How to Ask (and Answer) “How Are You” in Chinese

Just like in language, saying greetings "hello" and "how are you" in Chinese is often one of the first things we learn in Chinese. So, chances are you may have read somewhere that “how are you?” in Chinese is “你好吗 Nǐ hǎo ma?”.

However, “你好吗 Nǐ hǎo ma?” doesn't really mean "how are you?" in Chinese. In reality, not only are there better ways to ask "how are you" in Chinese, but also how you ask "how are you" in Chinese will differ depending on the situation.

In this article, we will cover 15 ways to ask "how are you" in Chinese for different situations, as well as various ways to respond to "how are you" in Chinese.

Table of Contents
How to say “how are you” in Chinese to ask about someone’s overall well-being?
How to answer 你怎么样 in Chinese when speaking with an acquaintance?
How to answer 你怎么样 in Chinese when speaking with friends and family?
How to answer 你最近忙些什么 in Chinese?
How to ask “how are you” in Chinese as a casual greeting?
How to answer 你吃饭了吗 in Chinese?
How to greet someone in Chinese by asking the obvious?
How to ask "how are you" in Chinese when someone seems unwell?
Why should I learn the different types of Chinese characters?
How to answer 你还好吗 in Chinese?
How to say "How did everything go" in Chinese?

How to say “how are you” in Chinese to ask about someone’s overall well-being?

These following phrases are all good ways to show concern for the listener at the start of a conversation.

1-你怎么样 Nǐ zěnme yang?
Sorry to break it to you but the most common way to ask, “how are you” is “你怎么样 Nǐ zěnme yàng?”, not “你好吗 Nǐ hǎo ma?”. This question is usually used to ask about someone’s general well-being.

2-(你)最近怎么样 (Nǐ) zuìjìn zěnme yàng?
If you’re speaking with someone that you haven’t seen or talked to for a while, adding 最近 zuìjìn to the first phrase will change it to “how are you doing recently?”.

3-(你)身体怎么样 (Nǐ) shēntǐ zěnme yang?
身体 Shēntǐ means “body” in Chinese. The phrase 你身体怎么样 Nǐ shēntǐ zěnme yàng? is best used with someone you’re familiar with but that you haven’t seen in a while or with older people, to enquire about their physical health.

4-(你)最近忙些什么 Nǐ zuìjìn máng xiē shénme?
你最近忙些什么? can be interpreted as “What have you been up to recently?” in English.

How to answer 你怎么样 in Chinese when speaking with an acquaintance?

Although 怎么样 zěnme yàng indicates an open-ended question, bear in mind that oftentimes the question 你怎么样 is only used as a pleasantry, and therefore does not require a detailed response unless the speaker is someone close to you.

Instead, neutral replies are more popular. The same applies to 你最近怎么样 and 你身体怎么样.

Here are a few responses you may practice:

Bonus: Colloquial habit means native Chinese speakers often omit subjects of a sentence, such as 我, when in a conversation between two people. As they are optional, you can decide if you want to use them or not.

How to answer 你怎么样 in Chinese when speaking with friends and family?

If you’re being asked any of the first three questions we covered above by a close friend or relative, feel free to give a more specific reply, followed by a short explanation. For example:

我很累.我昨天晚上谁的不太好.
Wǒ hěn lèi. Wǒ zuótiān wǎnshàng shuì dé bù tài hǎo.
I am very tired. I didn't sleep well last night.

很忙.我天天写毕业论文呢.
Hěn máng. Wǒ tiāntiān xiě bìyè lùnwén ne.
Very busy. I write my graduation thesis every day.

Alternatively, you may also choose to deflect the question by saying:

Regardless of how you choose to reply, be sure to follow up with 你呢 Nǐ ne? (How about you?), to keep the conversation flowing, and in case you only see them a couple of times a year, end the conversation with “保重 Bǎozhòng! “(English meaning: “Take care!”).

How to answer 你最近忙些什么 in Chinese?

Just as with any question with the question word 什么shénme, all you need to is restate the subject, followed by the verb describing your answer, to respond to this question.

Since answers vary from one person to another and can change anytime, I highly recommend taking some online Chinese courses to help improve your Chinese speaking skills if you have difficulty crafting a reply of your own.

