(hēi) - hi; hey (a greeting) in Mandarin
hēiTraditional: 嗨
Also read hāi the usual reading as a greeting
Translation
hi; hey (a greeting)
Word origin
嗨 (hēi) is an interjection, often a greeting borrowed in sound from English 'hi'. It is written with 口 (the mouth radical) to mark a vocal sound, plus 海 (hǎi, 'sea') as the phonetic.
- Origin
- phono-semantic compound
- Root
- 口 (mouth radical) + 海 (hǎi, phonetic)
Stroke order
嗨
Examples
，！
Hi, good morning!
，。
Hi, I am new here.
：「。」
She smiled and said, "Hi."
，！
Hi, long time no see!
，？
Hi, how are you today?
嗨 (hēi) is a casual greeting, roughly "hi". It is an interjection, so it sits outside the sentence rather than inside it: 嗨，好久不见 (hi, long time no see). The sound is borrowed from English, which is why it feels lighter and more modern than 你好, and why you will hear it far more between friends and colleagues than in a formal setting.
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嗨: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "嗨" (hi; hey (a greeting)): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 5.