Good Night in Chinese: Phrases for Saying Good Night From Politeness to Intimacy

Alright — so you want to know if Chinese people have the "good night" ritual and if they do, how to say it properly.🌙 Well, whether Chinese parents talk to their kids that way depends on each family's situation, but "good night" is more common among friends and lovers. Basically, if you’re someone who wants to talk to friends, family, or that special someone when learning Chinese, you’ll love how a few simple phrases can build closeness. Let's get into it.

How to say the standard Chinese "good night": 晚安 (wǎn ān)

We should address the standard version first. When you look up "good night," you’ll almost certainly find this phrase: .

It’s your reliable staple. The upside to this is that it’s universally understood, perfectly polite, and works in almost any situation — more or less like tossing on a comfortable sweater. You can say it to your host family, a colleague after a late dinner, or text it to a friend.

But language is lived in the details. The downside? It can feel a tiny bit formal or abrupt all on its own. In other words, it’s the "good night" you say, not necessarily the one you whisper. So, while you must know it, the magic happens when you start to build on it. Think of it as your base layer.

For example, you can soften it effortlessly:

So far as daily utility is concerned, is your essential tool. But if that’s all you have, you’re just closing a door on the diverse expressions of good night in Chinese Mandarin.

How to add warmth and care to your good night in Chinese Mandarin?

This is where you go from being understood to being felt. Chinese, like any language, has those little emotional particles and terms of endearment that turn a phrase into a gesture. If you're talking to someone you're close to—a partner, a child, a best friend — you'll almost never just say the bare .

Here's something I've learned from years of listening: affection is often baked into the address. You’ll tag a name or a sweet nickname onto the phrase, or add on your wishes. It changes everything.

See the difference? The first one adds a term of endearment. The second shows care for the person’s well-being (and is incredibly common among parents). The third swaps the concept entirely from "peace" to "dreams." You’re not just acknowledging the end of the day; you’re expressing a hope for their unconscious hours. These phrases are the equivalent of a hug goodnight. They’re simple to learn, but their impact is massive because they signal you’ve moved past textbook politeness into the realm of genuine connection.

What are the good night expressions and phrases for chats?

Let’s be real: a huge portion of our "good nights" happen in blue light, thumb-typed into a phone. Sometimes, people feel shy to say "good night" face-to-face, or they don't get the chance to do so. That's why digital ways to say goodnight can be of great help when you're learning the Chinese language.

You’ll see — and can use — abbreviations and playful repetitions that would feel odd spoken aloud but are perfect for texting.

These are the workhorses of midnight messaging. They’re low-pressure and high-closeness. Basically, they assume a level of familiarity that the standard doesn’t. What if I told you that sending to a new friend could either be a charming misstep or a friendly advance? It’s all about context. The rule of thumb: if you’re not sure, stick with in writing, too. But if you’re deep in a flowing chat with a friend, tossing in - - is a perfect, warm sign-off.

On a side note: How did ancient Chinese say goodnight?

Let's get one thing straight right away: ancient China didn't have a direct, single phrase like our modern . In other words, the concept of a breezy, one-word sign-off is a very modern invention. Instead, people in ancient times — speaking in Classical Chinese, or — used a set of elegant and formal verbs to describe the act of retiring for the evening. It was less about a farewell wish and more about a declarative statement or a respectful suggestion.

You'd hear terms like (Rest peacefully), (Retire to bed), (Cease and rest), (Sleep peacefully), and the exceedingly polite (May you find valuable peace). The tone wasn't "good night!"—it was closer to "I shall now take my rest," or "It is late, you should retire."

If you'd like to explore more settings of goodnight in Mandarin...

So, you're curious about the context, situations, characters' facial expressions, and gestures of the goodnight in Chinese culture. Compared to audio and texts, videos are more accessible and efficient for Chinese learners to get the general idea of how to say goodnight in Chinese in different settings.

Migaku app can help generate Chinese subtitles even when the video does not feature any. For example, Migaku app can generate subtitles for this cut from The Knockout with the English translation. You can also click the words or sentences to add them to your flashcard collections and review them later. This is how you can click and save the goodnight words if you encounter any!

FAQs

You wouldn't want to say 安安 after your first date out with a girl...

As you might have noticed, languages can show so many different levels of intimacy among relationships. In this case, the good night phrases, you will definitely need to adjust your language based on the relationships. Like, you wouldn't want to say and sound overly intimate with a girl you just went out for the first date... Start with , but don’t stop there. Listen to how people use these variations in dramas, movies, and other media.

Try to say goodnight in Chinese to your loved ones!