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This isn't really accurate, "hello" is about as good a translation for "ni hao" as you're going to get.
I'd say a better explanation is that same as in America you don't usually say hello to family/friends/coworkers. If I returned home from the grocery store I wouldn't walk into the living room and say "hello" to my wife, I'd yell "I'm back" or something similar, same as people in China might say . If I was meeting a friend at a restaurant I don't walk up to the table and say "hello Steve" I'd throw out "hey man this place was hard to find" or whatever random casual conversation entry point.
早 is far more common as a greeting in the morning, and again similar to in USA I think people say "good morning" to coworkers they see a lot or friends compared to hello.
I guess it is a moot point, if a westerner learned Chinese I'd wager the majority of their interactions with native speakers will be 你好 situations anyway. Hell if you want to be more familiar just say "嘿" since it's easy to remember and sounds the same as our informal hey.
I feel like 你好 is just something never really used by L1 speakers in daily speech. It feels pretty awkward.
Same as hello, besides answering your phone how often do you say that to friends/family.
Yes, except on the phone, "ni hao" is arguably more used than "hello".
I went to the Canton Fair, and it seems appropriate to greet people "ni hao" to signify that you are interested in talking to them. No one says "hello" at a business convention in the US when talking face-to-face. The last time I actually said "hello" to someone not on the phone was when I was a teenager and was so tongue-tied when I met my crush that all that came out of my mouth was "hello"
OP, this is not the right forum. Search for videos to listen to pronunciation. Search for language exchange online for people who can practice with you. The internet is a treasure trove for people learning foreign languages.
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