Now that we’ve looked at how to ask “how are you” in Chinese to start a conversation, let’s explore Chinese phrases to say “how are you?” as a greeting.

How to ask “how are you” in Chinese as a casual greeting?

5-你好 Nǐ hǎo
你好 is undoubtedly one of the very first phrases every Chinese learner picks up. Although not a question, I included this standard Chinese “hello” as it also conveys a feeling of concern for others, because it literally means “you good”.

Still, you would want to save this one for strangers and people you’re not very familiar with as it sounds a bit formal.

6-(你)吃(饭)了吗 (Nǐ) chī(fàn)le ma?
The Chinese greeting 你吃饭了吗? means “have you eaten?” or “have you had food?” in English. It is a quick and informal question typically exchanged between acquaintances to greet each other in passing, without having to stop for a conversation. You may use it if you run into someone close to standard meal times.

Another variant of the same phrase is 你吃饭了没 Nǐ chīfànle méi?.

Oftentimes, the locals tend to drop the word饭 in addition to omitting the subject, so don’t be surprised if someone asks you 吃了吗 Chīle ma? or 吃了没 Chīle méi?

How to answer 你吃饭了吗 in Chinese?

Generally speaking, the locals tend to respond that they have eaten, regardless of whether it’s true or not.

Since the particle 吗 indicates a yes-no question, refrain from rambling about everything you ate. Again, this is a merely pleasantry, not a way to start a full-on conversation.

How to greet someone in Chinese by asking the obvious?

7-出去啊 Chūqù a?
English: Going out?

8-上班啊 Shàngbān a?
English: Going to work?

9-买菜啊 Mǎi cài a?
English: Buying groceries?

This habit took me some time to get used to but, living in Beijing, I picked up rather quickly that these are not genuine questions, and that the purpose of the exchange is simply to acknowledge someone’s presence.

How to answer obvious greeting questions in Chinese?

Having said that, you will more likely hear the locals respond with a short 嗯 en (like the affirmative sound “mhm”) most of the time.

How to ask "how are you" in Chinese when someone seems unwell?

10-你好吗Nǐ hǎo ma?
As aforementioned, 你好吗 Nǐ hǎo ma doesn’t really mean how are you in Chinese, and you will almost never hear native Chinese speakers use it. But if 你好吗 is a poor Chinese translation of “how are you?” and is culturally inaccurate, then why is it often taught to beginner Chinese learners?

I picked the brain of Culture Yard’s teacher Qi Laoshi about this very question. Qi Laoshi explained that it is probably due to a mistake in early teaching materials for Chinese as a foreign language that was kept over the years because it is still grammatically correct and can be helpful in teaching the basic Chinese sentence structure Subject+ adjective+吗.

In addition to sounding odd and unnatural, the question 你好吗 also carries a negative connotation, as if you suspect the listener is not doing well. If someone appears unwell and you wish to confirm your doubts out of concern, try one of these alternatives instead:

11-你还好吗 Nǐ hái hǎo ma?
English: Are you alright？

12-你还好吧 Nǐ hái hǎo ba?
English: Are you ok?

13-你没事吧 Nǐ méishì ba?
English: Are you alright?

14-(你)怎么了 (Nǐ) zěnmele?
English: What’s wrong/what’s the matter (with you)?

How to answer 你还好吗 in Chinese?

How to say "How did everything go"in Chinese?

15-一切都顺利吗 Yīqiè dōu shùnlì ma?
“一切都顺利吗?” is what you would want to say in Chinese to ask about the success of an important event or activity, such as an exam, an interview, or a contest.

So, if you just sat the HSK exam, your Chinese teacher or friends might ask you 一切都顺利吗?, and hopefully you can confirm and say一切都很顺利 Yīqiè dōu hěn shùnlì (English: Everything went well).

There you have it! Now you know how to say “how are you” in Chinese like a native. Whether you live in China or plan to travel to China soon, I am sure that these phrases will surely come in handy.

Check out this page for more useful Chinese phrases, or get in touch for a free online Chinese trial class.

About the Author

Juli Mboty has called China home for over 11 years where she became passionate about the Chinese culture, language, and history.