How to Say “Hello” in Different Languages: A Global Greeting Guide
Giving you an insight into saying ‘hello’ in 50 different languages
The word ‘Hello’ is a conversational starter no matter what language you speak. They are universal in nature, helping us establish connections and express respect toward others. From the simple “hello” to more complex expressions, how we greet someone varies across cultures, reflecting the nuances of language, tradition, and social etiquette. Whether you’re traveling the world, connecting with people from different cultural backgrounds, or just exploring the diversity of languages, knowing how to say “hello” in different languages can go a long way in creating connections.
Saying “hello” in a foreign language is often the first step in breaking the ice with someone. It opens the door to conversation and can make the other person feel appreciated, especially when you make the effort to use their native tongue. For example, saying “hola” in Spain or “ni hao” in China shows a level of respect for the local language and culture, and it can leave a lasting positive impression. Even in the age of technology, where text messages and emails often replace face-to-face communication, greetings still hold immense power in creating a warm atmosphere.
In this blog post, we will explore how to say “hello” in over 50 different languages, each with its own unique pronunciation, cultural background, and meaning. We’ll dive into the subtleties of each greeting, from informal to formal variations, and how these greetings reflect the customs and values of their respective cultures. Whether you’re preparing for an international trip or simply curious about languages, this guide will provide you with a fascinating look at how a simple “hello” can bridge gaps and bring people together.
Join us on this linguistic journey, as we discover various ways people around the world say “hello”.
How to say Hello in 50 different languages
1. English:
We’ll start with the language most of us are familiar with. “Hello” is a common greeting in English-speaking countries around the world.
- Formal: Good morning / Good afternoon / Good evening
- Informal: Hello / Hi
- Where Spoken: Primarily in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and many other English-speaking countries around the world.
2. Spanish:
- Formal: Buenos días (Good morning) / Buenas tardes (Good afternoon) / Buenas noches (Good evening)
- Informal: Hola (Hello)
- Where Spoken: Spain, Mexico, most of Central and South America, and parts of the United States.
3. French:
- Formal: Bonjour (Good day) / Bonsoir (Good evening)
- Informal: Salut (Hi)
- Where Spoken: France, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada (Quebec), many African countries, and other French-speaking regions.
4. German:
- Formal: Guten Morgen (Good morning) / Guten Tag (Good day) / Guten Abend (Good evening)
- Informal: Hallo (Hello)
- Where Spoken: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, parts of Belgium.
5. Italian:
- Formal: Buongiorno (Good morning) / Buonasera (Good evening)
- Informal: Ciao (Hi/Hello)
- Where Spoken: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City.
6. Portuguese:
- Formal: Bom dia (Good morning) / Boa tarde (Good afternoon) / Boa noite (Good evening)
- Informal: Olá (Hello)
- Where Spoken: Portugal, Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, and other Portuguese-speaking countries.
7. Dutch:
- Formal: Goedemorgen (Good morning) / Goedemiddag (Good afternoon) / Goedenavond (Good evening)
- Informal: Hallo (Hello)
- Where Spoken: Netherlands, Belgium, Suriname, and parts of the Caribbean.
8. Russian:
- Formal: Здравствуйте (Zdravstvuyte) – (Hello, formal)
- Informal: Привет (Privet) – (Hi)
- Where Spoken: Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and many other former Soviet republics.
9. Japanese:
- Formal: こんにちは (Konnichiwa) – (Good day/Hello)
- Informal: やあ (Yā) – (Hey)
- Where Spoken: Japan.
10. Mandarin Chinese:
- Formal: 您好 (Nín hǎo) – (Hello, formal)
- Informal: 你好 (Nǐ hǎo) – (Hello, informal)
- Where Spoken: China, Taiwan, Singapore, and Chinese-speaking communities worldwide.
11. Arabic:
- Formal: السلام عليكم (As-salāmu ʿalaykum) – (Peace be upon you)
- Informal: أهلاً (Ahlan) – (Hi/Hello)
- Where Spoken: Middle East, North Africa, and parts of Central Asia.
