# How Are You in Cantonese: 3 Natural Ways to Greet People
> Say "how are you" in Cantonese with nei5 hou2 maa3, nei5 dim2 aa3, and other natural phrases Hong Kong speakers use. Includes responses and pronunciation.
**URL:** https://migaku.com/blog/chinese/how-are-you-in-cantonese
**Last Updated:** 2026-03-20
**Tags:** vocabulary, phrases
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If you're [learning Cantonese](https://migaku.com/learn-cantonese), you've probably realized that greeting people goes way beyond just saying "hello." Cantonese speakers in Hong Kong have tons of ways to ask "how are you," and they use different phrases depending on who they're talking to and what vibe they're going for. The most common one you'll hear is "nei5 hou2 maa3," but there are casual alternatives, slang versions, and regional variations that'll make you sound way more natural. Let's break down all the different ways to greet someone in Cantonese and how to respond without sounding like a textbook.
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## The basic greeting: nei5 hou2 maa3
The standard way to ask "how are you" in Cantonese is **你好嗎 ** (nei5 hou2 maa3). If you break this down, 你 (nei5) means "you," 好 (hou2) means "good" or "well," and 嗎 (maa3) is a question particle that turns the whole thing into a question. So literally, you're asking "you good?"
Here's the thing about nei5 hou2 maa3. It's grammatically correct, and everyone will understand you, but it sounds pretty formal. You'll hear it in more polite situations or when someone's checking in on you after you've been sick or going through something. It's less common in everyday casual conversations between friends.
The pronunciation can be tricky if you're new to Cantonese. The "hou2" part uses a rising tone (that's what the "2" indicates in Jyutping romanization), and "maa3" has a mid-level tone. You can find tons of pronunciation examples on YouTube if you search for Cantonese greetings, and honestly, listening to native speakers is the best way to get the tones right.
When someone asks you "nei5 hou2 maa3," the most straightforward answer is **我好好 ** (ngo5 hou2 hou2), which means "I'm good" or "I'm well." The first hou2 is an adverb meaning "very" and the second hou2 means "good," so you're basically saying "I'm very good."
Another common response is **我幾好 ** (ngo5 gei2 hou2), which translates to "I'm quite good" or "I'm pretty well."
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## Casual alternatives like nei5 dim2 aa3
If you want to sound more natural and less like you're reading from a phrasebook, you should learn **你點呀 ** (nei5 dim2 aa3). This is the casual, everyday way Hong Kong people ask "how are you" or "what's up." The word [點 (dim2) means "how"](https://migaku.com/blog/chinese/cantonese-question-words) or "what way," and 呀 (aa3) is a casual question particle that makes the whole phrase friendly and relaxed.
You'll hear nei5 dim2 aa3 everywhere in Hong Kong. Friends use it, coworkers use it, people use it when they run into each other on the street. It's way more common than nei5 hou2 maa3 in daily conversation. The vibe is similar to saying "how's it going?" in English instead of the more formal "how do you do?"
Another variation you might hear is **點呀 ** (dim2 aa3) without the "nei5" at the beginning. When you're already talking to someone and the context is clear, Cantonese speakers often drop the "you" part. It's faster and sounds more natural.
For an even more casual greeting, some people just say **你好 ** (nei5 hou2) without the question particle. This works as both "hello" and a quick "how are you" depending on your tone and context. If you say it with a rising intonation at the end, it functions more like a question, checking in on someone.
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## Common responses you should learn
When someone asks you nei5 dim2 aa3, you've got a bunch of options for how to respond.
- The most common casual response is **幾好呀 ** (gei2 hou2 aa3), which means "pretty good" or "quite well." The aa3 particle at the end keeps it casual and matches the tone of the question.
- If you're doing really well, you can say **好好呀 ** (hou2 hou2 aa3) with that same casual particle.
- If things are just okay, you might say **麻麻地 ** (maa4 maa4 dei2), which literally means "so-so" or "just okay." This is super common and probably more honest than always saying you're great.
