Afternoon Greetings That Feel Natural
“Good afternoon” in Mandarin is most cleanly expressed with 下午好 (xiàwǔ hǎo). It maps neatly to English for announcements, meetings, and neutral settings. In everyday life, people also use 午安 (wǔ ān) in some regions, and with peers it’s common to skip the full phrase and just begin talking or lead with a friendly check-in. Knowing which option fits the room turns a textbook greeting into something that actually lands.
What 下午好 Means And How It Sounds
下午 marks the time period from after lunch until early evening, and 好 is “good.” Put together, 下午好 is a polite, neutral “Good afternoon.” Pronounce it xiàwǔ hǎo with tones 4–3–3: 下 (xià, falling), 午 (wǔ, dipping), 好 (hǎo, dipping). Say it in one smooth rhythm—imagine a gentle doorstep knock: clear, not rushed.
When 下午好 Is The Right Choice
Afternoon greetings appear most in settings where clarity and neutrality matter. Think classrooms, offices, conferences, welcome speeches, emcee scripts, and shop announcements. In these spaces, 下午好 feels structured and inclusive. Starting a meeting with “下午好，各位同事” (xiàwǔ hǎo, gèwèi tóngshì; Good afternoon, colleagues) immediately sets a calm, professional tone. Addressing a class with “下午好，同學們” (xiàwǔ hǎo, tóngxuémen; Good afternoon, students) signals that the session has begun.
Variations Learners Actually Use
Regional habits and personal style create a few workable alternatives:
- 午安 (wǔ ān) reads as a polite, concise “Good afternoon.” It carries a soft, courteous vibe and shows up in speech, signage, and messages, especially in places that favor the 安 (“peace”) pattern like 早安 and 晚安.
- 大家下午好 (dàjiā xiàwǔ hǎo) expands the greeting to a group and works beautifully on a stage or at the front of a room.
- Titles add respect without extra fuss: “校長下午好” (xiàozhǎng xiàwǔ hǎo; Good afternoon, Principal), “老師下午好” (lǎoshī xiàwǔ hǎo; Good afternoon, teacher).
With friends and coworkers, full greetings are often shortened or skipped. A simple “嗨” (hāi; hi) followed by a question—“忙不忙？” (máng bù máng?; Busy?)—can feel more authentic than a formal salutation at 3:15 p.m.
Sound, Rhythm, And Micro-Pronunciation
Tones unlock intelligibility. xià-wǔ-hǎo should not flatten into “shyah-woo-how.” Keep the fall on xià, let wǔ dip and rise slightly without dragging, and give hǎo a clear, compact third tone. A natural rhythm is: quick fall, small dip, tidy dip. Reading it together a few times—“xiàwǔ hǎo, xiàwǔ hǎo”—helps eliminate choppiness.
Dialogues For Real Situations
Classroom Start
A：下午好，同學們。請把作業拿出來。
A: Xiàwǔ hǎo, tóngxuémen. Qǐng bǎ zuòyè ná chūlái.
A: Good afternoon, students. Please take out your homework.
B：老師下午好。今天要小考嗎？
B: Lǎoshī xiàwǔ hǎo. Jīntiān yào xiǎokǎo ma?
B: Good afternoon, teacher. Is there a quiz today?
Team Stand-Up
A：下午好，各位同事。先更新一下今天的進度。
A: Xiàwǔ hǎo, gèwèi tóngshì. Xiān gēngxīn yíxià jīntiān de jìndù.
A: Good afternoon, everyone. Let’s start with today’s updates.
B：我先來。新的報表已經上傳。
B: Wǒ xiān lái. Xīn de bàobiǎo yǐjīng shàngchuán.
B: I’ll go first. The new report is uploaded.
Store Greeting
店員：下午好，歡迎光臨。需要幫忙嗎？
Diànyuán: Xiàwǔ hǎo, huānyíng guānglín. Xūyào bāngmáng ma?
Clerk: Good afternoon, welcome. Need any help?
顧客：先看看，謝謝。
Gùkè: Xiān kànkan, xièxie.
Customer: I’ll just look around first, thanks.
Friendly Check-In
A：嗨，下午好。午餐吃了嗎？
A: Hāi, xiàwǔ hǎo. Wǔcān chī le ma?
A: Hey, good afternoon. Had lunch?
B：吃了。等一下要去開會。
B: Chī le. Děng yíxià yào qù kāihuì.
B: Yeah. Got a meeting in a bit.
Replies That Fit The Tone
The easiest reply mirrors the greeting—“下午好”—and adds a short status update. “下午好” (xiàwǔ hǎo) followed by “還行，謝謝” (hái xíng, xièxie; Doing fine, thanks) sounds natural, so does “午安” (wǔ ān) in regions that like the 安 pattern. With friends, dropping to “嗨” or jumping straight to content is common: “下午好。報告準備好了” (Good afternoon. The report’s ready) or simply “報告好了” (The report’s ready).
