How to say “Nice to meet you” in Chinese
“Nice to meet you” in Chinese is 认识你很高兴。, written in pinyin as Rènshi nǐ hěn gāoxìng.
认识你很高兴。
Rènshi nǐ hěn gāoxìng.
Nice to meet you.
Word by word
What each part of 认识你很高兴。 actually means.
- 认识rènshito know someone
- 你nǐyou
- 很hěnvery
- 高兴gāoxìnghappy
When you use it
- Use it the moment you are introduced to someone — right after the handshake or the nod — as the standard way to open a new acquaintance in Chinese.
- It also fits hosts, guides, hotel managers and a friend's parents, though people of your own age usually just say 你好 again and get straight to talking.
Use 认识你很高兴。 in everyday situations. Greetings, thanks and the small words you use all day.
Other ways people say it
The same idea, said differently. Roughly in the order you'll hear them.
很高兴认识你。
Hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ
Very happy to meet you.
The same words with the feeling first — this is the order you will hear most often.
幸会幸会。
Xìnghuì xìnghuì
A pleasure, a pleasure.
Short and slightly formal; it belongs to exchanged business cards rather than parties.
很高兴见到你。
Hěn gāoxìng jiàndào nǐ
Glad to finally see you.
见到 is about the meeting itself, so it fits the moment you go from messages to face to face.
What usually trips people up
- Not for service staff. You are not introduced to a waiter or a cashier, so 认识你很高兴 lands as oddly weighty there — a plain 你好 is what people actually say.
- 认识 is for people, 知道 is for facts. 我知道你 means "I know of you", which is a very different thing to say to someone you have just met.
- 幸会 does not mix with 很高兴. Pick one register and stay in it: 幸会幸会 for a card exchange, 很高兴认识你 for everybody else.
What you might hear back
- 我也很高兴。Wǒ yě hěn gāoxìngI'm happy too.
- 彼此彼此。Bǐcǐ bǐcǐLikewise.
- 以后常联系。Yǐhòu cháng liánxìLet's keep in touch.
Common questions
- How do you say "Nice to meet you" in Chinese?
- "Nice to meet you" in Chinese is 认识你很高兴。 — written in pinyin as Rènshi nǐ hěn gāoxìng. It is an everyday phrase you would use in China.
- What does 认识你很高兴。 mean in Chinese?
- 认识你很高兴。 (Rènshi nǐ hěn gāoxìng) means "Nice to meet you". Broken down word by word: 认识 (rènshi) means "to know someone"; 你 (nǐ) means "you"; 很 (hěn) means "very"; 高兴 (gāoxìng) means "happy".
- When would you use "Nice to meet you" in Chinese?
- Use it the moment you are introduced to someone — right after the handshake or the nod — as the standard way to open a new acquaintance in Chinese. It also fits hosts, guides, hotel managers and a friend's parents, though people of your own age usually just say 你好 again and get straight to talking.
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