- Another response pattern involves being specific about how you're feeling. You might say **好攰呀 ** (hou2 gui6 aa3) if you're tired, or **唔係幾好 ** (m4 hai6 gei2 hou2) if you're not feeling great. Cantonese speakers appreciate it when you're actually honest about how you're doing instead of just giving a generic positive response.
Sometimes you'll want to turn the question back to the other person. The phrase for this is **你呢 ** (nei5 ne1), which means "and you?" or "how about you?" So a full exchange might go: "nei5 dim2 aa3?" "gei2 hou2 aa3, nei5 ne1?" That's pretty much the standard greeting pattern you'll hear constantly in Hong Kong.
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## Health-related responses
When you're not feeling well, there are specific phrases you can use to explain what's wrong.
- If you have a headache, you'd say **我頭痛 ** (ngo5 tau4 tung3). The word 頭 (tau4) means "head" and 痛 (tung3) means "pain" or "ache."
- If you're sick in general, you can say **我唔舒服 ** (ngo5 m4 syu1 fuk6), which means "I'm not comfortable" or "I don't feel well."
When someone tells you they're not feeling well, the polite response is to express concern. You might say **咩事呀 ** (me1 si6 aa3), which means "what's wrong?" or "what happened?" This shows you care and opens the door for them to explain more if they want to.
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## Follow-up words and phrases
After someone responds to your greeting, you'll often want to acknowledge what they said or express sympathy if they're not doing well. A simple **係呀 ** (hai6 aa3) works as "I see" or "oh really," showing you're listening.
If someone says they're tired or busy, you might respond with **辛苦晒 ** (san1 fu2 saai3), which is a phrase that acknowledges their hard work. It literally means something like "you've worked hard" or "that's tough." It's a really common expression in Hong Kong culture where acknowledging effort is important.
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## Making your greetings sound natural
1. The biggest thing that'll make your Cantonese greetings sound more natural is using those [sentence-final particles](https://migaku.com/blog/chinese/cantonese-particles-sentence-final-guide) correctly. The aa3 particle in nei5 dim2 aa3 completely changes the vibe from formal to casual. Without it, the phrase sounds stiff and textbook-like.
2. Another tip is to pay attention to the speed and rhythm. Cantonese speakers in Hong Kong talk pretty fast, and greetings especially get compressed and flow together. When you're practicing, try to say nei5 dim2 aa3 as one fluid phrase rather than three separate words.
3. Context matters a ton too. If you're greeting an elderly person or someone in a position of authority, stick with the more formal nei5 hou2 or nei5 hou2 maa3. Save nei5 dim2 aa3 for peers, friends, and casual situations.
4. Watch how native speakers greet each other in different contexts. Hong Kong TV shows and YouTube videos are great for this. You'll notice that greetings are often super quick and might be combined with other phrases or questions about what the person's been up to.
Anyway, if you want to practice Cantonese with content from Hong Kong, Migaku's browser extension and app let you look up words and save phrases while watching Cantonese shows or reading articles. Makes learning from real material way more practical. There's a 10-day free trial if you want to check it out.
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## FAQs
You might see some romanization systems write the greeting as "lei ho" instead of "nei ho." This comes down to different romanization systems and also some regional pronunciation differences. The standard Jyutping system, which is what most modern Cantonese learning resources use, writes it as "nei5." In actual Hong Kong pronunciation, the "n" and "l" sounds have merged for many speakers, especially younger generations. So you'll hear both "nei5" and "lei5" in practice, and they're referring to the same word. Some older speakers or people from certain regions maintain the distinction, but for most Hong Kong Cantonese, they sound the same.
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## Learn Cantonese with videos!
Learning how to greet people properly in Cantonese opens up way more natural conversations. Start with nei5 hou2 maa3 and nei5 dim2 aa3, practice the common responses like gei2 hou2 aa3 and maa4 maa4 dei2, and don't forget to ask nei5 ne1 to turn the question back. Many Cantonese videos teach you how to exchange greetings naturally with guidance on pronunciation, context, and relevant expressions. They are the best resources for you to learn most of the greetings within a short time.
> If you consume media in Cantonese, and you understand at least some of the messages and sentences within that media, you will make progress. _Period_.
Diversify your expressions and make conversations feel natural!