you'd better use "wei" on the telephone```if you want to say hello on the Internet,you'd better use "Hi" or if you want to konw whether he/she is online,you can say "zai ma?" written as “在吗？”

That would be 喂, fourth tone. It's the same as the wei for fear or respect (畏) just with a 口 (kou) radical. I've seen that used to start conversations, along with 嘿 (hei) and 嗨 (hai). There are many other phonetic characters along with those as well. Hope that helps!

yes,it's common to use this "wei" between acquaintance in the daily life, but it's impolite manner in business or elder member of a family. I hope it can help you.

是这个字“喂”打电话的时候通常会用

“喂” is a Chinese character used on the telephone. It isn't common to use this character during online messaging. During online messaging, we usually use "你好”. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hello! (^_^) I am a native speaker of Chinese mandarin. I could offer one-on-one Chinese lessons which are developed based on your needs, relevant to your current level, schedule, or reason for learning. As long as you have a computer, you could learn efficiently via SKYPE, Google talk, or MSN without limits of places and time. Whether you would like to learn basics or push into fluency, I'm here to help. The lessons could include listening and speaking mandarin, grammar, Chinese characters, business Chinese, HSK preparation, etc. I am experienced, patient, friendly, easy-going, and warm-hearted. Please feel free to contact me at [email protected] or call me at 18236947260~~ Rate of lessons is RMB 50 yuan per hour, or equivalent in any currency for your convenience. Best wishes!