Example sentences
wèi喂，nǐ你hǎo好！
Hello? (on the phone)
wèi喂，tīng听dé得dào到ma吗？
Hello, can you hear me?
The story behind the character
喂
喂 is what you say when you pick up the phone. It is the Chinese "hello," and it only lives on the phone. Say it to someone's face and you are either getting their attention rudely or feeding them. Tone carries the meaning: a rising 喂? on the phone asks "who is this," and a flat, sharp 喂 is what you snap at someone who isn't listening. For hello in person, use 你好.