How to pronounce ni hao
ni hao (hello) is 你好 in Chinese, written nǐhǎo in pinyin and said nee-how.
你好
nee-how
Sound by sound
- 你neeThird tone, said rising here before another third tone
- 好howThird tone: low, dipping down
Letters to watch
- Ao rhymes with “cow”: mao is “mow” as in “how now”, never “moe”.
Everyday words
- xie xie (thank you) 谢谢 shyeh-shyeh
- zai jian (goodbye) 再见 dzye-jyen
- qi (chi) 气 chee
- tai chi (taiji) 太极 tie-jee
- kung fu (gongfu) 功夫 goong-foo
- feng shui 风水 fung-shway
- yin and yang 阴阳 yeen-yahng
- Putonghua (Mandarin) 普通话 poo-toong-hwah
- hanzi (Chinese characters) 汉字 hahn-dzuh
- pinyin 拼音 peen-yeen
- xin nian kuai le (Happy New Year) 新年快乐 sheen-nyen-kwye-luh
- jia you 加油 jyah-yoh
- guanxi 关系 gwahn-shee
- mianzi (face) 面子 myen-dzuh
- shifu 师父 shr-foo
- laoshi (teacher) 老师 low-shr
- meimei (little sister) 妹妹 may-may
- gege (big brother) 哥哥 guh-guh
How do you pronounce ni hao?
ni hao (hello) is 你好 in Chinese, written nǐhǎo in pinyin and said nee-how. The first syllable is said with a rising tone, since a third tone before another third tone rises.
What are the tones in ni hao?
nǐ: second tone here, rising; hǎo: third tone, low, dipping down.
What do English speakers get wrong in ni hao?
Ao rhymes with “cow”: mao is “mow” as in “how now”, never “moe”.
More free tools
Voices recorded for our word cards. A spelling such as “shyow-mee” is the nearest English sound, not the sound itself: hear the voices.