HSK 1
喂
wèi
hello
Structure
喂 + [Greeting or Question]
How it works
The word '喂' (wèi) is a common interjection specifically used to answer the phone or to get someone's attention. In the context of HSK 1, it is almost exclusively used as 'Hello' when starting a telephone conversation.
Examples
喂，请问张先生在吗？
Wèi, qǐngwèn Zhāng xiānsheng zài ma?
Hello, may I ask if Mr. Zhang is in?
喂，你好，你是谁？
Wèi, nǐ hǎo, nǐ shì shéi?
Hello, hi, who are you?
喂，你在做什么呢？
Wèi, nǐ zài zuò shénme ne?
Hello, what are you doing?
Common mistakes
Don't use '你好' (nǐ hǎo) alone to answer a ringing phone; it sounds more natural to start with '喂'.
Tip
When used to answer the phone, '喂' is usually pronounced with a rising tone (wéi) or falling tone (wèi) depending on the region, but in HSK materials, it is standardly represented as fourth tone (wèi).
More HSK 1 grammar
See 喂 in real Chinese
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