<p>This question is easily answered by a look at any Chinese grammar or dictionary,e.g.  Yip Po-Ching and Don Rimmington's Chinese a Comprehensive grammar, 外国人实用汉语语法， A Practical Chinese Grammar for Foreigners 实用现代汉语语法（增订本）（２００１年 北京）only have 你／您 in their lists of personal pronouns. 另外有不少每天都看中文阅读材料的网民阅读本问题头一次和这虚构汉字见了面。在这方面繁和简体之间没有区别。It seems the question has been exhaustively answered before:</p>

<p><a href="https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/189/how-widespread-is-the-use-of-%E5%A6%B3How">How widespread is the use of 妳?</a> widespread is the use of 妳?</p>

<p>As is well known 她 was first used by Liu Bannong in 1920 (1920年9月4日) and thereafter gradually gained general acceptance. What is the history of 妳 though?. A fairly long  article in traditional characters about Liu Bannong <a href="http://www.zwbk.org/MyLemmaShow.aspx?zh=zh-tw&amp;lid=129512" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://www.zwbk.org/MyLemmaShow.aspx?zh=zh-tw&amp;lid=129512</a> contains 她 ７ times, but makes no reference to 妳. 請問「妳」與「她」的由來及歷史？<a href="https://tw.knowledge.yahoo.com/question/question?qid=1012062907110" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://tw.knowledge.yahoo.com/question/question?qid=1012062907110</a> says 是民國初年文學界有鴛鴦蝴蝶派用白話寫散文新詩 but zh.wikipedia's article on 鴛鴦蝴蝶派 contains no reference to 妳. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-08-26T01:47:32.277Z
For you, you can remember never use 妳 is better. It's nealy an obsoluted word, almost most chinese have forgotten this word, though they understand when they see it. The one who use this word maybe considered a little literary sickness.
user6269
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-08-26T14:28:56.793Z
"妳" is perfectly correct in traditional chinese, and very common here in Taiwan. My question is specifically about "妳好", given I am in a location where "妳" is still used.
Matthew Rudy 马泰
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-08-27T19:29:33.147Z
@user6269 Just like what OP said here, the usage of _妳_ is perfectly fine in _traditional Chinese_ writing. It is only obsolete in _simplified Chinese_ writing, not _traditional Chinese_ writing.
LulalaBoss
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-08-25T18:03:25.997Z
2014-08-28T13:28:43.423Z
2017-04-13T12:48:06.457Z
user6065
<p>「妳」 was originated from 「奶」or「嬭」.</p>

<p>In modern Chinese, we don't have a specific rule for using 「妳」 as a second person pronoun. Note that there is strict rules for using 她／他 for HE/SHE in Chinese.</p>

<p>In document or official letters, my suggestion is to stick with "你好".</p>

<p>However, in literature or any other informal situation, you can pick either "你好" or "妳好", whenever it fits your context.</p>

<p>For example a poem by Rabindranath Tagore, the Chinese translator uses 「妳」 in the translation "I love <strong>you</strong>".</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>我的心湧起千層情濤，衝向世界的岸邊；我要用淚水的語言，題上她的簽名：『我愛妳。』</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-08-28T11:39:11.133Z
2014-08-28T11:39:11.133Z
David Ng
<blockquote>
  <p>Should I say “妳好“ when addressing a female?</p>
</blockquote>

<p>both "you" has the same pronunciation</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Should one write “妳好" when addressing a female?</p>
</blockquote>

<p>both the male and female forms of "you" works, and you can use 您 as a more polite form of "you"</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-08-25T18:17:07.020Z
2014-08-25T18:17:07.020Z
George
<p>Plz don't do that in formal context."妳” is deprecated  in mainland China. 
It is originally a good word,but some "非主流” use it with other "火星文" to make  it imply bad feelings.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-08-27T19:26:17.447Z
The OP indicated that the context here is _traditional Chinese_, not _simplified Chinese_. The usage of _妳_ is perfectly acceptable in _traditional Chinese_ writing.
LulalaBoss
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-08-29T01:58:05.423Z
I agree with you,I also pointed out "mainland China","formal context".You can use it(and traditional Chinese) in informal context in mainland China.
sfy
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-08-27T04:34:13.273Z
2014-08-27T04:34:13.273Z
sfy
<p>Yes you can definitely use “妳好“ when addressing female. </p>

<p>However notice that in Chinese there isn't a strict usage defined to differentiate addressing male and female. If you use "你" instead, the reader will not (and probably should not) assume a male is addressed in the context.</p>

<p>In other word, "你好" is perfectly fine to address female without any grammatical concern.    </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-08-25T19:20:28.900Z
2014-08-25T19:20:28.900Z
LulalaBoss
<p>With traditional Chinese characters it is correct and proper to address a female as “妳”.</p>

<p>If I have a simple question, I think it's clear I should use the female form.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>妳最近好嗎？</p>
</blockquote>

<p>But to say "hello", “你好” feels more like a set phrase.</p>

<p>So my question is simple,</p>

<p>Should I write </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>妳好</p>
</blockquote>

<p>when addressing a female?</p>

<p>Or just use the gender-neutral</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>你好</p>
</blockquote>

<word-choice><traditional-characters><gender>
Should one write “妳好" when addressing a female?
# Should one write “妳好" when addressing a female?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2014-08-25)

With traditional Chinese characters it is correct and proper to address a female as “妳”.

