
wǒ hěn hǎo, nǐ ne?
I'm fine, and you?
Good to know
- “你呢？” (and you?) is a handy phrase to turn any question back to the other person.
- People often answer “还可以” (not bad), “不错” (pretty good) or “马马虎虎” (so-so).
Questions about “how are you” in Chinese
How do you say “how are you” in Chinese?
“how are you” in Chinese is “你好吗？” (How are you?). It is written in pinyin as nǐ hǎo ma?. You can also say “最近怎么样？”, “你怎么样？”, “吃了吗？”.
How do you pronounce “你好吗？” in Chinese?
“你好吗？” is pronounced nǐ hǎo ma?. Tap the speaker on this page to hear it.
What are other ways to say “how are you” in Chinese?
“最近怎么样？” (How have you been lately?): natural between friends. “你怎么样？” (How are you doing?): casual. “吃了吗？” (Have you eaten?): a traditional greeting, especially in northern China. “您身体好吗？” (Are you in good health?): respectful, for elders.
How do you reply to “你好吗？”?
A natural reply is “我很好，你呢？” (I'm fine, and you?).
Practise it, don't just read it.
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