How to say “good night” in Chinese
Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.
Word by word
Tone tip
Dipping third tone then flat first tone. The apostrophe in pinyin (wǎn'ān) just marks the syllable break so it is not misread as 'wa-nan'.
In a sentence
我要睡了，晚安。
Wǒ yào shuì le, wǎn'ān.
I'm going to sleep, good night.
Hear it and say it right
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Start freeFrequently asked questions
How do you say "good night" in Chinese?+
"good night" in Mandarin Chinese is 晚安, pronounced wǎn'ān. Dipping third tone then flat first tone. The apostrophe in pinyin (wǎn'ān) just marks the syllable break so it is not misread as 'wa-nan'.
What does 晚安 mean literally?+
晚安 breaks down as 晚 (wǎn) = late / evening, 安 (ān) = peace. Together it means "good night".
How do I get the tones right in wǎn'ān?+
Dipping third tone then flat first tone. The apostrophe in pinyin (wǎn'ān) just marks the syllable break so it is not misread as 'wa-nan'.
More phrases like this
Master the tones behind it
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Why some tones change in connected speech.
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