Posted by
hkrabbit
14 yrs ago
Sometimes I say "Ni Hao" to people I'm meeting for the first time, and they act like I insulted them.
For example, some respond by saying, "I'm not Chinese", or "No", or just look like they tasted something bitter.
I am a foreigner living in China and HK. The only people who respond this way are other foreigners, in both China and HK. Some are of Asian origin, some Western. The local Chinese and HK people, on the other hand, have no problem with it. It should be obvious that I'm just trying to be friendly, not force anyone to speak Chinese.
The same problem does not seem to exist in other countries. For example, in the U.S., it's fairly ordinary that foreigners (say, Latin Americans) will greet each other with "Hello" (as is customary in the host country) even though they might speak with each other entirely in some other language (say, Spanish). Nobody thinks it's strange.
Or, take Italy, it's fairly ordinary that foreigners (say, other Europeans) will greet each other with "Ciao" (as is customary in the host country) even though they might speak with each other entirely in some other language (say, English, or German). Nobody thinks it's strange.
So what's going on here in HK and China that's different from, say, the U.S. or Italy? What causes foreigners here to dislike using a local form of greeting that they all know (whether they speak the language or not)? Is it that they think Chinese language is inferior and using even one word of it makes them unclean?
Or maybe they're terribly uptight, and just need to lighten up a little?
Anyway, not a serious problem by any means, but just something that I've been curious about for some time, as I've noticed this pattern repeatedly over several years. Any insights would be appreciated.
Oh, by the way, in case anyone wants to know, the customary response to "Ni Hao" is "Ni Hao" (i.e., the response is the same as the greeting, as it is with, for example, "Ciao" or "Namaste"). There are some foreigners who seem OK with the greeting but respond in odd ways (e.g., by saying "Hen Hao"; I don't recall any local person ever responding that way to "Ni Hao", but your mileage may vary).
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I don't understand why anyone would act offended really. I think cara hits the mark. Maybe they think you're being pretentious or trying to act cool.
More importantly: As cara says, "ni hao" is not "local" at all. It is a greeting in Mandarin, not the native language for the vast majority of Hong Kongers. People trying Mandarin with locals is actually a bit of a pet peeve of mine. By all means try speaking the local language, but at least pick the correct one. Then again, I don't know how the locals feel about this. ;)
In HK, use "joe saahn" before lunch or "lei ho" any time.
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well i get that a lot of times, im one of those people who you are referring to acting strange when somebody greet me ni hao, the reason i will tell them im not chinese so they wont confuse that im not a chinese, coz they might think im a chinese coz im asian. just letting them know before we start a conversation :-)
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Thanks for the responses.
As for "Ni Hao" not being local to HK... I still don't see why people get uptight about it. My "Ciao" example also holds in other European countries that border on Italy, like Switzerland or Germany. I can say "Ciao" to other foreigners even though I don't speak Italian, they don't speak Italian, and the local language isn't Italian (well, depending on what part of Switzerland you're in). And nobody seems to dislike it (well, some people are grumpy no matter what you say to them, but that's a different issue).
As for wanting to clarify that you are not Chinese... I certainly don't respond to "Ciao" by saying "I'm not Italian", even though I look like I might be, but it doesn't bother me in the slightest if people think I am. In fact, I might consider it to be kind of cool to be mistaken for Italian. It's all a kind of fun, no? At a minimum, I think I should first consider that the person is being friendly and respond in kind. So I would first say "Ciao" back to them, as a matter of courtesy, and then see what language to use to communicate with them.
What nobody has explained is what causes foreigners in China and HK to deal with this differently from foreigners in other places. How is it that using a local or quasi-local greeting here is seen as pretentious or whatever, while it is not viewed that way in other countries?
Maybe the problem is that foreigners in China/HK are just a more uptight kind of people than foreign visitors/residents in other parts of the world? Not to jump to conclusions, but I don't know what else it would be.
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I think you're reading way too much into people's reaction.
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Ciao has been assimilated into English (it's in the Oxford dictionary), so most foreigners would prob. reply by using English as a lingua franca...just as they would likely prefer you address them in English in China (possibly because they are not as comfortable speaking Put. as you are)
But yeah, you seem to be reading to much into it...
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OK, I can accept that. Thanks! I will try to avoid reading too much into people's reaction.
At the same time, I think it would be very cool, and fun, if our foreign friends who think "Ni Hao" means "I think you're Chinese" or "I want you to speak Chinese" would, over time, become more able to avoid reading so much into it as well. Just a suggestion for a fun way to interact... but either way, no worries!
Or I'll just switch to "Ciao!"
Ciao!
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Agreed with cara. If you're in HK, at least speak the local language.
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Hi cara -- Actually, I've noticed the reaction I mentioned only from foreigners. I haven't noticed any odd reactions to "Ni Hao" from locals in either HK or China (just my experience... your mileage may vary!).
Hi greatally -- Yes, your suggestion is well-taken. I never thought about it too deeply before, but am now coming to understand that some people don't like greetings from a language they don't speak (hey, I'll learn eventually!).
Thanks again to all for your insights.
Ciao!
(apologies to non-Italian speakers!)
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FKKC
14 yrs ago
hkrabbit
Your question got me thinking about another issue....when a foreigner cannot hold the chop-sticks correctly, it's OK and people are ready to teach them claiming it's not their culture, but if a local cannot manage the fork and knife, they are laughed upon or looked down.
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I've got to agree with Cara. Greeting people in their own language (Cantonese for locals here or English, French, Italian, and whatever else for expats of those nationalities): fine. Greeting people in your own language (presumably English in hkr's case): ok. Greeting people in a third language and then critiquing their reaction seems more than a bit strange.
Never seen anyone publicly mocking anyone learning to use a knife and fork in public either.
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Yes, thanks again for the responses. I feel that my question has been answered. I will take your opinions into account.
Ciao!
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If a westerner went up to me in Hong Kong and said "Ni Hao" I would think he was an idiot. That is why people are acting strange. It would be like someone saying "Howdy Partner" to me in Australia, only probably slower, more patronising and with a lousy accent.
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You made me laugh everything_everywhere.
What's wrong with a hearty Jo "good morning" San? There are two official languages in HK, you could try one of them and see if the strange looks stop - maybe they won't. There might be other issues... update us, we are here to help.
Do you also have a red book, a green cap, an arm raised in the air, and do you loudly proclaim "Mao ze dong wan sui!"?" Just trying to get all the facts...
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I have started using it with some westerners. A bit like "ay-yaaa" creeps into my English.
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