Mastering Good Morning in Chinese: Top Ways to Greet in Mandarin
Last updated: August 26, 2024
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
Meaning | Hanzi | Pinyin | Sounds Like |
|---|---|---|---|
good morning | 早上好 | zǎo shang hǎo | "zow shang how" |
good morning | 早安 | zǎo'ān | "zow ahn" |
mornin' | 早 | zǎo | "zow" |
Note: In this case, the listed terms are the same in both the Simplified and Traditional character sets.
- Pinyin: a standardized way to write Chinese characters in the Latin alphabet.
- Hanzi: Chinese characters.
- Tone: the pitch of a word, of which there are 4 distinct patterns represented by 4 different diacritics (accent marks); if there is no diacritic, it indicates a neutral or absent tone.
- Simplified: Chinese character set with less strokes.
- Traditional: Chinese character set with more strokes.
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 - 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 - 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 早上好. In the mainland it is still used but may be seen as more formal or literary.
Mornin' - 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 呀 or 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.
Now you know how to say good morning in Mandarin Chinese! If that didn't quite scratch your itch, we have a comprehensive approach for learning Chinese from the basics all the way to fluency. It consists of an advanced software suite and in-depth courses for all your Mandarin needs. Start your free trial today!