How do you say “how are you” in Chinese?
The phrase every textbook teaches for “how are you” is 你好吗 (nǐ hǎo ma). It is correct and everyone understands it — but it is worth knowing how to answer it, and that native speakers usually ask after each other a different way.
Pronunciation
吗 (ma) is the neutral tone — light and short — and turns the statement “you are good” into the question “are you good?”. Note the same 你好 tone change as in the hello guide: it is said “ní hǎo ma”.
How to use it
- •Answer with 我很好 (wǒ hěn hǎo), “I am good”. 很 (hěn) means “very” but here it is just the normal linking word before an adjective — you are not necessarily saying you are *very* well.
- •Other honest answers: 还好 (hái hǎo) “I’m OK”, 不错 (bú cuò) “pretty good” (literally “not bad”), 有点累 (yǒudiǎn lèi) “a bit tired”.
- •To ask it back, add 呢 (ne): 你呢? (nǐ ne?) “and you?”.
Common mistakes
- ▸Dropping 很 and saying 我好. In Mandarin an adjective like 好 normally needs 很 (or another adverb) in front of it in a plain statement — 我很好 is the natural form.
- ▸Reading 很 as a strong “very”. In 我很好 it is just grammatical glue; it does not mean you are extremely well.
- ▸Over-using 你好吗. See the cultural note — it can sound like a line from a textbook.
Cultural context
To a Chinese ear 你好吗 can sound slightly like a phrase learned from a course, because friends do not usually check in with it. A more natural everyday question is 最近怎么样? (zuìjìn zěnmeyàng?), “how have things been lately?”, or the familiar 你吃了吗? (nǐ chī le ma?), “have you eaten?”. Using one of these instead of 你好吗 is a quick way to sound less like a beginner.
Learn Chinese properly with a teacher — online, in person in Abu Dhabi, or with a home tutor.