Hello in Different Languages
Discover 'Hello' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Ah, 'hello' - a simple word that carries so much weight. It's the first word we often learn in a new language, the ice-breaker that spans continents and cultures. But have you ever stopped to consider its significance? Or marvel at its cultural importance?
From the lilting 'bonjour' of the French to the emphatic 'hola' of the Spanish, 'hello' is a linguistic passport, allowing us to navigate the world with a little more ease and understanding. It's a word that travels well, adapting to local customs and traditions, yet retaining its core meaning: a warm, friendly greeting.
Did you know that 'hello' was first used as a telephone greeting in the 19th century? Or that in Japan, it's customary to say 'ohayou gozaimasu' until noon, as a mark of respect? These fascinating facts and more await you as we delve into the translations of 'hello' in different languages.
So, whether you're a language enthusiast, a cultural explorer, or simply curious, join us on this journey as we discover the many ways to say 'hello' around the world.
Hello
Hello in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | hallo | ||
| Afrikaans "hallo" has an alternate meaning of "to hallucinate" and is derived from Dutch "halo" meaning "halo around the sun or moon" | |||
| Amharic | ሀሎ | ||
| The word derives from the Ge'ez word "haleluya," which means "praise you" or "glory to you." | |||
| Hausa | sannu | ||
| The word "sannu" in Hausa can also mean "good morning" or "good afternoon", depending on the time of day. | |||
| Igbo | nnọọ | ||
| The Igbo word "Nnọọ" also conveys meanings of "good morning" and "good afternoon" | |||
| Malagasy | salama | ||
| The word "Salama" in Malagasy also means "peace" or "well-being". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | moni | ||
| The word "Moni" in Chichewa is also used to mean "greetings" or "good day." | |||
| Shona | mhoro | ||
| The word "mhoro" can also mean "peace" or "well-being" in Shona, reflecting the importance of harmony and community in the culture. | |||
| Somali | hello | ||
| The Somali word 'hello' ('salaan') also means 'peace' and is often used as a greeting to express goodwill. | |||
| Sesotho | lumela | ||
| The word 'Lumela' can also be used to express greetings, praise or welcome to someone who is arriving. | |||
| Swahili | hello | ||
| In Swahili, "hello" can also mean "greetings" or "welcome" depending on the context. | |||
| Xhosa | mholweni | ||
| The Xhosa word "Mholweni" can also be translated as "be at peace" or "be well". | |||
| Yoruba | pẹlẹ o | ||
| Pẹlẹ o, meaning "hello," derives from "pẹlẹ," signifying "gently," and "ọ," a second person pronoun, together implying a respectful greeting. | |||
| Zulu | sawubona | ||
| "Sawubona" also means "We see you, you are important to us" in Zulu and is a greeting that acknowledges the presence and value of the person being addressed. | |||
| Bambara | aw ni baara | ||
| Ewe | hello | ||
| Kinyarwanda | muraho | ||
| Lingala | mbote | ||
| Luganda | nkulamusizza | ||
| Sepedi | thobela | ||
| Twi (Akan) | hɛlo | ||
Hello in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | مرحبا | ||
| The word "مرحبا" is derived from the verb "رحب" (to be spacious) and carries connotations of welcome and hospitality. | |||
| Hebrew | שלום | ||
| "Shalom" is derived from the Hebrew word "shalom," which can also mean "peace" or "well-being." | |||
| Pashto | سلام | ||
| The Pashto word "سلام" can also mean "peace" or "greeting." | |||
| Arabic | مرحبا | ||
| The word "مرحبا" is derived from the verb "رحب" (to be spacious) and carries connotations of welcome and hospitality. | |||
Hello in Western European Languages
| Albanian | përshëndetje | ||
| The Albanian word "Përshëndetje" is derived from the verb "përshëndes" which means "to greet". It can also be used as a noun meaning "salutation". Its origin is related to words like the Persian "pershendet". | |||
| Basque | kaixo | ||
| Kaixo, meaning "hello" in Basque, is derived from the Latin "quaeso", which means "I beg you" or "I ask you". | |||
| Catalan | hola | ||
