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 sg), dl = dual (said to two people), pl = plural (said to three or more people), rsp = respectful form, m = said by men, f = said by women

Language	Hello	Hello (on phone)
Afrikaans	Haai (inf), Hallo, Goeie dag (frm)
Albanian	C'kemi, Tungjatjeta	Alo
Alsatian	Hallo / Güete Tag / Buschur / Güata Tàg / Göte Tàij / Grias di wohl / Salü
Amharic	ሰላም (sälam) / tadiyass - inf teanaste'lle'n (frm)
Arabic (Modern Standard)	(as-salām 'alaykum) السلام عليكم rsp - (wa 'alaykum as-salām) و عليكم السلام inf - (marḥaban) مرحبا	('āllō) آلو
Arabic (Egyptian)	(is salām 'alaykum) ألسّلام عليكم rsp - (wa 'alaykum is salām) وعليكم السّلام (ahlan wa sahlan) أهلاً و سهلاً rsp - (ahlan beek) أهلاً بيك inf - (ahlan) أهلاً
Arabic (Lebanese)	Mar7aba
Arabic (Moroccan)	(ssalamū 'lekum) اسلا عليكم	(alu) الو
Aragonese	Ola
Arapaho	Héébee (m) Tous (f/m>f)
Armenian (Eastern)	բարև(Barev) inf ԲարևՁեզ (Barev dzez) frm	ալլո (Alló)
Armenian (Western)	Բարեւ: (Parev) inf Բարեւ ձեզ: (Parev tsez) frm
Arrernte	Werte
Assamese	নমস্কাৰ (nomoskaar)
Asturian	Hola / Bonos díes
Azeri	Salam, Salam əleyküm, Əleyküm salam (reply)
Basque	Kaixo
Belarusian	Вітаю (Vitayu) Дзень добры (Dzien' dobry) Дабрыдзень (Dabrydzien) Прывітанне (Pryvitanne) - inf
Bengali	নমস্কার (nômoshkar) - for Hindus আসসালামু আলাইকুম (assalamualaikum) স্লামালিকুম (slamalikum) - for Muslims	haelo
Bhojpuri	प्रणाम (prannam)
Bosnian	Dobar dan (frm) Zdravo / Merhaba (inf)	Halo, Molim
Breton	Salud Mat an traoù? Mat an traoù ganeoc'h?
Bulgarian	Здравейте (Zdravejte) frm Здравей (Zdravej) inf Здрасти (Zdrasti) inf Привет (Privet) - regards, greetings	Ало (Alo) Дочуване (Dočuvane)
Catalan	Hola, Bon dia	Hola? Si? Digui?
Chabacano de Zamboanga	Que tal? Hola!
Chabacano de Cavite	Ola
Chamorro	Håfa ådai / Buenas
Chechen	Салам
Cherokee	ᎣᏏᏲ (Osiyo) 'ᏏᏲ (Siyo) - inf
Chichewa	Moni
Chinese (Cantonese)	你好 (néih hóu)	喂 (wái)
Chinese (Hakka)	你好 (ngi² ho³) 你好冇？ (ngi² ho³ mo?)	噯 (oi)
Chinese (Mandarin)	你好 (nǐ hǎo) - inf 您好 (nín hǎo) - frm	喂 (wéi)
Chinese (Shanghainese)	侬好 (nong23 hao34) 大家好！(dâka-hô!) - hello everybody 饭吃过伐？ (ve23 qik3 gu5 va1?) - "have you eaten?" (common greeting)
Chinese (Taiwanese)	你好 (lí-hó) - sg / 恁好 (lín-hó) - pl	喂 (ôe)
Chinese (Teochew)	汝好 (leu² ho²)
Choctaw	Halito
Cimbrian	Guuten takh
Cornish	Dydh da, Hou, You, Ha, Hou sos
Corsican	Salute / Bonghjornu
Croatian	Bok / Čao / Dobar Dan
Czech	Ahoj / Dobrý den	Haló
Danish	Hej	Hallo
Dutch	Hallo / Goededag / Goeiedag (inf)
Elfdalian	Hej, Høj, Góðdag
Eritrean	ታዲያስ (tadiyalä)
Esperanto	Saluton	Halo
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 (Sater)	Gouden Dai
Frisian (West)	A goeie, Hoi, Goeie, Goedei
Friulian	Bundì, Mandi
Galician	Ola