Titles, Groups, And Respect
Mandarin makes it easy to show respect without changing the core phrase. Add a title before or after the greeting:
- 老師下午好 (lǎoshī xiàwǔ hǎo)
- 經理下午好 (jīnglǐ xiàwǔ hǎo)
- 各位來賓下午好 (gèwèi láibīn xiàwǔ hǎo; Good afternoon, honored guests)
- 同學們下午好 (tóngxuémen xiàwǔ hǎo)
Grouping words like 各位 (everyone/honored attendees), 大家 (everyone), and 來賓 (guests) are flexible and polished.
Email, Chat, And Mic Announcements
Subject lines and openings often mirror English formality:
- 主旨：下午好，關於明天的活動安排
Zhǔzhǐ: Xiàwǔ hǎo, guānyú míngtiān de huódòng ānpái
Subject: Good afternoon — tomorrow’s event schedule - 各位好，下午好。附件是最新版本。
Gèwèi hǎo, xiàwǔ hǎo. Fùjiàn shì zuìxīn bǎnběn.
Good afternoon, everyone. The attachment is the latest version.
For a microphone hand-off at an event:
- 主持人：大家下午好，歡迎蒞臨。接下來進行第二場座談。
Zhǔchírén: Dàjiā xiàwǔ hǎo, huānyíng lìlín. Jiēxiàlái jìnxíng dì-èr chǎng zuòtán.
MC: Good afternoon, everyone—welcome. Next up is panel two.
Cultural Rhythm: When People Skip The Salutation
Outside formal spaces, Mandarin speakers often jump straight to the point in the afternoon. A teammate might open with “檔案傳了嗎？” (Dǎng’àn chuán le ma?; Did the file send?) or “三點可以嗎？” (Sān diǎn kěyǐ ma?; Is 3:00 okay?) without any “Good afternoon” at all. This isn’t rude—it’s efficient. The more formal the channel or audience, the more 下午好 returns to the front.
Common Learner Mistakes And How To Fix Them
Using a morning greeting after lunch is the classic slip. 早安 and 早上好 belong before noon; switch to 下午好 or 午安 in the afternoon. Over-formalizing casual chats is another issue: dropping 下午好 into a lively team group chat may sound stiff; if everyone’s on nickname basis, “嗨” plus content is friendlier. Finally, watch the tones. Flattening xiàwǔ hǎo makes it muddy; slow down, place the fall on 下, tap the dip on 午 and 好, then speed back up.
Practice Drills
Read each set three times, then replace the underlined part with your own details.
- 下午好，大家。今天的重點是＿＿＿＿。
Xiàwǔ hǎo, dàjiā. Jīntiān de zhòngdiǎn shì ______.
Good afternoon, everyone. Today’s focus is ______. - 各位來賓下午好。很高興在這裡見到你們。
Gèwèi láibīn xiàwǔ hǎo. Hěn gāoxìng zài zhèlǐ jiàndào nǐmen.
Good afternoon, guests. Great to see you here. - 午安，老師。我想請教一個問題。
Wǔ ān, lǎoshī. Wǒ xiǎng qǐngjiào yíge wèntí.
Good afternoon, teacher. I have a question. - 嗨，下午好。會議連結在信裡。
Hāi, xiàwǔ hǎo. Huìyì liánjié zài xìn lǐ.
Hey, good afternoon. The meeting link is in the email. - 下午好，經理。報價單已經更新。
Xiàwǔ hǎo, jīnglǐ. Bàojiàdān yǐjīng gēngxīn.
Good afternoon, Manager. The quote is updated.
Quick Reference Table
| English | Traditional Chinese | Pinyin | Register / Use |
| Good afternoon | 下午好 | xiàwǔ hǎo | Neutral, meetings, classrooms, announcements |
| Good afternoon | 午安 | wǔ ān | Polite, concise; shows up in messages and signage |
| Good afternoon, everyone | 大家下午好 | dàjiā xiàwǔ hǎo | Addressing a group or audience |
| Good afternoon, teacher | 老師下午好 | lǎoshī xiàwǔ hǎo | Respectful address with title |
| Hi + check-in | 嗨，忙不忙？ | hāi, máng bù máng? | Casual peers; often replaces a formal salutation |
Takeaway
下午好 is the clean, neutral way to say “Good afternoon” in Mandarin, perfect for rooms that need clarity and a touch of polish. 午安 provides a compact alternative with a courteous feel, and among peers the greeting often fades to a quick “嗨” or straight to the point. Master the tones, add titles for respect, and choose the version that fits the room—from conference mic to coffee queue—and the afternoon opens up smoothly.