Mastering Good Morning in Chinese: Top Ways to Greet in Mandarin

Whether you're traveling abroad, want to make an impression on a Chinese speaker, or simply want to impress your friends, we've got you covered with this detailed breakdown of the main ways to say good morning in Mandarin Chinese. We'll provide you with everything you need to know.

Overview

If needed, you can also check out our refresher on Chinese tones.

Good Morning in Chinese

The greeting "good morning" is not as common as it is in the United States, but it's certainly used. You can use any of the following from the early morning until just before noon. Let's cover the 3 ways to say good morning and explore some of their differences.

Good Morning - (zǎoshanghǎo)早上好

Literally: early morning good
Sounds like: "zow shang how"

This is the standard expression for good morning in mainland China. It's not overly formal or casual. This is rarely used in Taiwan.

Good Morning - (zǎoān)早安

Literally: early peaceful
Sounds like: "zow ahn"

This expression for good morning is highly regional. In Taiwan it's far more common than (zǎoshanghǎo)早上好. In the mainland it is still used but may be seen as more formal or literary.

Mornin' - (zǎo)早

Literally: early
Sounds like: "zow"

This is the more casual version of the above. It simply consists of the character for "early." It will often be followed by the sentence final particles (a)呀 or (a)啊. These particles in particular don't really add much meaning to the phrase but may make the phrase sound slightly less abrupt, or in other words, more polite.

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