12. Hindi:
- Formal: नमस्ते (Namaste) – (Hello, with respect)
- Informal: हाय (Hi) or नमस्कार (Namaskar) – (Hello, formal)
- Where Spoken: India, Nepal, Fiji, and parts of South Asia.
13. Swahili:
- Formal: Habari za asubuhi (Good morning) / Habari za jioni (Good evening)
- Informal: Jambo (Hello)
- Where Spoken: East Africa, including Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
14. Turkish:
- Formal: Merhaba (Hello) / Günaydın (Good morning)
- Informal: Selam (Hi)
- Where Spoken: Turkey, Cyprus, and Turkish-speaking communities worldwide.
15. Greek:
- Formal: Γειά σας (Yia sas) – (Hello, polite/formal)
- Informal: Γειά σου (Yia sou) – (Hello, informal)
- Where Spoken: Greece, Cyprus, and Greek-speaking communities worldwide.
16. Korean:
- Formal: 안녕하세요 (Annyeong haseyo) – (Hello, polite)
- Informal: 안녕 (Annyeong) – (Hi)
- Where Spoken: South Korea, North Korea, and Korean-speaking communities worldwide.
17. Hebrew:
- Formal: שלום (Shalom) – (Hello/Peace)
- Informal: היי (Hi) – (Hi)
- Where Spoken: Israel and Jewish communities worldwide.
18. Thai:
- Formal: สวัสดีครับ (Sawasdee krap) – (Hello, polite for men) / สวัสดีค่ะ (Sawasdee ka) – (Hello, polite for women)
- Informal: สวัสดี (Sawasdee) – (Hello)
- Where Spoken: Thailand.
19. Swedish:
- Formal: God morgon (Good morning) / God kväll (Good evening)
- Informal: Hej (Hi)
- Where Spoken: Sweden, Finland (Swedish-speaking regions).
20. Finnish:
- Formal: Hyvää huomenta (Good morning) / Hyvää iltaa (Good evening)
- Informal: Hei (Hi)
- Where Spoken: Finland.
21. Polish:
- Formal: Dzień dobry (Good day) / Dobry wieczór (Good evening)
- Informal: Cześć (Hi)
- Where Spoken: Poland.
22. Vietnamese:
- Formal: Xin chào (Hello)
- Informal: Chào (Hi)
- Where Spoken: Vietnam.
23. Romanian:
- Formal: Bună ziua (Good day) / Bună seara (Good evening)
- Informal: Bună (Hi)
- Where Spoken: Romania, Moldova.
24. Persian (Farsi):
- Formal: سلام (Salam) – (Hello, formal)
- Informal: سلام (Salam) – (Hi, also used informally)
- Where Spoken: Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and Persian-speaking communities.
25. Zulu:
- Formal: Sawubona (Hello, respectful greeting)
- Informal: Hamba kahle (Go well) – Often used to say goodbye, but can be used informally.
- Where Spoken: South Africa.
26. Czech:
- Formal: Dobrý den (Good day)
- Informal: Ahoj (Hi)
- Where Spoken: Czech Republic.
27. Malay:
- Formal: Selamat pagi (Good morning) / Selamat sejahtera (Greetings)
- Informal: Hai (Hi)
- Where Spoken: Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei.
28. Indonesian:
- Formal: Selamat pagi (Good morning) / Selamat malam (Good evening)
- Informal: Halo (Hello)
- Where Spoken: Indonesia.
29. Welsh:
- Formal: Bore da (Good morning)
- Informal: Helo (Hello)
- Where Spoken: Wales, United Kingdom.
30. Norwegian:
- Formal: God morgen (Good morning) / God kveld (Good evening)
- Informal: Hei (Hi)
- Where Spoken: Norway.
31. Hungarian:
- Formal: Jó reggelt (Good morning) / Jó napot (Good day)
- Informal: Helló (Hi)
- Where Spoken: Hungary.
32. Icelandic:
- Formal: Góðan dag (Good day)
- Informal: Halló (Hello)
- Where Spoken: Iceland.
