Ways to Say Hello in Different Languages: 40+ Greetings from Around the World

Learning how to say hello in another language is one of the smallest investments a traveller, student or curious mind can make — and one of the most rewarding. A single word, spoken with a smile, can open doors that guidebooks cannot: it tells a shopkeeper in Lisbon, a taxi driver in Bangkok or a host family in Kyoto that you respect their world enough to step into it, even briefly.

This guide collects more than 40 ways to say hello in different languages, organised by region so you can find what you need quickly. Alongside each greeting you will find simple pronunciation help and notes on when a greeting suits the time of day, the level of formality or the local custom. You do not need to be fluent in anything — you just need one good hello.

And if you ever need to expand your greetings in English itself, our guide to ways to say hello has you covered for every situation from boardrooms to text messages.

Quick Answer

The most widely recognised ways to say hello in different languages include bonjour (French), hola (Spanish), hallo (German), ciao (Italian), konnichiwa (Japanese), nǐ hǎo (Mandarin Chinese), namaste (Hindi) and as-salāmu ʿalaykum (Arabic). Many languages change their greeting by time of day or formality, so matching the greeting to the moment matters as much as the word itself.

Hello in European Languages

Europe packs an extraordinary variety of greetings into a small continent, and most of them will already feel half-familiar to English speakers.

In France, bonjour (bon-ZHOOR) is the daytime standard and it doubles as “good morning” and “good afternoon” — the French switch to bonsoir (bon-SWAHR) in the evening. Among friends, salut (sa-LÜ) works like “hi”. Over the border in Spain, hola (OH-lah) is universal, while buenos días (BWAY-noss DEE-ass) adds a touch of politeness before midday.

Italy gives you ciao (CHOW) for friends and buongiorno (bwon-JOR-noh) for everyone else during the day, shifting to buonasera (bwona-SAY-rah) in the evening. In Germany, hallo is friendly and informal, while guten Tag (GOO-ten TAHK) and guten Morgen are the safe choices with strangers or in business. Portugal offers olá (oh-LAH) and bom dia (bong DEE-ah) in the morning; Dutch speakers greet with hallo or goedemorgen (khoo-duh-MOR-khun) before noon.

Head north and the greetings get shorter. Swedish and Danish both use hej (HAY), Norwegian uses hei (HAY), Finnish offers hei or terve (TAIR-veh), and Icelandic greets with halló (ha-LOH). In Poland, cześć (CHESHCH) is the friendly “hi”, while dzień dobry (JEN DOB-rih) is the polite all-day greeting. Czech speakers say ahoj (a-HOY) to friends.

Further east, Russian distinguishes sharply by formality: privet (pree-VYET) for friends, zdravstvuyte (ZDRAH-stvooy-tyeh) for strangers and elders. Greek gives you kalimera (kah-lee-MEH-rah) in the morning and yassou (YAH-soo) informally at any hour. The Celtic languages have their own charm: Welsh shwmae (shoo-MY) or bore da (BOR-eh DAH) for “good morning”, Irish dia duit (DEE-ah GHWIT), and Scottish Gaelic halò (ha-LOH).

Greetings from Asia

Asia is home to most of the world’s native speakers, so its greetings are worth learning properly — including the customs that travel with them.

In Mandarin Chinese, nǐ hǎo (nee HOW) is the standard “hello” and works almost everywhere. Japanese changes its greeting through the day: ohayō gozaimasu (oh-ha-YOH goh-zah-ee-MASS) in the morning, konnichiwa (kon-nee-chee-WAH) in the daytime, and konbanwa (kon-bahn-WAH) in the evening. A small bow or nod alongside the words is always appreciated. Korean speakers use annyeonghaseyo (ahn-yong-ha-SEH-yoh) as the polite everyday greeting.

In Thailand, sawatdee (sa-wah-DEE) is said with khrap by men and kha by women, usually with the palms pressed together in a wai. Vietnamese offers xin chào (sin CHOW). For mornings specifically, our ways to say good morning guide covers the early-hours greetings in more depth.

On the Indian subcontinent, namaste (NA-ma-stay) — said with palms pressed together and a slight bow — is understood across India regardless of language. Bengali speakers say nomoshkar (noh-mosh-KAR). In the Philippines, kamusta (kah-moos-TAH) works as both “hello” and “how are you”. Indonesian and Malay speakers greet with halo or the time-specific selamat pagi (suh-LAH-maht PAH-gee) in the morning.

