How to Say Hello in Different Languages

Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Other, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish

WE say it every day, dozens of times a day, if not more – hello. So does everyone else on this big, blue marble in the sky, in thousands of different languages. (Incredibly, experts of linguistics, the scientific study of languages, don’t agree on how many languages are spoken!) In this article, we are going to show you how to say hello in different languages – but just some of the main ones!

Spanish – Hola or buenos días

French – Bonjour

Italian – Bon giorno

German – Guten Tag

Japanese – Ohayo gozaimasu (pronounced oh-ha-yoh goh-zah-ee-mahss), or konnichiwa

Portuguese – Bom dia

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Swedish – Hej (pronounced hey)

Dutch – Goedendag

Russian – Privet (pronounced pree-vyet)

Hebrew – Shalom

Greek – Yia sou (pronounced yah soo)

Chinese (Mandarin) – Nĭ hăo (nee how)

Irish – Dia duit (pronounced gee-ah ditch)

Czech – Dobré ráno

Finnish – Hyvää päivää

Arabic – Asslam alykom

Danish – Hej (pronounced hey)

Swahili – Habari

Turkish – Merhaba selam

Hindi – Namaste

Slovenian – Zivijo (pronounced gee-vee-oh)

Now that you know how to say hello in different languages, remember that different cultures have different customs. In the Western world, shaking hands is common, while in the East, a slight bow may be more appropriate. If you are going to travel, be sure to learn the customs of the area so as not to offend. When in doubt, go for a formal greeting — or nod and smile. That is universally understood. : )