How to Say ‘How are you?’ in Traditional Chinese
你好嗎？
nǐ hǎo ma
[nee how mah]
💬 Usage Tip: Adding 嗎 (ma) to the end of a statement turns it into a yes/no question, with no change in word order. Compare 你忙嗎？ "Are you busy?"
🇹🇼 In Taiwan: This sounds a bit textbook-like in Taiwan. Friends rarely ask it, and older people may instead greet you with 吃飽了嗎？ "Have you eaten?"
Phrase Breakdown
你
nǐ
[nee]
you
Refers to the person being spoken to.
你覺得這個圖表怎麼樣？
What do you think of this chart?
好
hǎo
[how]
good; well
Means 'good' or 'well'; in greetings it helps form 'hello.'
你好，很高興認識你。
Hello, nice to meet you.
嗎
ma
[mah]
question particle (yes/no questions)
Used at the end of a sentence to ask a yes/no question. In holiday talk: 有吃年夜飯嗎？
你有吃年夜飯嗎？
Did you have the New Year’s Eve reunion dinner?
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