你好吗？

Use it when you want to genuinely check on someone's well-being. It is a complete sentence on its own. You can say it after a greeting like 你好. It feels a bit more serious than a quick 'Hi'. Think of it as a 'How have you been?' rather than a 'What's up?'.

Use it when meeting an old friend you haven't seen for weeks. It works well in emails to show you care about the recipient. It is great for catching up over coffee. Use it when someone looks a bit tired or down. It shows you are paying attention to their feelings.

Don't use it as a passing greeting to a stranger. It is too personal for the guy at the convenience store. Avoid using it every single day with your roommate. It might make them think you're expecting a long life update. In China, people often ask 'Have you eaten?' instead of this. If you use it too much, you might sound like a robot from a 1990s textbook.

In the West, 'How are you?' is often just a polite noise. In China, 你好吗 is a real question. It implies you actually want to know how the person is doing. Traditionally, Chinese culture focuses on actions rather than abstract feelings. This is why 'Have you eaten?' (你吃了吗) is more common for daily small talk. 你好吗 became more popular through Western influence and media. It carries a slightly more emotional or formal weight than you might expect.

If you want to sound more natural, try 最近怎么样 (How's it been lately?). For a very formal version, use 您好吗. If you are talking to a group, say 你们好吗. To answer, most people just say 我很好 (I'm very good). You can also say 还可以 if you're just feeling 'okay'.