Mastering a new language can be tricky, but learning how to say hello in different languages is a great way to start
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Spanish
If you are an English-speaker and familiar with a few ways to say hello in different languages, hola is probably one you already know. For others, you don’t pronounce the h: It’s “OH-la.” Spanish is the second-most spoken language in America by a long way—it has more than 40 million speakers—so knowing how to say hola is a good thing to know!
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French
This is another one that you might already be familiar with. Bonjour is pronounced “bon-ZHOOR” and it means good day. Similar to how we tend to say hi or hey more often than hello, the French also have a casual greeting: salut, pronounced “sah-LOO.” Bonjour is more formal, but either one will get your point across.
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Italian
Italy’s hello is short and to the point: ciao. Pronounced “chow,” it can mean goodbye as well. For a more formal hello in Italian, say salve (SAL-vay), which means be well.
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Chinese
It’s definitely beneficial to know how to say hello in Chinese, the most spoken native language in the world. Mandarin Chinese has close to 1 billion worldwide speakers, and like French, it has a formal and an informal way of saying hello. The informal greeting is nǐ hǎo (NEE haow), while the formal one is nǐn hǎo (NEEN haow).
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Hawaiian
You know this one! The popular Hawaiian word aloha gives hola a run for its money, as far as commonly known ways of saying hello in different languages. Hawaii’s hello even finds its way into the state nickname, so if you visit the Aloha State you’ll surely hear this greeting. It’s pronounced “uh-LOH-ha,” which not only means hello (and goodbye) but can also convey love, peace and compassion.
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Japanese
Konnichiwa technically means good afternoon, but it can be used any time of day as a general greeting. It’s pronounced pretty much like it’s spelled, “koh-NEE-chee-wah,” but the w sound is very light. For a less formal greeting like hi or yo, you can say yā, which sounds like yah.
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Arabic
The most common way to greet people in Arabic-speaking countries is by saying as-salamu alaykum, which translates to peace be upon you. It’s pronounced “ah-SA-lahm uh-LAY-kum,” and it’s widely used in both informal and formal situations. Greeting someone and wishing them peace—what great ways of saying hello in different languages!
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Russian
This one’s a little tricky. There are many ways to greet people in Russian, but the one you should use when addressing someone you respect or would like to get to know is zdravstvuyte. It’s pronounced “ZDRAHST-vooy-tyeh,” and if that doesn’t help you much, here is a video explainer.
Worried you’ll butcher something that starts with three consonants in a row? Try saying privet, pronounced “pree-VYEHT,” trying to roll the r and making sure to pronounce the t. This is a more informal version of hello in Russian.
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German
You’ve probably heard this one in movies and TV shows. To formally greet someone in German, say guten Tag (goo-ten TAHK), which means good day. Use a light stress on the first syllable and a heavier one on the last. Or you can just say hallo!
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Greek
It’s Greek to me! Well, saying yassas to say hello actually is Greek! You’ll pronounce this “YAH-sahs,” and it’s the formal hello that Greeks use to greet visitors to the country. You may also hear the less formal yassou (YAH-soo), which is used between friends and young people.
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Swahili
Swahili is spoken in many African countries, including Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania and Uganda. Habari, pronounced just how it looks with the emphasis on the second syllable, is a Swahili greeting for both people you know and people you’re meeting for the first time.
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Hebrew
Hebrew is the official language of Israel and is also spoken across the Jewish diaspora in secular and religious contexts. Shalom, pronounced “shah-LOHM,” is used to say hello and goodbye, and also to wish someone peace.
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Polish
Cześć is the most common, informal way to say hello in Polish. It’s pronounced like “cheshch.” It’s a single-syllable word, but it has a ch consonant sound at the end. Though it’s probably not something you’d use to greet a complete stranger, it’s appropriate for most informal situations.
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Hindi
Popular everywhere as a yoga salutation, namaste is the way to say hello in Hindi, the official language of India. This is a word that’s frequently mispronounced. Instead of the drawn-out American ay sound, say it more like “nuhm-uh-STEH.” And the t isn’t a hard sound like Tom. It’s more like thumb. One way to help you get the last syllable right is to put your tongue against your teeth when making the st sound.
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Portuguese
Portuguese and Spanish derive from a common ancestor, and they’re both West Iberian Romance languages. But while the Portuguese olá looks and sounds similar to the Spanish hola, the emphasis in Portuguese is on the second syllable, as indicated by the accent mark over the a. You’ll encounter Portuguese speakers in Portugal (shocker) as well as in Brazil, Cape Verde and Mozambique.
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Vietnamese
Xin chào is the formal way to say hello in Vietnamese, and it’s pronounced like “seen chow.” The second word sounds a bit like the Italian ciao, but with a tch or j sound like “tchao” or “jao.” When native speakers say hello, chào is often paired with a title that indicates the age and gender of the addressee, whereby the xin is dropped and the specific title is moved to the end.
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Turkish
Approximately 90 million people around the world speak Turkish, so this is definitely one to know! To say hello in Turkish, you say merhaba, or “MARE-ha-ba,” with the emphasis on the first syllable. You can use this formally or informally.
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Sources:
- FluentU: “How to Say Hello in 100 Languages”
- Translate.One: “How to Say Hello in 20 Languages: A Global Greeting Guide”
- Rosetta Stone: “How To Say “Hello” in French (12 Formal and Informal Options)”
- Travel + Leisure: “I’ve Lived in Italy 15+ Years—These Are the Italian Words and Phrases Every Traveler Should Know Before a Visit”
- Ethnologue: “What is the most spoken language?”
- How to Vietnamese: “Saying hello in Vietnamese like a native speaker”
- Exploring Polski: “How to Say Hello in Polish in 15 Different Ways: Learn Polish Greetings”
- Trip Savvy: “The Real Meaning of the Greeting “Yasou” in Greece”
- iTranslate: “How to say hello in Russian”
- International Center for Language Studies: “27 most spoken languages in the world in 2025”