33. Esperanto:
- Formal: Bonan tagon (Good day)
- Informal: Saluton (Hello)
- Where Spoken: Globally, as it’s a constructed international auxiliary language.
34. Nepali:
- Formal: नमस्ते (Namaste) – (Hello, with respect)
- Informal: हाय (Hi)
- Where Spoken: Nepal, parts of India, Bhutan.
35. Bengali:
- Formal: নমস্কার (Nomoskar) – (Hello, respectful)
- Informal: হ্যালো (Hyalo) – (Hello)
- Where Spoken: Bangladesh, India (West Bengal, Tripura, Assam).
36. Tagalog (Filipino):
- Formal: Kamusta po kayo (How are you, polite)
- Informal: Kamusta (Hi/How are you?)
- Where Spoken: Philippines.
37. Urdu:
- Formal: السلام علیکم (As-salāmu ʿalaykum) – (Peace be upon you, formal)
- Informal: ہیلو (Hello)
- Where Spoken: Pakistan, India.
38. Serbian:
- Formal: Dobar dan (Good day)
- Informal: Zdravo (Hi)
- Where Spoken: Serbia, Montenegro, parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
39. Croatian:
- Formal: Dobar dan (Good day)
- Informal: Bok (Hi)
- Where Spoken: Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, parts of Serbia.
40. Albanian:
- Formal: Mirëdita (Good day)
- Informal: Tungjatjeta (Hello)
- Where Spoken: Albania, Kosovo.
41. Armenian:
- Formal: Բարև Ձեզ (Barev dzez) – (Hello, formal)
- Informal: Բարև (Barev) – (Hi)
- Where Spoken: Armenia, parts of Georgia, and Armenian communities worldwide.
42. Georgian:
- Formal: გამარჯობა (Gamajoba) – (Hello)
- Informal: გამარჯობა (Gamajoba) – (Hi)
- Where Spoken: Georgia.
43. Xhosa:
- Formal: Molo (Hello, polite to one person)
- Informal: Molweni (Hello, polite to a group)
- Where Spoken: South Africa.
44. Quechua:
- Formal: Ñuqanchik kawsaykuyki (Good morning)
- Informal: Napaykullayki (Hello)
- Where Spoken: Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, parts of Colombia and Argentina.
45. Tigrinya:
- Formal: ሰላም (Selam) – (Hello)
- Informal: ሰላም (Selam) – (Hi, also used informally)
- Where Spoken: Eritrea, Ethiopia.
46. Mongolian:
- Formal: Сайн уу (Sain uu) – (Hello)
- Informal: Сайн байна уу (Sain baina uu) – (Hi, formal)
- Where Spoken: Mongolia.
47. Tamil:
- Formal: வணக்கம் (Vanakkam) – (Hello)
- Informal: ஹாய் (Hi)
- Where Spoken: India, Sri Lanka, Singapore.
48. Burmese:
- Formal: မင်္ဂလာပါ (Mingalaba) – (Hello)
- Informal: ဟယ်လို (Hello)
- Where Spoken: Myanmar.
49. Somali:
- Formal: Salaan (Greetings)
- Informal: Hi
- Where Spoken: Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia.
50. Lao:
- Formal: ສະບາຍດີ (Sabaidee) – (Hello)
- Informal: ສະບາຍດີ (Sabaidee) – (Hi)
- Where Spoken: Laos
Final Thoughts
Knowing how to say “hello” in different languages can break down cultural barriers and bring people closer together. Whether you’re traveling, making new friends, or simply expanding your knowledge of the world, these greetings can open doors to understanding diverse cultures. Now that you know how to say “hello” in over 50 different languages, why not try using them the next time you meet someone from a different culture?
Note: The information here is updated the best we can at the time of writing this article. Please check attractions, activities, and transport before your trip as things tend to change from time to time.
Other articles you may like
** Disclaimer: Please note some of the links in this post are affiliate links. Purchasing through these links earns us a small commission at no extra charge to you.
