Traditional Chinese - Friendly Openings

歡迎

Huānyíng.

Welcome.

Meaning: 歡迎 (Huānyíng) means “Welcome.” It’s polite and simple.

When to use: Use 歡迎 (Huānyíng) when welcoming someone to a place, event, or group. In shops and restaurants in Taiwan, you may hear 歡迎光臨 (Huānyíng guānglín), which is more specific to customers.

今天天氣真好

Jīntiān tiānqì zhēn hǎo.

Nice weather today.

Meaning: 今天天氣真好 (Jīntiān tiānqì zhēn hǎo) means “Nice weather today.” It’s an easy, neutral opener.

When to use: Use 今天天氣真好 (Jīntiān tiānqì zhēn hǎo) to start light small talk, especially when you don’t know what else to say yet.

Tip: Don’t translate word-by-word as “today weather very good” in English. The natural meaning is “Nice weather today.”

叫我___就好。

Jiào wǒ ___ jiù hǎo.

Call me ___.

Meaning: 叫我___就好 (Jiào wǒ ___ jiù hǎo) means “Call me ___.” It sounds friendly and relaxed.

When to use: Use 叫我___就好 (Jiào wǒ ___ jiù hǎo) after introducing yourself, especially when you want the other person to use a simple name.

Tip: Don’t put 我 (wǒ) after the name here. Say 叫我 Anna 就好 (Jiào wǒ Anna jiù hǎo), not 叫 Anna 我 就好.

請問你會說英文嗎？

Qǐngwèn nǐ huì shuō Yīngwén ma?

Do you speak English?

Meaning: 請問你會說英文嗎？ (Qǐngwèn nǐ huì shuō Yīngwén ma?) means “Do you speak English?” It starts with 請問 (qǐngwèn), which makes it polite.

When to use: Use 請問你會說英文嗎？ (Qǐngwèn nǐ huì shuō Yīngwén ma?) when you need help and want to check if English is okay.

Tip: Remember 嗎 (ma) at the end. It turns the sentence into a yes/no question.

很高興看到你

Hěn gāoxìng kàndào nǐ.

Good to see you.

Meaning: 很高興看到你 (Hěn gāoxìng kàndào nǐ) means “Good to see you.” It’s friendly for someone you already know.

When to use: Use 很高興看到你 (Hěn gāoxìng kàndào nǐ) when greeting a friend, classmate, coworker, or someone you’ve met before.

你呢

Nǐ ne?

And you?

Meaning: 你呢？ (Nǐ ne?) means “And you?” It’s a short way to ask the same question back.

When to use: Use 你呢？ (Nǐ ne?) after answering or making a simple comment, so the other person can respond too.