100 ways to say 'hello' in different languages
Did you know that more than 7000 languages are spoken worldwide? Although we won't go through all 7000, this blog post will teach you how to say hello in 100 of the most widely spoken languages.
No matter what language you speak, your race, or your country, one of the most common ways of starting a conversation is with a simple greeting, 'hello'. It is also often the first word anyone learns when learning a new language. The list of 'hellos' we've prepared below will aid you in learning as many 'hellos' as you need to.
'Hello' in 100 different languages
Now, let's explore the many ways to say hello in different languages. We'll start with some of the more common greetings and then explore some of the different ways people greet each other across the globe.
A-F (Afrikaans - Filipino)
Language | Greeting | In-language | Country |
Afrikaans | Goeie dag / Hallo | Goeie dag / Hallo | South Africa |
Albanian | Tungjatjeta | Tungjatjeta | Albania |
Arabic | Marhaba / Salam / Ahlan | مرحبا Check out 10 ways to say hello in Arabic | Algeria, Bahrain, Chad, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen,Iran, Turkey, Niger, Senegal, Mali and Cyprus. |
Amharic | Selam | Ethiopia | |
Armenian | Barev | Armenia, Artsakh | |
Aussie | G’day | Australia | |
Azerbaijani | Salam | Salam | Northern Iran, Southern Dagestan, Eastern Turkey, Kvemo Kartli - Georgia |
Basque | Kaixo | Kaixo | Northern Spain, Southern France |
Bavarian | Seavus / Grias god / Grias di | Servus / Grüß Gott / Grüß dich | Austria, Bavaria, and South Tyrol |
Bengali | Namaskar | নমস্কার | Bangladesh, India |
Bosnian | Zdravo / Selam | Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro | |
Burmese | Mingala ba | Myanmar | |
Bulgarian | Zdraveite | Здравей | Bulgaria |
Catalan | Hola | Hola | Spain |
Chinese (Mandarin) | Nǐ hǎo | China | |
Chinese (Cantonese) | Nay Hoh | Southern China, Hong Kong, Macau | |
Croatian | Bok | Croatia | |
Czech | Ahoj | Czech | |
Danish | Hej / Hallo | Denmark | |
Dutch | Hallo | Netherlands | |
English | Hello | Hello | Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States plus 50 more including Canada, Sierra Leone, Fiji, India, Ireland, Jamaica, Singapore, Samoan Islands, South Africa et. al. |
Estonian | Tere | Tere | Estonia |
Fijian | Bula | Bula | Fiji |
Filipino | Helo / Kamusta | Kamusta | The Philippines |
F-K (Finnish - Kurdish)
Language | Greeting | In-language | Country |
Finnish | Hei | Finland | |
French | Bonjour | France, Belgium, Switzerland, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Congo, Cameroon, Guinea, Gabon, Mauritius, French Polynesia | |
Gaelic | Dia dhuit | Dia dhuit | Ireland |
German | Hallo / Guten tag | Germany, Austria, Switzerland | |
Georgian | Gamarjoba | გამარჯობა | Georgia and some parts of Turkey, Russia and Europe |
Greek | Yassou | Γεια σου | Greece, Cyprus |
Haitian Creole | Bonjou | Haiti | |
Hawaiian | Aloha | Aloha | Hawaii |
Hausa | Sannu / Salama Aleikum | Sannu | Niger, Northern Nigeria |
Hebrew | Shalom | שלום | Israel |
Hindi | Namastē | नमस्ते | India, Nepal |
Hungarian | Szia | Szia | Hungary |
Icelandic | Góðan dag / Halló | Halló | Iceland |
Igbo | Nnh-deh-woh | Ǹdéèwō | Nigeria |
Indonesian | Halo / Hai / Selamat siang | Halo / Hai / Selamat siang | Indonesia |
Irish | Dia dhuit | Dia dhuit | Ireland |
Italian | Ciao | Italy | |
Japanese | Ohayo / Konnichiwa / Konbanwa | Japan | |
Javanese | Halo | Halo | Java - Indonesia, Malaysia, Suriname |
Kannada | Namaskār | ನಮಸ್ಕಾರ | India |
Kazakh | Sälemetsiz be | Сәлеметсіз бе | Kazakhstan |
Khmer | Cham reap sour | ជំរាបសួរ | Cambodia |
Korean | Ahn nyong ha se yo | 안녕하세요 | South Korea, North Korea |
Kurdish | Slav | Iraq, Iran, Syria, Turkey |
L-S (Lao - Scottish)
Language | Greeting | In-language | Country |
Lao | Sabai dii | ສະບາຍດີ | Laos, Thailand |
Latin | Salve | Salve | Vatican City |
Latvian | Sveiki | Sveiki | Latvia |
Lithuanian | Labas | Labas | Lithuania |
Luxembourgish | Moien | Moien | Luxembourg |
Macedonian | Zdravo / Dobar den | Добар ден | Macedonia |
Malay | Salaam / Hello / Hai | Salaam / Hello / Hai | Malaysia |
Maori | Kia ora | New Zealand | |
Maltese | Bonġu | Bonġu | Malta |
Mongolian | Sain bainuu | Сайн уу | Mongolia |
Nepali | Namastē | नमस्कार | Nepal |
Navajo | Yá’át’ééh | Yá’át’ééh | Native American - spoken by the Navajo people (a Native American tribe) |
Norwegian | Hei / Hallo / God dag | Hei / Hallo / God dag | Norway |
Odia | Namaskār | ନମସ୍କାର | India |
Oromo | Akkam | Akkam | Ethiopia |
Pashto | Salâm | سلام | Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran |
Persian | سلام | Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Bahrain | |
Polish | Cześć | Poland | |
Portuguese | Olá | Olá | Portugal, Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, São Tomé, Macau |
Punjabi |