你好！
Nǐ hǎo! — Greetings & My Name
Our very first unit. Students learn to greet someone, say goodbye, and tell a new friend their name — the words that open every conversation in Chinese, and the ones they’ll use in every unit after this.
Unit objectives
By the end of this unit, students will be able to:
- Say 你好 and 再见 at the right moments, with a wave
- Tell someone their name using 我叫…
- Ask a friend’s name using 你叫什么名字？
- Recognise 谢谢 and 请 when they hear them
Key vocabulary
Ten words this unit — all practised with flashcards and audio inside each lesson.
你好 再见 早上好 晚安 请 谢谢 我叫 朋友 是 不是
Two lessons, one warm welcome
你好和再见
Hello and Goodbye — six greeting words, a listening game, and the Greeting Circle movement activity.
Start Lesson 1我叫…
My Name Is… — introducing yourself, asking a friend’s name, and a name-chant song.
Start Lesson 2Five minutes a day
Greet one person in the house in Chinese each morning, and say 晚安 at bedtime. That’s the whole assignment.
How people really greet each other
Chinese greetings tend to be less physical than Spanish-speaking ones — a nod, a smile or a small wave is more common than a hug or a kiss on the cheek, especially with adults outside the family. Among older people you may hear 吃了吗？ Chī le ma?, literally “Have you eaten?” It isn’t really a question about food; it’s closer to “How are you?” and it’s a lovely small window into how much food matters in Chinese social life.
Unit 1 progress check
A light, no-pressure way to see what’s sticking:
- Can your child say 你好 without a prompt?
- Can they answer 你叫什么名字？ with their name?
- Do they recognise 谢谢 when they hear it?
Two out of three is a great place to move on — all of it spirals back in later units.