Hello in many languages

There isn't an equivalent for this word in all languages, but many have something similar. In some languages, different words for hello are used when answering the phone.

Guide to abbreviations: inf = informal, frm = formal, sg = singular (said to one person), dl = dual (said to two people), pl = plural (said to three or more people).

Language Hello Hello
(on phone)
Afrikaans Hallo, Goeie dag  
Albanian C'kemi, Tungjatjeta  
Alsatian Hallo, Güete Tag  
Arabic (Modern Standard) (assa'lām aa'laykum) السلام عليكم
response - (wa aa'laykum assa'lām) و عليكم السلام
informal - (marḥabā) مرحبا
('ālló) آلو
Arabic (Egyptian) (is salām 'alaykum) ألسّلام عليكم
response - (wa 'alaykum is salām) وعليكم السّلام
(ahlan wa sahlan) أهلاً وسهلاً
response - (ahlan beek) أهلاً بيك
informal - (ahlan) أهلاً
 
Aragonese Ola  
Arapaho Héébee (man speaking)
Tous (woman speaking or a man speaking to a woman)
 
Armenian
(Eastern)
բարև (Barev) - inf
Բարև Ձեզ (Barev dzez) - frm
ալլո (Alló)
Armenian
(Western)
Բարեւ: (Parev) inf
Բարեւ ձեզ: (Parev tsez) frm
 
Arrernte Werte  
Asturian Hola, Bonos díes  
Azerbaijani Salam, Salam əleyküm / Əleyküm salam (reply)  
Basque Kaixo  
Belarusian Вітаю (Vitayu)
Дзень добры (Dzien' dobry)
Дабрыдзень (Dabrydzien)
Прывітанне (Pryvitanne) - inf
 
Bengali নমশ্কর (namaskar) haelo!
Bosnian Dobar dan (frm) Zdravo / Merhaba (inf) Halo, Molim
Breton Salud, Mat an traoù ganeoc'h?  
Bulgarian Здравейте (Zdravejte) Ало (Alo)
Catalan Hola, Bon dia Digui, Si, Hola
Chamorro Hafa Adai  
Chichewa Moni  
Chinese (Cantonese) 你好 (néih hóu) (wài)
Chinese (Hakka) 爾好 (ngi2 ho)  
Chinese (Mandarin) 你好 (nǐ hǎo), 您好 (nín hǎo) - frm (wéi)
Chinese (Shanghainese) 儂好 (non ho)  
Chinese (Taiwanese) 你好 (li2 ho2)  
Chinese (Teochow) 汝好 (leu2 ho2)  
Cimbrian Guuten takh  
Cornish Dydh da, Hou, You, Ha, Hou sos  
Corsican Bonghjornu  
Croatian Zdravo, Bok, Bog  
Czech Ahoj / Dobrý den Haló
Dalecarian Hej, Høj, Góðdag  
Danish Hej Hallo
Dutch Hallo / Goede dag  
Eritrean ታዲያስ (tadiyalä)  
Esperanto Saluton  
Estonian Tere, Tervist  
Faroese Hallo / Hey  
Fijian Bula (inf) Drau bula (dl) Dou bula (pl) Nibula (mp)  
Finnish Terve, Hyvää päivää, Päivää, Moi, Hei Haloo?
French Salut / Bonjour Allô?
Frisian (North) Moin / Guundach  
Frisian (Saterfrisian) Gouden Dai  
Frisian (West) A goeie, Hoi, Goeie, Goedei  
Friulian Bundì, Mandi  
Gaelic (Irish) Dia duit, Dia is Muire duit (reply)  
Gaelic (Manx) Dy bannee diu, Ta shiu/oo cheet!  
Gaelic (Scottish) Halò, Ciamar a tha thu/sibh?  
Galician Hola  
Georgian გამარჯობა (gamardžoba) ალო (alo)
გისმენთ (gisment')
German Hallo / Guten Tag Hallo
Greek Γειά σας (Yiá sas) - frm
Γειά σου (Yiá sou) - inf
Ελλα (Ella)
Λεγετε (Legete)
Ἐμπρός! (Embrós)
Greenlandic Inuugujoq, kutaa / Haluu  
Haitian Creole Bonjou  
Hawaiian Aloha  
Hebrew (šalom) שלום  
Herero Tjike  
Himba Mono  
Hindi नमस्ते (namaste) हेलो (helo)
Hungarian Jó napot kívánok / Szervusz / Szia Halló
Icelandic Halló, Góðan dag(inn)
Sæll (to a man) Sæl (to a woman)
 
Ido Saluto  
Indonesian Selamat siang Halo
Interlingua Salute  
Inuktitut ᐊᐃ (Ai) ᐊᐃᓐᖓᐃ (Ainngai)  
Italian Ciao / Salve Pronto?
Jutish Godaw  
Japanese 今日は (konnichiwa)
おっす (ossu) - used between close male friends
もしもし
(moshi moshi)
Jèrriais Salut / Bouônjour  
Kashubian Witôjze  
Kazakh Сәлем! (Sälem!) (inf)
Сәлеметсіз бе (Sälemetsiz be?) (frm)
 
