Good Night in Chinese: 晚安 (Wǎn'ān) and 7 Sweet Ways to Say It

沉浸 TeamSeptember 16, 20265 min read

Good night in Chinese is 晚安 (wǎn'ān). It's two characters: 晚 (evening) and 安 (peace), so you're literally wishing someone a peaceful night. Say it when you or they are heading to bed, in person or by text. That's the whole answer for most situations.

There's one trap, though. 晚安 is only for saying goodbye at bedtime. If you meet someone at 8 pm, "good evening" is a different phrase, and mixing them up is a classic beginner slip. This guide covers that difference, seven sweeter ways to say good night, what to reply, and the Cantonese version, as part of our essential Chinese phrases guide.

How to say and write good night in Chinese

Characters: 晚安
Pinyin: wǎn'ān (third tone, then first tone). The apostrophe just separates the syllables, since "wanan" could be misread as one syllable.
Traditional: the same, 晚安.

晚 (wǎn) means late or evening. It's the same 晚 in 晚上 (wǎnshang, "evening") and 晚饭 (wǎnfàn, "dinner"). 安 (ān) means peace or safety, and it shows up in 安全 (safe) and 平安 (peaceful, safe and sound). 早安 (zǎo'ān, "good morning") uses the same 安, so once you know one, you know both. If you want to practice writing them, our free character practice sheets print a stroke-order grid for 晚安 in one click.

晚安 vs 晚上好: don't mix these up

This is the mistake worth one whole section:

晚上好 (wǎnshang hǎo): good evening. A greeting, when you arrive or meet someone after dark.
晚安 (wǎn'ān): good night. A farewell, when someone is going to sleep.

English "good night" can be a parting phrase at 9 pm even if nobody is sleeping yet. Chinese 晚安 can't. If you leave a dinner at 9 and say 晚安, it sounds like you're tucking your friends into bed. Say 再见 (zàijiàn, "goodbye") or 明天见 (míngtiān jiàn, "see you tomorrow") instead. Save 晚安 for the moment sleep is the next thing on the schedule. Our Chinese greetings guide has the full time-of-day set.

7 sweeter ways to say good night in Chinese

Between friends, family, and couples, 晚安 usually comes with something extra. These are the phrases you'll see in texts every night in China:

做个好梦 (zuò ge hǎo mèng): "have a good dream", the standard "sweet dreams". The single most common add-on.
好梦 (hǎo mèng): "sweet dreams", the two-character short form. 晚安，好梦 is a complete cozy text.
早点睡 (zǎo diǎn shuì): "go to bed early". This is how parents and partners show care. It sounds bossy in English and warm in Chinese.
睡个好觉 (shuì ge hǎo jiào): "sleep well". Note that 觉 is jiào here, not jué.
晚安，明天见 (wǎn'ān, míngtiān jiàn): "good night, see you tomorrow". Roommates, coworkers on a trip, classmates.
晚安，么么哒 (wǎn'ān, memedā): "good night, mwah". 么么哒 is a kissing sound, used between couples and close girlfriends. Don't send it to your boss.
晚安，爱你 (wǎn'ān, ài nǐ): "good night, love you". For the person who gets to hear that. See our guide to I love you in Chinese for the shades of 爱 and 喜欢.

Saying good night to elders, teachers, or hosts

晚安 is fine with everyone, but with older people it's common to add a polite "go rest early" using 您 (nín), the respectful "you":

您早点休息 (nín zǎo diǎn xiūxi): "please rest early". This is what you say to your host's parents, your teacher, or a grandparent.
晚安，阿姨 / 叔叔 (wǎn'ān, āyí / shūshu): adding "auntie" or "uncle" (the friendly terms for any older adult) softens it further.

How to reply to 晚安

Just say it back: 晚安. If they added sweet dreams, you can echo it: 你也是 (nǐ yě shì, "you too") or 你也好梦 ("sweet dreams to you too"). Couples often turn this into a small ritual of 晚安 / 晚安 / 好梦 / 好梦 that goes on longer than the conversation did.

Good night in Cantonese and Taiwanese Mandarin

In Cantonese (Hong Kong, Guangdong), good night is 早唞 (zóu táu), literally "rest early". Cantonese speakers do write 晚安 too, especially in formal messages, but 早唞 is what people say. In Taiwan, 晚安 is standard, and you'll also hear 晚安 used more loosely as a late-evening goodbye than in the mainland. Our guide to Mandarin vs Cantonese covers why the phrases differ so much.

Want to hear the tones on 晚安 and 做个好梦 before you send them? Every word linked in this post has a dictionary page with audio, and a free Chenjin account lets you save them as flashcards and hear them in stories. Sign up free, or paste any phrase into our Chinese to pinyin converter to check the tone marks.

FAQ

How do you say good night in Mandarin?

晚安 (wǎn'ān). Add 做个好梦 (zuò ge hǎo mèng, "sweet dreams") to make it warmer, or 早点睡 (zǎo diǎn shuì, "go to bed early") to show you care.

What does wan an mean?

晚安 (wǎn'ān) means good night. 晚 is "evening" and 安 is "peace", so it's a wish for a peaceful night. It's said at bedtime, not as an evening greeting.

Is 晚上好 the same as good night?

No. 晚上好 (wǎnshang hǎo) is "good evening", a greeting when you meet someone after dark. 晚安 is "good night", said when someone is going to sleep.

How do you say sweet dreams in Chinese?

做个好梦 (zuò ge hǎo mèng), "have a good dream", or just 好梦 (hǎo mèng). Both usually follow 晚安.

How do you say good night in Cantonese?

早唞 (zóu táu), literally "rest early". 晚安 is understood and used in writing, but 早唞 is the spoken phrase.