If I have a simple question, I think it's clear I should use the female form.

> 妳最近好嗎？

But to say "hello", “你好” feels more like a set phrase.

So my question is simple,

Should I write

> 妳好

when addressing a female?

Or just use the gender-neutral

> 你好

**Tags:** word-choice, traditional-characters, gender


---

## 5 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2014-08-25. Score: 11 | Accepted answer

Yes you can definitely use “妳好“ when addressing female.

However notice that in Chinese there isn't a strict usage defined to differentiate addressing male and female. If you use "你" instead, the reader will not (and probably should not) assume a male is addressed in the context.

In other word, "你好" is perfectly fine to address female without any grammatical concern.


---

### Answer by username_1 on 2014-08-25. Score: 3

This question is easily answered by a look at any Chinese grammar or dictionary,e.g. Yip Po-Ching and Don Rimmington's Chinese a Comprehensive grammar, 外国人实用汉语语法， A Practical Chinese Grammar for Foreigners 实用现代汉语语法（增订本）（２００１年 北京）only have 你／您 in their lists of personal pronouns. 另外有不少每天都看中文阅读材料的网民阅读本问题头一次和这虚构汉字见了面。在这方面繁和简体之间没有区别。It seems the question has been exhaustively answered before:

[How widespread is the use of 妳?](https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/189/how-widespread-is-the-use-of-%E5%A6%B3How) widespread is the use of 妳?

As is well known 她 was first used by Liu Bannong in 1920 (1920年9月4日) and thereafter gradually gained general acceptance. What is the history of 妳 though?. A fairly long article in traditional characters about Liu Bannong <http://www.zwbk.org/MyLemmaShow.aspx?zh=zh-tw&lid=129512> contains 她 ７ times, but makes no reference to 妳. 請問「妳」與「她」的由來及歷史？<https://tw.knowledge.yahoo.com/question/question?qid=1012062907110> says 是民國初年文學界有鴛鴦蝴蝶派用白話寫散文新詩 but zh.wikipedia's article on 鴛鴦蝴蝶派 contains no reference to 妳.

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: For you, you can remember never use 妳 is better. It's nealy an obsoluted word, almost most chinese have forgotten this word, though they understand when they see it. The one who use this word maybe considered a little literary sickness.  
> **username_0**: "妳" is perfectly correct in traditional chinese, and very common here in Taiwan. My question is specifically about "妳好", given I am in a location where "妳" is still used.  
> **username_3**: @username_2 Just like what OP said here, the usage of _妳_ is perfectly fine in _traditional Chinese_ writing. It is only obsolete in _simplified Chinese_ writing, not _traditional Chinese_ writing.  

---

### Answer by username_4 on 2014-08-28. Score: 3

「妳」 was originated from 「奶」or「嬭」.

In modern Chinese, we don't have a specific rule for using 「妳」 as a second person pronoun. Note that there is strict rules for using 她／他 for HE/SHE in Chinese.

In document or official letters, my suggestion is to stick with "你好".

However, in literature or any other informal situation, you can pick either "你好" or "妳好", whenever it fits your context.

For example a poem by Rabindranath Tagore, the Chinese translator uses 「妳」 in the translation "I love **you**".

> 我的心湧起千層情濤，衝向世界的岸邊；我要用淚水的語言，題上她的簽名：『我愛妳。』


---

### Answer by username_5 on 2014-08-25. Score: 2

> Should I say “妳好“ when addressing a female?

both "you" has the same pronunciation

> Should one write “妳好" when addressing a female?

both the male and female forms of "you" works, and you can use 您 as a more polite form of "you"


---

### Answer by username_6 on 2014-08-27. Score: 1

Plz don't do that in formal context."妳” is deprecated in mainland China.
It is originally a good word,but some "非主流” use it with other "火星文" to make it imply bad feelings.

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: The OP indicated that the context here is _traditional Chinese_, not _simplified Chinese_. The usage of _妳_ is perfectly acceptable in _traditional Chinese_ writing.  
> **username_6**: I agree with you,I also pointed out "mainland China","formal context".You can use it(and traditional Chinese) in informal context in mainland China.  

---

