#AtoZChallenge in China: Nǐ hǎo, It's Me

Hello! It’s our #AtoZChallenge again! I can’t believe I’m on my 14th entry… and 12 letters to go! Today’s challenge coincides with my weekly series, Mandarin Mondays, and we discuss the very basic word that you need to know when learning Mandarin — nǐ hǎo (你好).

So what happens when Adele’s smash hit is translated into Chinese (both simplified and traditional)? I myself am surprised when I searched YouTube because many of the covers use different phrases (but still they mean the same!)
If you know Chinese, you’ll see the difference in lyrics in these covers (both are sung in Mandarin). *Just play the songs while reading my blog* haha

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wX1ZFplF0sc
But ever thought of doing it around? Like getting the lyrics translated by Google into Chinese, then translated it back to English? Here’s the result! (Prepare yourself!)

N is for Nǐ hǎo
Just like in other countries and languages, nǐ hǎo is the very basic greeting locals use when they see or start a conversation with someone. Nǐ hǎo literally means “you” and “good.” When you put ma 吗 at the end, it becomes “How are you?” (Ma is an interrogative word, let’s say a suffix put at the end of a phrase to make that a question). So three characters and you can at least survive when you try to talk with locals.
And for some other greetings, phrases, and words you must know…

• My name is … : 我叫 … (Wǒ jiào …)
• I am … : 我是 … (Wǒ shì …)
• What’s your name?: 你叫什么名字? (Nǐ jiào shénme míngzì?)
• Good morning: 早上好 (Zǎoshang hǎo)
• Good afternoon: 下午好 (Xiàwǔ hǎo)
• Good evening: 晚上好 (Wǎnshàng hǎo)

There are a lot of resources on the web to learn Chinese. I suggest watch YouTube videos since they associate words with pictures, which make it easier for beginners to learn words. I also wrote an article about the first 100 Chinese characters every beginner needs to memorize and a guide to learning the five tones.
Thanks for reading! Tomorrow, we say hello to some Chinese toddlers who keep their crotch fresh!
Featured photo from @wwjuyseco

See more of my #AtoZChallenge: Chinese Adventure