Khmer សួស្ដី (soursdey)  
Klingon nuqneH  
Korean 안녕하세요 (annyeonghaseyo) - formal
안녕 (annyeong) - informal
여보세요 (yeoboseyo)
!Kung San !kao  
Kurdish Sillaw, Ew kata bash, Em kata bash elu
Latin Heus (inf) Ave / Salve (sg) Salvete (pl)  
Latvian Sveiki  
Limburgish Hallo  
Lithuanian Labas, Sveikas, Sveiki Alio
Low German Moin / Goden Dag  
Luxembourgish Moien, Salut  
Macedonian Здраво (Zdravo) Ало (Alo)
- on phone
Malay Selamat tengahari  
Maltese Hello / Hawn, x'ghandnda  
Maori Kia ora, Kia ora rā kōrua (dl) Kia ora koutou (pl)
Tēnā koe (sg) Tēnā kōrua (dl) Tēnā koutou (pl)
 
Mongolian Сайн уу? (Sain uu?) Сайн байна уу (Sain baina uu)  
Nama !gai //oas  
Navajo Y´'át'ééh  
Norwegian Goddag / Hei / Morn Hallo
Occitan Bonjorn! Adieu! Adieussiatz!  
Old English wes hāl (to one person) wesaþ hāl (to more than one person)  
Persian (Salâm) سلام  
Pitjantjatjara Wai, Wai palya  
Plautdietsch Goondach  
Polish Cześć Halo / Słucham
Portuguese Olá (Portugal)
Oi! E aí? Tudo bem? Tudo certo? Opa! (Brazil)
Alô?
Romanian Salut / Bună ziua Alo
Russian Здравствуйте (Zdravstvujte) - frm, Привет (Privet) - inf Алло (Alló)
Samoan Talofa  
Sardinian Bona die  
Serbian Здраво (Zdravo) Ало (Alo)
Молим (Molim)
Sesotho Lumela / Dumela (to one person)
Dumelang (to more than one person)
 
Shona Mhoro (to one person)
Mhoroi (to more than one person)
 
Sicilian Ciau  
Slovak Ahoj (sg/inf) Ahojte (pl/frm) Nazdar, Servus  
Slovenian Zdravo, Živjo Halo
Spanish Buenas dias / ¡Hola! ¿Aló? ¡Bueno!
¡Diga! ¡Dígame!
¡Hola!
Stellingwarfs Hoj  
Swahili Habari (inf), Hujambo / Sijambo (reply)  
Swedish Hej / Hallå Hallå, Hej
God dag (frm)
Tagalog Mabuhay! (frm) Hoy / Uy (inf) Hello
Tamil வணக்கம்! (vaṇakkam)  
Thai สวัสดี (sawùt dee) ฮัลโหล (hanlǒh)
Tok Pisin Gude  
Tsez АсаламугIалейкум! (Asalamuʔaleykum!)
СаламгIапейкум! (Salamʔaleykum!)
СаламгIапейкум! (Biziyä!) (>f)
Изийаь! (Iziyä!) (>m)
Ризийаь! (Riziyä!) (>pl)
 
Turkish Merhaba, Selam, İyi günler Alo, Efendim
Ukrainian Вітаю (Vitayu) - frm Агов (Ahov) - inf Алло (Allo)
Слухаю (Sluxaju)
Urdu (āssālam 'alaykum) السلام علیکم
(helo) ەيلو
Uzbek Assalomu Alaykum!
Vaassalomu alaykum! (reply)
Abbay!
Venda I nhlikanhi  
Vietnamese Chào anh (to a man)
Chào chị (to a woman)
Á-lô!
Volapük Glidis  
Walloon Bondjoû  
Warlpiri Ngurrju mayinpa  
Welsh Helô / Hylô / Shwmae  
Xhosa Molo (sg) Molweni (pl)  
Yapese Mogethin  
Yiddish (A gutn tog) אַ גוטן טאָג  
Zulu Sawubona (sg) Sawubonani (pl)  

If you would like to make any corrections or additions to this page, please contact me. If you can provide audio recordings of any of these phrases, please send them to my email address

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Links & sources

Hello in many languages
http://www.elite.net/~runner/jennifers/hello.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hello
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Hello

World Telephone Cultures
http://www.netjeff.com/humor/item.cgi?file=HelloOnTelephoneWorldwide

Useful phrases in various European languages
http://www.geocities.com/mailjohan/

Other phrases

Welcome | Hello | How are you? | Long time no see | What's your name? | Where are you from? | Pleased to meet you | Good morning | Good afternoon | Good evening | Good night | Good bye | Good luck | Cheers/Good health | Have a nice day | Bon appetit | Bon voyage | I don't understand | Please say that again | Please speak more slowly | Can you please write it down? | Do you speak ...? | Excuse me | How much is this? | Sorry | Thank you | Where's the toilet? | This gentleman/lady will pay for everything | Would you like to dance with me? | I love you | Get well soon | How do you say ... in [your language]? | Leave me alone! | Help! | Call the police! | Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year | Happy Easter | Happy Birthday | Idioms | It's all Greek to me | It's raining cats and dogs | As easy as falling off a log | A sandwich short of a picnic | When pigs fly | 'Useful' phrases | My hovercraft is full of eels | Tongue twisters | Proverbs, quotations and sayings about language | One language is never enough | Stop the world, I want to get off! | Days of the week

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