Language & culture
How to Say Hello in 30 Languages
Here's how to say hello in different languages you're likely to hear on an international chat: hola (Spanish), bonjour (French), namaste (Hindi), konnichiwa (Japanese), marhaba (Arabic) and ni hao (Mandarin Chinese). The table below covers 30 languages, with native script, a simple pronunciation guide and a note on casual versus polite forms.
A greeting in someone's own language is one of the quickest ways to make a stranger smile, even if the rest of the conversation happens in English. In the pronunciation hints, capital letters mark the stressed syllable.
Hello in different languages: the table
| Language | Hello | Say it like | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spanish | Hola | OH-lah | Works with anyone; "Buenos días" is a polite good morning |
| French | Bonjour | bohn-ZHOOR | Polite default; "Salut" (sah-LOO) is for friends |
| Portuguese | Olá / Oi | oh-LAH / oy | "Oi" is the everyday hi in Brazil |
| German | Hallo | HAH-loh | "Guten Tag" (GOO-ten tahk) is more formal |
| Italian | Ciao | chow | Casual, and also means bye; "Buongiorno" (bwohn-JOR-noh) is polite |
| Arabic | مرحبا (marhaba) | MAR-hah-bah | "As-salamu alaykum" is also very common |
| Mandarin Chinese | 你好 (nǐ hǎo) | nee how | 您好 (nín hǎo) is more respectful |
| Japanese | こんにちは (konnichiwa) | kohn-nee-chee-wah | Daytime; おはようございます (ohayō gozaimasu) in the morning |
| Korean | 안녕하세요 (annyeonghaseyo) | ahn-nyong-hah-seh-yo | Polite; 안녕 (annyeong) only with close friends |
| Hindi | नमस्ते (namaste) | nuh-muh-STAY | Polite and widely understood across India |
| Russian | Здравствуйте (zdravstvuyte) | ZDRAST-vooy-tyeh | Formal; Привет (privet, pree-VYET) is casual |
| Turkish | Merhaba | MEHR-hah-bah | "Selam" is a casual hi |
| Indonesian | Halo | HAH-loh | "Selamat pagi" (seh-LAH-maht PAH-gee) means good morning |
| Malay | Apa khabar? | AH-pah KAH-bar | Literally "what news?", used like "how are you?" |
| Vietnamese | Xin chào | sin chow | Polite; friends often just say "chào" |
| Thai | สวัสดี (sawatdee) | sah-waht-DEE | Add ครับ (khrap) or ค่ะ (kha) to be polite; which one depends on the speaker's gender |
| Polish | Cześć | cheshch | Casual; "Dzień dobry" (jen DOH-brih) is polite |
| Dutch | Hallo | HAH-loh | "Hoi" (hoy) is casual |
| Ukrainian | Привіт (pryvit) | prih-VEET | Casual; Добрий день (dobryi den) is polite |
| Persian (Farsi) | سلام (salam) | sah-LAHM | Works in almost any situation |
| Urdu | السلام علیکم (assalam-o-alaikum) | ah-sah-LAHM-oh ah-LAY-kum | The reply is وعلیکم السلام (walaikum assalam) |
| Bengali | নমস্কার (nomoshkar) | noh-mosh-KAR | "Assalamu alaikum" is also widely used, especially in Bangladesh |
| Tamil | வணக்கம் (vanakkam) | vah-NAHK-kahm | Polite and fine at any time of day |
| Swahili | Habari? | hah-BAH-ree | Means "news?"; reply "Nzuri" (n-ZOO-ree), meaning good |
| Greek | Γεια σου (yia sou) | YAH-soo | Γεια σας (yia sas) is polite or plural |
| Swedish | Hej | hey | Works with everyone |
| Hebrew | שלום (shalom) | shah-LOHM | Also means goodbye; מה נשמע (ma nishma) is "what's up?" |
| Filipino (Tagalog) | Kumusta? | koo-MOOS-tah | Means "how are you?" and works as hello |
| Romanian | Bună | BOO-nuh | "Bună ziua" (BOO-nuh ZEE-wah) is more formal |
| Amharic | ሰላም (selam) | seh-LAHM | A friendly everyday hello in Ethiopia |
Formal or casual: which hello to use
Many languages have a casual hello for friends and a polite one for strangers, older people and work. On a relaxed video chat with someone around your age, casual is usually fine. When in doubt, start polite and let the other person loosen things up.
