“Welcome” in Chinese: how to say it and how to write it
Welcome
“Welcome” in Chinese is 欢迎, huānyíng, roughly “hwahn-ying”. Literally it is “to meet with joy”: 欢 means “joy”, 迎 “to meet, to greet”. Like the English word, it is both the greeting “Welcome!” and an ordinary verb: “to welcome, to be glad to have someone”.
How to pronounce 欢迎
- 欢迎huānyíngwelcome; to welcome
huān is first tone: the voice stays high and level. yíng is second: it rises, like a surprised “yes?”. The h is rougher than the English h, closer to the “ch” in Scottish “loch”, and the three sounds of huan glide together in one movement: “hwahn”, not “hoo-an”. It ends in a plain n. ying ends differently, in the “ng” of “sing”: the tip of the tongue doesn’t touch anything. How the other letters are read is in the pinyin chart.
How to write 欢迎
Two characters. 欢 “joyful, glad” has six strokes; it is also the second half of 喜欢, “to like”. 迎 “to meet, to go out to meet” has seven; on the left and along the bottom runs 辶, the sign of movement, “to go”. Together 欢迎 is “to meet with joy”. The stroke order and practice sheets are in the writing worksheets.
欢迎光临: what shops and restaurants say
- 欢迎光临！huānyíngguānglínwelcome (to our shop)
- 欢迎再来！huānyíngzàiláicome again!
This is the first phrase you hear in China: staff say it at the door of a shop, a restaurant, a hotel, and often a recording plays it over the entrance. 光临 is a polite “to honor us with your presence”; you never say it about yourself, only about a guest. So 欢迎光临 is the phrase of whoever runs the place. At home or among friends people only say it as a joke. When you leave, they see you off with 欢迎再来, “come again”.
Welcome to China, welcome to my home, welcome back
- 欢迎你来中国！huānyíngnǐláizhōngguówelcome to China
- 欢迎你来我家。huānyíngnǐláiwǒjiāwelcome to my home
- 欢迎回家！huānyínghuíjiāwelcome home
- 欢迎你们！huānyíngnǐmenwelcome (to several people)
The pattern is always the same: 欢迎, then who, then 来 “to come” and the place. There is no “to”: literally “welcome — you come — China”. Put in any place you like: a city, a university, your home. 欢迎回家 is for someone coming back: 回 is “to return”, 家 is “home”. A guest at the door also hears two short phrases: and .
How to answer 欢迎
- 谢谢xièxiethank you
- 我回来了wǒhuílaileI’m backin reply to 欢迎回家
The usual answer is 谢谢. Visiting someone, you can add 你好 or 您好 for the hosts. You don’t have to answer 欢迎光临 in a shop at all: it is a formula, like a cashier’s “Hi, welcome in”. A nod or a 你好 is plenty. What you can’t do is say 欢迎 back: only the one receiving the guest welcomes.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “welcome” in Chinese?
“Welcome” in Chinese is 欢迎, in pinyin huānyíng.
How do you pronounce 欢迎?
欢迎 is read huānyíng. The marks over the vowels are the tones: each syllable has its own melody, so listen to the recording on this page and repeat it.
How do you write “welcome” in Chinese characters?
欢迎 is 2 characters. What each one means and how the phrase is put together is explained on this page.
What does 欢迎 mean?
欢迎 (huānyíng) means “welcome”.
Welcome to Chinese
The first lesson is free: you listen to a dialogue, repeat the phrases out loud and see right away whether you hit the tones.
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