Mastering Good Morning in Chinese: Top Ways to Greet in Mandarin
Last updated: August 26, 2024
Anyway—whether you're traveling abroad, are trying to impress your friends, or want to learn Chinese but aren't sure where to get started—we've got you covered.
Here are the main ways to say "Hello" in Chinese:
[Table] 3 ways to say good morning in Chinese
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: Sometimes, the simplified and traditional versions of a character are different. Here, they happen to be the same. As for the tones—you can check out this blog post if you need a crash course.
早上好 (zǎo shang hǎo) → How they say "Good Morning" in China
Pronunciation:
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.
早安 (zǎo ān) → How they say "Good Morning" in Taiwan
Pronunciation:
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.
早 (zǎo3) → A casual Chinese greeting similar to "Mornin'"
Pronunciation:
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.
If you're ready to move beyond phrasebooks...
So, indeed, if you want to learn Chinese, "good morning" is a good word to know. The thing is, native speakers know tens of thousands of words. If you want to learn Chinese, you're going to need to know much more than just 早上好.
The good news is that you don't need to know all of those words—not right now, at least. The reason for this is that words are not used equally often. If you learn the 1,500 most common words, you'll have an 80% chance of recognizing any random word you put your finger on. (That's not marketing mumbo jumbo; we did the math.)
The Migaku Chinese Academy was designed around teaching you these 1,500 words (and ~300 common grammar points) as efficiently as possible. It's flashcard-based, meaning you can do it anywhere... but three things really make it special:
- Each flashcard contains only one new word, so you're always learning, but never feel overwhelmed
- We use a special spaced-repetition algorithm that periodically nudges you to review these words, ensuring you eventually remember them
- Every single flashcard includes a recording of a native speaker saying the flashcard's main word and the sentence it appears in
The most important thing to remember if you want to learn Chinese
There's a lot of apps and textbooks out there these days, but when you boil it down, learning Chinese is actually really simple:
If you consume media you enjoy in Chinese, and you understand some of the messages and sentences within that media, you'll make progress. Period.
So, go ahead and learn a few words like good morning. They're useful. You won't go wrong with them.
But make sure you're spending some time in Chinese, too—not just learning about Chinese.
Good luck, friend 💪