Georgian	გამარჯობა (gamarjoba)	ალო (alo) გისმენთ (gismenth)
German	Hallo, Guten Tag, Servus, Moin	Hallo
German (Bavarian)	Servas / Gria̦sgood
Greek (Modern)	Γειά! (ya) – inf Γειά σου (ya su) – inf Γειά σας (ya sas) – frm	Έλα (éla) – (ela) inf Λέγετε (léyete) – frm Εμπρός (embrós) – inf
Greenlandic	Aluu (inf) Inuugujoq / Kutaa (frm)	Haluu
Gujarati	નમસ્તે (namaste)
Haitian Creole	Bonjou
Hausa	Sannu / Salama alaikum / A gaishai ka (ki) Amin. Alaikum salam (reply)
Hawaiian	Aloha
Hebrew	(šalom) שלום	(halo) הלו
Herero	Tjike
Himba	Mono
Hindi	नमस्ते (namaste) नमस्कार (namaskār)	हेलो (helo)
Hungarian	Jó napot kívánok / Szervusz / Szia	Halló
Icelandic	Halló / Góðan dag / Góðan daginn Sæll (>m) Sæl (>f)
Ido	Saluto
Indonesian	Selamat / Apa kabar?	Halo
Interlingua	Salute
Inuktitut	ᐊᐃ (Ai) ᐊᐃᓐᖓᐃ (Ainngai)
Iñupiaq	Halauġikpiñ
Irish (Gaelic)	Dia dhuit (sg) Dia dhóibh (pl) reply: Dia is Muire dhuit (sg) Dia is Muire dhóibh (pl)
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
Kannada	ನಮಸ್ತೆ (namaste) ನಮಸ್ಕಾರ (namaskāra)
Kazakh	Сәлем! (Sälem!) - inf Сәлеметсіз бе? (Sälemetsiz be?) - frm
Khmer	ជំរាបសួរ (johm riab sua)
Kinyarwanda	Muraho / Bite (inf)
Klingon	nuqneH ('What do you want?') - general 'greeting' used when confronted by another
Korean	안녕하십니가 (annyeonghashipnikka) - frm 안녕하세요 (annyeonghaseyo) - inf 안녕 (annyeong) - inf	여보세요 (yeoboseyo)
!Kung San	!kao
Kurdish (Sorani)	Sillaw, Ew kata bash, Em kata bash	elu
Lakota Sioux	Hau (used only by men)
Latin	Heus (inf) Ave / Salve (sg) Salvete (pl)
Latvian	Sveiki
Limburgish	Hallo
Lithuanian	Labas, Sveikas, Sveiki	Alio
Low Saxon	Moin
Luxembourgish	Moien / Salut
Macedonian	Здраво (Zdravo)	Ало (Alo) - on phone
Malay	Selamat pagi (good morning) Selamat petang (good afternoon) Selamat malam (good night) Assalamualaikum (used by Muslims)
Malayalam	നമസ്തെ (namaste) നമസ്കാരം (namaskaram)
Manx (Gaelic)	Dy bannee diu, Ta shiu/oo cheet!
Maldivian	Assalaamu Alaikum (frm) Kihineh? (inf)
Maltese	Ħello / Hawn / Aw
Māori	Kia ora Kia ora rā kōrua (dl) Kia ora koutou (pl) Tēnā koe (sg/frm) Tēnā kōrua (dl/frm) Tēnā koutou (pl/frm)
Mongolian	Сайн уу? (Sain uu?) Сайн байна уу? (Sain baina uu)	Байна уу (Baina uu)
Nama	!gai //oas
Navajo	Yá'át'ééh
Nepali	नमस्ते (namaste)
Norwegian	Goddag / Hei / Morn	Hallo
Occitan	Bonjorn! Adieu! Adieussiatz!
Ojibwe	Aniin / Boozhoo
Old English	Wes hāl (sg) Wesaþ hāl (pl)
Oriya	ନମସ୍କର (namascara) ନମସ୍ତେ (namaste) ଶୁଣିବେ (sunibe)
Papiamento	Bon dia / Halo
Pashto	(khe chare) ښې چارې (salaam) سلام (as-salaamu' alaykum) السلام عايكم
Persian (Farsi)	(dorood) درود (salâm) سلام
Pitjantjatjara	Wai, Wai palya
Polish	Cześć (inf) / Siema / Siemano (vinf)	Halo / Słucham
Portuguese	Olá / Estou? (Portugal) Oi! E aí? Tudo bem? Tudo certo? Opa! (Brazil)	Alô?
