How to say "How are you?" in Chinese

Meaning

A polite question asking about someone's wellbeing.

Usage

This phrase is a standard greeting in Mandarin Chinese. It can be used in both casual and slightly formal contexts. The most common response is '我很好' (wǒ hěn hǎo, 'I'm fine') or '还可以' (hái kěyǐ, 'Not bad'). In very formal settings, you might use '您好吗？' (nín hǎo ma?) with the honorific '您' (nín) instead of '你' (nǐ).

Example sentences

• Hi! How are you?

  你好！你好吗？

• I haven’t seen you in a while. How are you?

  好久不见。你好吗？

Related expressions

• 最近怎么样？zuìjìn zěnme yàng?— How have you been lately?

  A more casual and common alternative in modern speech.

• 一切都好吗？yīqiè dōu hǎo ma?— Is everything going well?

  A slightly more formal way to ask about someone's overall wellbeing.