# How Are You in Chinese: Natural Ways to Ask and Greet People in Mandarin Chinese > In Chinese, there are many ways to ask "How are you" and greet people. Here is your lesson on the natural expressions and how to practice with YouTube. **URL:** https://migaku.com/blog/chinese/how-are-you-in-chinese **Last Updated:** 2025-12-02 **Tags:** culture, phrases --- This article is your guide to [learn Mandarin](https://migaku.com/learn-chinese) greetings with people you know. But wait, why is it just for people you know? Compared to the UK culture, small talk with strangers does not prevail in China, and staff at shops or whatever generally won't ask "how are you?" You know and that's enough for shopping and travelling in China. However, with deeper interactions, it starts with "How are you?" This is the gateway to communicating with friends and acquaintances, as well as maintaining polite business conversations! --- ## Your first greeting words in Mandarin Chinese: 你好, 您好, 哈喽, and 嗨 Here are your first essential greeting words in Mandarin Chinese, each suited for a different occasion. The versatile and respectful is your foundational "hello," suitable for almost any situation, such as greeting a classmate or a shop attendant. Sometimes if you want to draw the attention of the shop attendant or the restaurant waiter, you can also say to them to call them over. For example: 1.
*Hello, please give me a cup of water.* 2.
*Hello, how much is this cup?* To show deference to an elder, a superior, or someone you've just met in a formal setting, you would use the more polite , which elevates the greeting with its respectful pronoun. Usually, staff at the concert or theater will greet customers in this way. For example: 1.
*Greetings, this is my card.* 2.
*Greetings, seat C is this way.* For a casual, modern vibe infused with Western influence, particularly in text messages or with friends, you can opt for the borrowed or the simple and friendly , which mirror the familiar sounds of "hello" and "hi" in English. When trying to pronounce these two words, you should just say "hello" and "hi", the same way you pronounce English. These two words are the most common Chinese greetings, and every beginner should pick them up. Some scenarios are: 1.
*Hello, it's been a long time.* 2. (It's OK to just say hi and wave when passing by an acquaintance on the street and you are in the middle of something. You don't have to start a conversation.)
*Hi.* --- ## Your practical lesson on how to say "how are you": 你好吗？你怎么样？工作怎么样？最近怎么样？您身体好吗？ ### 你好吗？❌你怎么样？✅最近怎么样？✅ The textbook standard when learning the Chinese language is often to use However, as this is more of a direct translation from English, Chinese native speakers usually **do not** adopt this expression in daily exchanges. Together with and , these expressions are common in textbooks, but in real life, you should proceed to greet with these expressions with caution. Here's why. When it comes to greeting in business scenarios or occasions that you do not know the other party quite well, try to greet as vaguely as possible. Use expressions like , so people can reply to you with whatever comes to their mind and whatever feels comfortable to them. A possible conversation can be: - *How's things recently?* - *Same old, dropping kids to school and picking them up every day.* Bingo! Now you get some safe topics to proceed with the conversation, and in this case, you know it would be a good choice to talk about the kids more with this speaker. ### Proceed with caution: 工作怎么样？您身体好吗？ Therefore, when you use more specific greetings about the other party's health or job, you are running the risk of stumbling on topics that the other speaker will not enjoy that much. Especially when asking health of the elderly, the other speaker might not feel comfortable about it if the health condition is actually not that good... Unless you know this friend well and are aware that this is a safe topic. For example: 1.
*How's your health? I saw you running in the neighborhood every day!* 2.
*How's your work? Heard you've got a promotion recently.* --- ## Learn Chinese phrases that show concern for someone: 你怎么了, 你没事吧 When you notice someone appears distressed, unwell, or has had a mishap, moving beyond a simple greeting to express genuine concern is a way to show care. In these moments, two phrases become essential. directly asks "What's wrong?" or "What happened?" and is used to inquire about the cause of a visible problem. translates to "Are you okay?" or "Are you alright?" and is used to check on someone's health or state after a shock or minor accident. The tone is crucial—deliver these questions with a soft, caring tone and attentive body language to convey sincerity, not just curiosity. 1.
*What's wrong? Anything happened?* 2.
*Sweetie, what's wrong?* 3.
*Oh my, are you okay?* 4.
*You don't look so good, are you alright?* --- ## Watch YouTube and learn ways to ask "how are you" Equip yourself with basic Chinese greetings via media! There is simply no other more convenient or thorough method than this for you to know the meanings, usages, and connotations. And, who says that we can't have fun when studying these Chinese words? Migaku app can help you generate subtitles and create flashcards for sentences, helping you collect expressions to greet people in Chinese! 1. Switch on YouTube and search for Chinese videos with the app 2. Click "Watch with Migaku", and the magic wand at the lower left corner to generate Chinese subtitles 3. Click on the new words or sentences in each subtitle and generate flashcards! Chinese speakers way of greeting with literal translation on Migaku app --- ## FAQs The natural, everyday phrase is , meaning "How's it going?" For someone you haven't seen recently, ask , meaning "How have you been?" Try not to use , as it sounds unnatural and more like a literal translation from English greetings. The most essential greeting is , meaning "Hello." For greater respect, use . Among friends or in casual settings, you can use the borrowed or , equivalent to "Hello" and "Hi." A very common, traditional greeting is , meaning "Have you eaten?", which functions as a friendly "How are you?" The most common and simple response is to repeat the greeting back: or if they used the respectful form. You can then add a slight smile or a nod. To be more friendly and engaging, you can follow it with , meaning "Hello, how have you been recently?" --- ## Practice the pronunciation and usage, and greet like a Chinese native! To truly greet like a native, immerse yourself: watch a Chinese drama and listen for these exchanges, sing along to a pop song, or follow a friendly vlogger. Language lives in sound and rhythm. > If you consume media in Chinese, and you understand at least some of the messages and sentences within that media, you will make progress. _Period_. Impress your Chinese friends with the most natural greetings!