Punjabi	ਸਤਿ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਅਕਾਲ। / ست سِری اَکال (sat srī akāl) ਨਮਸਕਾਰ / نمسکار (namaskar)
Quechua	Rimaykullayki / Napaykullayki
Romanian	Salut / Bună ziua	Alo
Romansh	Ciao / Tgau / Allegra
Russian	Здравствуйте! (Zdravstvujte!) - frm Привет! (Privet!) - inf	Алло? (Allo?)
Samoan	Talofa / Falopa
Sardinian (Logudorese)	Bone die
Scottish Gaelic	Halò / Ciamar a tha thu/sibh?
Serbian	Здраво (Zdravo)	Хало (Halo) Молим (Molim)
Sesotho	Lumela / Dumela (sg) Dumelang (pl)
Shona	Mhoro (sg) Mhoroi (pl)
Sicilian	Ciau / Assabbinirica / Sabbinirica / Salutamu
Sinhala	ආයුඛෝවන් (āyubūvan)	හලෝ (halō)
Sesotho	Lumela / Dumela (sg) Dumelang (pl)
Slovak	Ahoj (sg/inf) Ahojte (pl/frm) Nazdar / Servus
Slovenian	Pozdravljeni, Živjo, Zdravo	Halo
Somali	Is ka warran
Spanish	¡Hola!	¡Diga! ¡Dígame! ¿Sí? ¿Bueno? ¡Hola! ¿Aló?
Stellingwarfs	Hoj
Sundanese	Halo (borrowed from Indonesian)
Swahili	Habari (inf), Hujambo / Sijambo (reply)
Swedish	God dag (frm) Hej (inf) Hallå (inf) Tjena, Tja (vinf)
Swiss German	Grüezi (frm) / Sali (inf) Grüezi mittenand (pl/frm) Sali zämme (pl/inf)
Tagalog	Mabuhay! (frm) Hoy / Uy (inf)	Hello
Tahitian	Ia ora na
Tamil	வணக்கம் (vaṇakkam) - inf வணக்க0 (vaṇakkã) - frm
Tatar	Isänme(sez) / Sawmı(sız) / Sälam (inf)
Telugu	ఏమండీ (aemaṅdee)
Tetum	Ola, Oi
Teribe	Miga (said by a visitor) Kobe (said to a visitor)
Thai	สวัสดี (sà-wàt-dee)	ฮัลโหล (hanlŏh)
Tibetan	བཀྲ་ཤིས་བདེ་ལེགས། (tashi delek) This phrase, which means "Good fortune", is used as a greeting, though isn't really an equivalent of hello. Questions like "How are you?" or "Where are you going?" are used instead.
Tigrinya	ሰላም (selam)
Tok Pisin	Gude / Hi / Hai
Tongan	Mālō e lelei (inf) Mālō ‘etau lava (frm)
Tswana	Dumela
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 (Sluchaju)
Urdu	(āssālam 'alaykum) السلام علیکم reply - (wālaikum assalām) وعليكم السلام inf - (salām) سلام	(helo) ەيلو
Uzbek	Assalomu Alaykum! Vaalajkum assalom! (reply)	Labbay!
Venda	I nhlikanhi
Venetian	Ciao!
Vietnamese	Chào anh (>m) Chào chị (>f)	Á-lô!
Volapük	Glidis
Võro	Tereq
Walloon	Bondjoû
Warlpiri	Ngurrju mayinpa
Welsh	Helô / Hylô / Shwmae / S'mae
Wolof	Na nga def (sg) Na ngeen def (pl) Salaam aleekum
Xhosa	Molo (sg) Molweni (pl)
Yapese	Mogethin
Yiddish	(A gutn tog) אַ גוטן טאָג
Yorùbá	Ẹ n lẹ
Yucatec Maya	Ba'ax ka wa'alik?
Zazaki	Selam / Ma be xér / Demê şıma be xeyr
Zulu	Sawubona (sg) Sanibonani (pl)

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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

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Hello in many languages

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