- Use the polite form with anyone clearly older than you, and in languages where politeness is built into the grammar, such as Japanese and Korean.
- Mirror their reply. If you say "Здравствуйте" and they answer "Привет!", you can switch to casual.
- Avoid the most casual forms with strangers. Korean 안녕, or a slangy greeting you picked up from a film, can sound overfamiliar.
- Know the reply to religious greetings. "As-salamu alaykum" is usually appreciated when said respectfully, and if someone says it to you, answer "Wa alaykum as-salam."
Greet by the time of day
Plenty of languages prefer "good morning" or "good evening" over a plain hello. On an international chat, it's their clock that counts, not yours.
| Language | Good morning | Good evening |
|---|---|---|
| Spanish | Buenos días | Buenas tardes (afternoon), buenas noches (after dark) |
| French | Bonjour | Bonsoir |
| German | Guten Morgen | Guten Abend |
| Italian | Buongiorno | Buonasera |
| Portuguese | Bom dia | Boa tarde (afternoon), boa noite (after dark) |
| Japanese | おはようございます (ohayō gozaimasu) | こんばんは (konbanwa) |
| Indonesian | Selamat pagi | Selamat malam |
| Turkish | Günaydın | İyi akşamlar |
Not sure what time it is for them? Ask, or check our guide to the best time to video chat across time zones.
Greetings that ask how you are
In many languages the usual greeting is really a question. Knowing the standard reply makes you sound much more natural.
| Language | Greeting | Easy reply |
|---|---|---|
| Spanish | ¿Qué tal? (keh TAHL) | Bien, ¿y tú? (byehn, ee TOO) |
| French | Ça va ? (sah VAH) | Ça va, et toi ? (sah VAH, ay TWAH) |
| Portuguese (Brazil) | Tudo bem? (TOO-doo BAYN) | Tudo bem! (same words back) |
| German | Wie geht's? (vee GAYTS) | Gut, und dir? (goot, oont DEER) |
| Russian | Как дела? (kak dela, kahk dee-LAH) | Хорошо (khorosho, khah-rah-SHOH), fine |
| Hebrew | מה נשמע? (ma nishma, mah nish-MAH) | בסדר (beseder, beh-SEH-der), okay |
| Swahili | Mambo? (MAHM-boh) | Poa (POH-ah), cool |
How to greet people from other countries on camera
- Glance at the flag. Omlet shows each person's country flag when you're matched, which gives you a hint.
- Don't assume the language. Many countries have several. In India you might meet someone who speaks Tamil, Bengali or Hindi at home; in Switzerland, German, French or Italian. If you're unsure, say hello in English and ask what they speak.
- Try the greeting, then switch. "Merhaba! That's all the Turkish I know. Where in Turkey are you?" Most people love the effort.
- Add a smile and a wave. On camera, a relaxed wave reads as friendly almost everywhere. Some other gestures don't travel as well; see hand gestures that mean different things abroad.
- Follow up with a question. Our list of questions to ask someone from another country has plenty of next lines.
Start a random video chat to try one out. Matching is Worldwide by default, so you never know which greeting you'll need next.
Getting the pronunciation close enough
- Stress the syllable in capitals and keep the others short and light.
- Listen to how they say it back, then repeat it once. Nobody minds being asked, "Did I say that right?"
- Tones matter in Mandarin, Vietnamese and Thai, but in a greeting the context does most of the work, so don't let tones stop you.
- For Arabic, Hindi, Japanese and other languages with their own scripts, the romanized version is enough for speaking. Typing the native script in the chat is a nice extra, not a requirement.
Write the greeting on a sticky note at the edge of your screen. Seeing it right before you say it makes a big difference to confidence.
Want more than hello? Our language pages have short phrase lists for chatting in Spanish, Arabic, Japanese and Hindi.