| In Catalan, "Hola" also means "Stop" when used as a nautical command in sailing. | |||
| Croatian | zdravo | ||
| "Zdravo" originated from the Proto-Slavic word "zdravъ" meaning "healthy" or "well-being". | |||
| Danish | hej | ||
| The word "hej" can also be used as an interjection to express surprise, or to greet someone in an informal way. | |||
| Dutch | hallo | ||
| The Dutch word "hallo" originally meant "clear and resonant" and was also used to describe a certain type of bell | |||
| English | hello | ||
| The word "hello" is thought to have originated from the Old English word "hālewes" meaning "whole" or "unhurt." | |||
| French | bonjour | ||
| The word 'bonjour' is composed of two terms: 'bon' meaning 'good' and 'jour' meaning 'day'. | |||
| Frisian | hoi | ||
| Hoi in Frisian can also mean 'there' or 'goodbye'. | |||
| Galician | ola | ||
| In Portuguese, the cognate 'olá' comes from the Arabic 'ma'a as-salāmah' meaning 'peace be with you'. | |||
| German | hallo | ||
| The German word "Hallo" is derived from the Middle High German phrase "hal hôch" meaning "hold high". | |||
| Icelandic | halló | ||
| Icelandic "Halló" is derived from the Old Norse "heyla" meaning "hear now", | |||
| Irish | dia dhuit | ||
| The Irish greeting 'Dia dhuit' literally means 'God to you' in English. | |||
| Italian | ciao | ||
| The etymology of "Ciao" is uncertain, with its first recorded use in the 15th century in the Venetian dialect, possibly deriving from the Venetian "s'ciao" (short for "schiavo vostro") meaning "(I am) your slave." | |||
| Luxembourgish | hallo | ||
| The Luxembourgish word "Hallo" can also mean "What's up?" or "How are you?" | |||
| Maltese | bongu | ||
| Maltese 'Bongu' means 'good day,' and also refers to a type of fish stew or a traditional Maltese dish of broad beans and cauliflower, cooked in tomato paste. | |||
| Norwegian | hallo | ||
| In Norwegian, "hallo" also means "hallway", and is thought to be derived from the Old Norse words "hallr" and "ló" (meaning "hall" and "floor"), possibly due to its use as a greeting upon entering someone's home. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | olá | ||
| The word "Olá" in Portuguese has Arabic origins, derived from the Arabic phrase "Wa aleikum as-Salām" meaning "And peace be unto you"} | |||
| Scots Gaelic | halò | ||
| In modern English, halò is synonymous with hello but it also means literally "stop there" and is used to get someone's attention. | |||
| Spanish | hola | ||
| "Hola" is derived from the Old Spanish phrase "De hora en hora," meaning "from hour to hour." | |||
| Swedish | hallå | ||
| The Swedish word ”Hallå” originates from a heraldic call of greeting: ”Till hopa!” – ”Come together!”, and its first written record dates back to 1411. | |||
| Welsh | helo | ||
| The Welsh word "Helo" is a shortened form of "Henllyn" meaning "goodwill". | |||
Hello in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | добры дзень | ||
| The Belarusian word "добры дзень" also means "good day" or "good afternoon". | |||
| Bosnian | zdravo | ||
| The word zdravo shares the same Slavic root as "health," and is used not only as a greeting but also as an expression of good health. | |||
| Bulgarian | здравейте | ||
| The word "Здравейте" in Bulgarian literally translates to "to health," a greeting that wishes good health to the recipient. | |||
| Czech | ahoj | ||
| "Ahoj" derives from the German word "ahoi," which is used by sailors greeting each other. | |||
| Estonian | tere | ||
| Tere is a cognate of the Finnish word 'terve', likely deriving from the Proto-Finno-Ugric term *tere- 'healthy'. | |||
| Finnish | hei | ||
| The word "hei" is derived from the Proto-Finnic word "hej", which originally meant "come here." | |||
| Hungarian | helló | ||
| Helló means "hear" in Hungarian, like English "hello" derives from "hark" and German "hallo" from "hören" (hear). | |||
| Latvian | sveiki | ||
| Derived from the word 'sveiks,' meaning 'healthy,' 'Sveiki' is often used as a greeting or as a toast during gatherings. | |||
| Lithuanian | sveiki | ||
| Sveiki is sometimes used as a noun referring to one's ancestors, but more specifically their spirits which are connected to the family. | |||
