Though there is a massive campaign under way in China to teach the population English in preparation for the Olympics, anyone who travels to China still needs to master at least a few basic phrases. There are several ways to say “hello” in China, each with a slightly different shade of meaning and appropriate situation for use. The most simple “hello” is ni hao ma? which has been condensed to ni hao? (Say it as if you were saying the English words “knee how.” Its literal meaning is “you good?”) The most typical way to reply is hao, ni ne? (This is pronounced “how, knee na?” and means “fine, and you?”)
