115 Ways to Say 'Hello' in Different Languages

By Carly Forsaith, updated on April 12, 2023

Want to learn ways to say ‘hello’ in different languages? Whether you’re thinking about traveling the world, want to make new friends from abroad, or are just looking to challenge yourself, there are many valid reasons for wanting to learn to greet someone in another language.

In this article, you’ll learn how to say ‘hello’ in 115 different languages! So strap in, and read on.

How to Say ‘Hello’ in Different Languages

Other languages, just like English, have more than one way to say ‘hello.’ But to keep things simple, in this article, we’re going to give you just one for each language.

Of course, if you’re interested in any particular language, then you can always go ahead and learn all the different ways they have to say ‘hello’... or even go the whole nine yards and learn the entire language!

But for now, we'll start with 'hello.'

1. Afrikaans: Hallo
2. Albanian: Përshëndetje
3. Amharic: Selam
4. Arabic: Marhabaan
5. Armenian: Barev
6. Australian: G’day
7. Azerbaijani: Salam
8. Bahaman: Hello
9. Basque: Kaixo
10. Bavarian: Servus
11. Belarusian: Dobry Dzień
12. Bengali: Hyālō
13. Bosnian: Zdravo
14. Breton: Demat
15. Burmese: Mingalaba
16. Cantonese: Nǐ hǎo
17. Catalan: Hola
18. Cebuano: Kumusta
19. Chichewa: Moni
20. Croatian: Zdravo
21. Czech: Ahoj
22. Dutch: Hallo
23. English: Hello
24. Esperanto: Saluton
25. Estonian: Tere
26. Fijian: Bula
27. French: Bonjour
28. Galician: Ola
29. Georgian: Gamarjoba
30. German: Guten tag
31. Greek: Geia (γεια)
32. Haitian Creole: Bonjou
33. Hausa: Sannu
34. Hawaiian: Aloha
35. Hebrew: Shalom
36. Hindi: Namaste
37. Hungarian: Szia
38. Icelandic: Halló
39. Igbo: Nde-ewo
40. Irish: Dia Duit
41. Italian: Ciao
42. Japanese: Kon’nichiwa
43. Javanese: Halo
44. Kannada: Namaskāra
45. Khmer: Choum Reap Sor
46. Korean: Anyeong Haseyo
47. Kurdish: Slav
48. Lao: Sabaidee
49. Latvian: Sveika (male) Sveiks (female)
50. Lithuanian: Sveiki
51. Luxembourgish: Moïen
52. Malagasy: Salama
53. Malay/Indonesian: Selamat Pagi
54. Maltese: Bongu
55. Mandarin: Nǐ hǎo
56. Manipuri: Khurumjari
57. Maori: Kia Ora
58. Mongolian: Sain uu
59. Navajo: Ya’at’eeh
60. Nepali: Namaste
61. Norwegian: Hei
62. Oromo: Akkam
63. Pashto: Salam
64. Persian: Salām
65. Polish: Cześć
66. Portugese: Olá
67. Punjabi: Sata Srī Akāla
68. Quechua: Allianchu
69. Romanian: Bunâ
70. Russian: Privet
71. Samoan: Tālofa
72. Santali: Henda ho
73. Scottish Gaelic: Halò
74. Serbian: Zdravo
75. Sesotho: Dumela
76. Sinhalese: Ayubowan
77. Slovak: Ahoj
78. Somali: Salam Alaykum
79. Spanish: Hola
80. Swahili: Jambo
81. Swedish: Hallå
82. Swiss German: Grüezi
83. Tagalog: Kamusta
84. Tahitian: Ia Orana
85. Taiwanese Hokkien: Li-hó
86. Tamil: Vanakkam
87. Thai: S̄wạs̄dī
88. Tibetan: Tashi Delek
89. Tongan: Mālō e lelei
90. Tswana: Dumela
91. Turkish: Merhaba
92. Ukrainian: Dobryj Den
93. Urdu: Assalam u Alaikum
94. Uzbek: Salom
95. Vietnamese: Xin Chào
96. Welsh: S’mae
97. Wolof: Salaam Aleekum
98. Wu (Shanghainese): Nóng gō
99. Xhosa: Molweni
100. Yiddish: A Gutn Tog

How to Say ‘Hello’ in Fictional Languages

Did you know that entire languages are often made up just for the sake of a book or a movie?

  • They’re called ‘conlangs,’ which stands for constructed languages.

Below you’ll find just a small selection of them, along with the word for ‘hello’ in those languages.

101. Atlantean - Soo-Puhk
(from Atlantis: The Lost World)

102. Cityspeak - Hoi
(from Blade Runner)

103. Dothraki - M’athchomaroon
(from Game of Thrones)

104. Elvish - Aiya
(from Lord of the Rings)

105. Ewokese - Sku
(from Star Wars)

106. Furbish - Day-ay-loh-oo-tye
(from The Furbies franchise)

107. Goa’uld - Tek Mal Tek
(from Stargate-1)

108. Huttese - Achuta
(from Star Wars)

109. Klingon - Nuqneh
(from Star Trek)

110. Mangani - Vando
(from Tarzan)

111. Minionese - Bello
(from Despicable Me and The Minions)

112. Mondoshawan - Apipoulai
(from The Fifth Element)

113. Na’vi - Katlxi
(from Avatar)

114. Parseltongue - Fraeslis
(from Harry Potter)

115. Simlish - Sul Sul
(from The Sims franchise)

Concluding Thoughts

Now you have an abundance of ways to say ‘hello,’ the world is your oyster! Where will you begin? Maybe you could learn one a day! Here are some ways you could use your new-found multilingual skills:

  • Are there any shopkeepers from other countries in your neighborhood? Try greeting them in their language.
  • Watch some movies that have fictional languages and see if you notice when they say ‘hello.’
  • Make up the word ‘hello’ in your own fictional language.

If you enjoyed this article, check out our blog, where you’ll find many more like this.

We encourage you to share this article on Twitter and Facebook. Just click those two links - you'll see why.

It's important to share the news to spread the truth. Most people won't.

Written By:
Carly Forsaith
Carly Forsaith is one of the lead freelance writers for WritingTips.org. Carly is a copywriter who has been writing about the English language for over 3 years. Before that, she was a teacher in Thailand, helping people learn English as a second language. She is a total grammar nerd and spends her time spotting language errors on signs and on the internet.

Add new comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

WritingTips.org Newsletter
Receive information on
new articles posted, important topics, and tips.
Join Now
We won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time.
magnifier