| Macedonian | здраво | ||
| The word "Здраво" in Macedonian is derived from the Proto-Slavic root "*zdravo", meaning "healthy" or "whole". | |||
| Polish | dzień dobry | ||
| "Dzień dobry" literally means "good day" and can be used at any time of the day or night. | |||
| Romanian | salut | ||
| The Romanian word "Salut" has its origins in the French word "Salut" and the Latin word "Salus", both meaning "health" or "well-being". | |||
| Russian | здравствуйте | ||
| "Здравствуйте" in Russian comes from an old religious phrase meaning something like "May God keep you in good health". | |||
| Serbian | здраво | ||
| "Zdravo" originates from the Old Slavonic "zdraviti", meaning "to be healthy", and is also used as a toast to someone's health. | |||
| Slovak | ahoj | ||
| Originally from the Slovak 'ahoj', a nautical term of greeting among sailors on the Danube River. | |||
| Slovenian | zdravo | ||
| The word "zdravo" (hello) is related to the verb "zdraviti" (to heal) and the adjective "zdrav" (healthy) | |||
| Ukrainian | здрастуйте | ||
| "Здрастуйте" derives from the old Church Slavonic phrase "зъдравъ тꙑ", meaning "may you be healthy," hence its use as a greeting. | |||
Hello in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | হ্যালো | ||
| "হ্যালো" is a respelling of the English word "hello", which can also mean "to heal" in Bengali | |||
| Gujarati | નમસ્તે | ||
| "નમસ્તે" is derived from the Sanskrit word "नमस्" (namas), meaning "to bow" or "to pay homage", and is used as a salutation to show respect and humility to the person being greeted. | |||
| Hindi | नमस्ते | ||
| The word नमस्ते originates from Sanskrit and literally means “bowing to you.” | |||
| Kannada | ಹಲೋ | ||
| In Kannada, the term "ಹಲೋ" is also used in certain religious contexts, such as offerings made in a Hindu temple. | |||
| Malayalam | ഹലോ | ||
| Originally derived from the Old English word, "hleo," meaning "shelter, protection," "haloo" was first used to call for aid in emergencies. | |||
| Marathi | नमस्कार | ||
| The word 'नमस्कार' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'नमस्' meaning 'bow down' and 'कार' meaning 'to do', hence 'to bow down to'. | |||
| Nepali | नमस्कार | ||
| The word “नमस्कार” (namaste) in Nepali is derived from the Sanskrit word “नमस्” (namas), meaning “to bow” or “to pay homage”. | |||
| Punjabi | ਸਤ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਅਕਾਲ | ||
| "Sat Sri Akal" means "True is the Eternal", and is also used as a greeting in Sikhism. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | හෙලෝ | ||
| "Hello" in Sinhala comes from the English "hello", which in turn derives from the German "hallo", first used in 1883 by Thomas Edison's assistant in the laboratory, when the telephone was being invented. | |||
| Tamil | வணக்கம் | ||
| The word 'வணக்கம்' comes from the Sanskrit word 'वन्दे' which means 'to bow down' or 'to pay homage'. | |||
| Telugu | హలో | ||
| The word "హలో" (hello) is derived from the German "hallo", meaning "ahoy" or "hold". | |||
| Urdu | ہیلو | ||
| "ہیلو" is derived from Persian "های" and literally means "I am". | |||
Hello in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 你好 | ||
| The first character, '你' (nǐ), is a second-person singular pronoun, and the second character, '好' (hǎo), means 'good' or 'well'. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 你好 | ||
| "您好" can also be translated as "how do you do?", "good morning/afternoon/evening" and "what do you want?". | |||
| Japanese | こんにちは | ||
| "Konnichiwa" literally means "this day" and can be used as both a greeting and a parting phrase. | |||
| Korean | 여보세요 | ||
| "여보세요" (hello) originally meant "Do you mind?" | |||
| Mongolian | сайн уу | ||
| The Mongolian greeting "Сайн уу" can also be used to express "How are you?" | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဟယ်လို | ||
Hello in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | halo | ||
| The word "halo" is also used in Indonesian to refer to a circle of light around the head of a saint or other holy figure. | |||
| Javanese | halo | ||
| In Javanese, "halo" also refers to a circle drawn with rice flour to protect a baby from evil spirits. | |||
