<p>We recommend that you use "你好" or “您好” instead of "嗨"</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-07T23:38:43.500Z
2015-07-07T23:38:43.500Z
speakupchinese.com
<p>In most cases 喂 means that you want to remind him it's not right to do things like this. It's pronounced as wei4, not wei2 in a phone call.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-08-24T05:12:53.957Z
2015-08-24T05:12:53.957Z
Bleaker
<p>Mostly  wei  can be used when you answer the phone , while it's too oralize to use over text. But someti
mes you can see it like this：</p>

<p>他正在打电话：“喂？”</p>

<p>他不耐烦的说道：“喂，哪位？”</p>

<p>I prefer it is better to use 你好 or 您好 as a alternative word. (Actually I use 您好 cause It's polite to when you talking or writing.)</p>

<p>If you want to write a letter or email , adding a adj. word such as 尊敬的 can be better.</p>

<p>Well, 嗨 is accepted in China and it is normal in the big city, most of people know the means of ‘hai’ ‘hei’ and use it frequently(like me...wave to the other so that he can see you.) , But If you lived in the countryside , 您好 is a better way.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-07T16:52:35.273Z
2015-07-07T17:15:32.593Z
2015-07-07T17:15:32.593Z
Peng Feng
<p>喂 is used to answer the phone, but is it accepted over text? If not, is there an alternative to 你好 that's in common use (informally, like "hi", "hey", or "yo" in English).</p>

<p>Is 嗨 widely accepted in China, or would I come off as too English by using it?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-07T17:00:17.193Z
嗨 is widely accepted in spoken language in the big cities. It looks weird on paper and is not commonly used in texting. Between friends we open the conversation with '在吗' (u there), otherwise I'd go with '你好'.
NS.X.
<word-choice><usage><loanwords>
Is it appropriate to use 喂 by text?
# Is it appropriate to use 喂 by text?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2015-07-07)

喂 is used to answer the phone, but is it accepted over text? If not, is there an alternative to 你好 that's in common use (informally, like "hi", "hey", or "yo" in English).

Is 嗨 widely accepted in China, or would I come off as too English by using it?

**Tags:** word-choice, usage, loanwords
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: 嗨 is widely accepted in spoken language in the big cities. It looks weird on paper and is not commonly used in texting. Between friends we open the conversation with '在吗' (u there), otherwise I'd go with '你好'.  

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## 3 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2015-07-07. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

Mostly wei can be used when you answer the phone , while it's too oralize to use over text. But someti
mes you can see it like this：

他正在打电话：“喂？”

他不耐烦的说道：“喂，哪位？”

I prefer it is better to use 你好 or 您好 as a alternative word. (Actually I use 您好 cause It's polite to when you talking or writing.)

If you want to write a letter or email , adding a adj. word such as 尊敬的 can be better.

Well, 嗨 is accepted in China and it is normal in the big city, most of people know the means of ‘hai’ ‘hei’ and use it frequently(like me...wave to the other so that he can see you.) , But If you lived in the countryside , 您好 is a better way.


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### Answer by username_2 on 2015-07-07. Score: 0

We recommend that you use "你好" or “您好” instead of "嗨"


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### Answer by username_3 on 2015-08-24. Score: -1

In most cases 喂 means that you want to remind him it's not right to do things like this. It's pronounced as wei4, not wei2 in a phone call.


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