Mandarin Minutes

níhāo = 你好 = hello

One of the most often uttered phrases in Mandarin, níhāo literally means ‘you good’ and is a common greeting. When I lived in China, I said this at least 100 times a day, sometimes repeating 2 or 3 times in one greeting to one person, each utterance with slightly descending volume and emphasis. So the potential to say níhāo a thousand times per day just depends on how often you get out and how friendly you are.