In the Middle East, as-salāmu ʿalaykum (ass-sah-LAH-moo a-LAY-koom), meaning “peace be upon you”, is the respectful standard across the Arab world, answered with wa ʿalaykum as-salām. The shorter marhaban (mar-HA-ban) works in casual settings. Hebrew speakers say shalom (shah-LOME), which means both “hello” and “peace”, while Turkish speakers greet with merhaba (mare-HA-bah).

Hello in Africa, Oceania and the Americas

Africa’s greetings often carry warmth and enquiry in a single word. In Swahili, spoken across East Africa, jambo (JAHM-boh) is the classic tourist greeting, while habari (ha-BAH-ree) — literally “what’s the news?” — is what locals actually say to each other. Zulu speakers in South Africa greet with sawubona (sah-woo-BOH-nah), which beautifully translates as “we see you”.

Across the Pacific, Hawaiian aloha (ah-LOH-hah) means hello, goodbye and love all at once, and New Zealand’s Māori greeting kia ora (KEE-ah OR-ah) is used by Māori and non-Māori alike in everyday life.

In the Americas, Spanish hola dominates Latin America, while Brazilian Portuguese speakers — note, Portuguese, not Spanish — greet friends with a cheerful oi (OY). Countless Indigenous languages from Quechua to Inuktitut have their own greetings too; when visiting Indigenous communities, asking a local how to say hello is itself a wonderful greeting.

How to Use These Greetings Without Causing Offence

Knowing the word is only half the job. The other half is matching it to the moment.

Respect formality. Many languages have a casual and a polite register, and using the wrong one is the commonest blunder. Say buongiorno rather than ciao to an Italian shopkeeper, zdravstvuyte rather than privet to a Russian elder, and annyeonghaseyo rather than the casual annyeong to a Korean stranger. When in doubt, always choose the formal version — nobody is ever offended by politeness.

Watch the clock. Time-of-day greetings are strict in some cultures. In France, switching from bonjour to bonsoir in the evening is expected, and in Japan the morning/day/evening trio is non-negotiable. If you are unsure which applies, a neutral hallo-style greeting or a simple smile and nod is safer than guessing.

Follow the body language. Words travel with gestures: a slight bow in Japan, palms together in Thailand and India, and cheek kisses among friends in France and much of Latin America. You do not need to perform these perfectly — a respectful attempt, or simply mirroring what your host does, is always well received. And when the conversation ends, switching to the right farewell matters just as much; see our ways to say goodbye guide before you leave.

Common Mistakes

Wrong: Saying konnichiwa to your hosts at 9pm in Tokyo.
Right: Use konbanwa after dark — konnichiwa is strictly a daytime greeting.

Wrong: Greeting everyone in Brazil with hola.
Right: Brazilians speak Portuguese, not Spanish — say olá or the friendly oi.

Wrong: Using ciao with an Italian business client you have just met.
Right: Ciao is for friends and peers; buongiorno or buonasera shows proper respect to someone new.

Wrong: Pronouncing namaste as “na-MAST” with the stress at the end.
Right: Stress the first syllable — NA-ma-stay — and press your palms together as you say it.

Wrong: Assuming aloha only means hello.
Right: In Hawaii, aloha also means goodbye and love — context decides which one you just said.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most universally understood greeting in the world?

The English word “hello” is understood in more countries than any other greeting, thanks to the global reach of English in travel, business and media. That said, a greeting in the local language — even a clumsy one — almost always earns a warmer response than defaulting to English.

How do you say hello in the world’s most spoken languages?

In the six most spoken native languages, hello is: hello (English), nǐ hǎo (Mandarin Chinese), namaste (Hindi), hola (Spanish), bonjour (French) and as-salāmu ʿalaykum (Arabic). Learning just these six covers the first language of well over half the planet.

Is it rude to greet someone in the wrong language?

Almost never — the effort itself is the compliment. The only real pitfall is assuming someone’s language from their appearance, which can irritate. If you are unsure, a smile and “hello” in English is a safe opener, and you can ask which language they prefer.

Should I learn more than just “hello” before travelling?

Yes — two or three phrases multiply the goodwill enormously. Add “please”, “thank you” and “goodbye” in the local language to your one greeting, and you will be amazed how far four words can take you. Time-of-day greetings like “good morning” are the natural next step.

Keep exploring: master the ways to say hello in English for every occasion, start the day right with ways to say good morning, and leave gracefully with ways to say goodbye.