| Khmer | សួស្តី | ||
| "សួស្តី" is derived from Sanskrit and also means "peace" and "wellbeing". | |||
| Lao | ສະບາຍດີ | ||
| Malay | hello | ||
| The word "hello" in Malay, "halo," also means "circle" or "ring". | |||
| Thai | สวัสดี | ||
| The word "สวัสดี" (sawatdee) is derived from Sanskrit and means "good health and well-being". | |||
| Vietnamese | xin chào | ||
| "Xin chào" literally means "please have compassion" and is used as a greeting to someone one has just met or who does not know one well. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kamusta | ||
Hello in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | salam | ||
| 'Salam' is the Arabic word for 'peace', and is also used as a greeting in many other languages, including Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | сәлеметсіз бе | ||
| In Kazakh, the traditional greeting "Сәлеметсіз бе" does not literally mean "hello" but rather roughly translates to "Are you well?" | |||
| Kyrgyz | салам | ||
| Kyrgyz word "салам", used as a general greeting, originated from Persian word "salām" (سلام) which itself originated from the Arabic word "salām" (سلام) which means "peace" | |||
| Tajik | салом | ||
| The word "Салом" in Tajik has a dual origin, deriving both from the Persian "salam" meaning "peace" and the Arabic "salaam" meaning "safety". | |||
| Turkmen | salam | ||
| Uzbek | salom | ||
| "Salom," the Uzbek greeting meaning both "peace" and "hello," originates from Arabic, with its root word being "salam." | |||
| Uyghur | ياخشىمۇسىز | ||
Hello in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | aloha | ||
| The Hawaiian word "aloha" means not just "hello", but also "goodbye", "love", and "compassion." | |||
| Maori | tena koutou | ||
| The Maori greeting "tena koutou" literally means "greetings to you all". | |||
| Samoan | talofa | ||
| "Talofa" also means "to talk" or "to address" in Samoan. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | kamusta | ||
| The Tagalog word "kamusta" originally meant "what's the news?" and is related to the Malay word "khabar" meaning "news". | |||
Hello in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | kamisaki | ||
| Guarani | mba'éichapa | ||
Hello in International Languages
| Esperanto | saluton | ||
| Saluton literally means "small salvation" or "protection", and also signifies "thank you" when someone sneezes or coughs. | |||
| Latin | salve | ||
| Latin "salve" means "be well," suggesting that well-being was an important part of the greeting. | |||
Hello in Others Languages
| Greek | χαίρετε | ||
| In ancient Greek, "Χαίρετε" could also be used as a farewell as it derives from the verb χαίρω (`chairō`), 'rejoice' or 'welcome'. | |||
| Hmong | nyob zoo | ||
| The term "nyob zoo" also refers to a state of well-being or contentment in Hmong culture. | |||
| Kurdish | slav | ||
| The word "Slav" is also used as a term of endearment for a person who is close to one's heart. | |||
| Turkish | merhaba | ||
| "Merhaba" originates from the Arabic phrase "Marhaba-n" meaning "welcome" and is also used as "hi, how are you?" in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | mholweni | ||
| The Xhosa word "Mholweni" can also be translated as "be at peace" or "be well". | |||
| Yiddish | העלא | ||
| The Yiddish word "העלא" derives from the Hebrew "העלך," meaning "to raise"} | |||
| Zulu | sawubona | ||
| "Sawubona" also means "We see you, you are important to us" in Zulu and is a greeting that acknowledges the presence and value of the person being addressed. | |||
| Assamese | নমস্কাৰ | ||
| Aymara | kamisaki | ||
| Bhojpuri | प्रणाम | ||
| Dhivehi | އައްސަލާމް ޢަލައިކުމް | ||
| Dogri | नमस्कार | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kamusta | ||
| Guarani | mba'éichapa | ||
| Ilocano | hello | ||
| Krio | adu | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | سڵاو | ||
| Maithili | नमस्कार | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯍꯦꯜꯂꯣ | ||
| Mizo | chibai | ||
| Oromo | akkam | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ନମସ୍କାର | ||
| Quechua | allinllachu | ||
| Sanskrit | नमस्ते | ||
| Tatar | сәлам | ||
| Tigrinya | ሰላም | ||
| Tsonga | avuxeni | ||