When anyone tries to learn a new language, the first expression they learn will be "hello". The ability to greet people in different languages is a valuable skill, especially for people who want to travel around the world.

When you meet a person, no matter do you know each other, you will start the conversation with a short greeting. "Hello" serve this purpose, and is usable in perhaps all scenario.

In this article, we will explore how to say "Hello" in 99 languages. All of the languages are official languages for some countries or regions.

This is Antlerium PotatoNews, a series focusing on the daily lives of ordinary people, including culture customs. Today we explore "hello" in 99 languages

Table of Contents

"Hello" in Asian languages

1. Mandarin Chinese

The Mandarin Chinese greeting is "Nǐ hǎo" (你好). To mimic the pronunciation, start with "knee" and add "how" while keeping the tones in mind. The rising tone in "Nǐ" and the falling-rising tone in "hǎo" are crucial. Practice the tones and syllables separately before combining them.

2. Cantonese

While Cantonese is also Chinese, using "你好", it sounds like "Neih hou". To mimic the pronunciation, start with "nei" and emphasize the rising tone. Then say "hou" with a falling tone. Practice saying "Neih hou" with clear enunciation and attention to the tones.

3. Japanese

In Japanese, "hello" is "Konnichiwa" (こんにちは). To mimic the Japanese pronunciation, break it down into syllables: "kon-nee-chee-wa." Focus on the short "o" sound and the crisp "wa" at the end. Practice by repeating each syllable slowly and gradually increasing your speed.

4. Korean

The Korean greeting is "Annyeonghaseyo" (안녕하세요). To mimic the pronunciation, break it down into syllables: "ahn-nyeong-ha-se-yo." Pay attention to the double "n" sound and pronounce each syllable distinctly. Practice saying "Annyeonghaseyo" with a friendly and upbeat tone.

5. Vietnamese

In Vietnamese, "hello" is "Xin chào." To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Xin" as "sin" and "chào" as "chow." The tones are crucial in Vietnamese, so practice the rising and falling tones in each word. Say "Xin chào" with a polite and warm tone.

6. Thai

The Thai greeting is "Sawatdee" (สวัสดี). To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Sawat" as "sah-wat" and "dee" as "dee." The "dee" should end with a high tone. Practice saying "Sawatdee" with a gentle and respectful intonation.

7. Indonesian

In Indonesian, "hello" is "Halo". To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Halo" as "ha-lo" with emphasis on the first syllable.

8. Malay

In Malay, "hello" is also "Halo". Follow the instruction in the Indonesian part to mimic it.

9. Filipino (Tagalog)

In Filipino, "hello" is "Kumusta" or "Kamusta." To mimic the pronunciation, say "Ku-mu-sta" with equal stress on each syllable. Practice saying "Kumusta" with a friendly and warm tone.

10. Cambodian (Khmer)

The Cambodian greeting is "Suostei" (សួស្តី) or "Chum reap suor" (ជំរាបសួរ; formal). To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Suostei" as "su-stay." For "Chum reap suor," pronounce "Chum reap" as "chum ree-ep" and "suor" as "suo."

11. Burmese

In Burmese, "hello" is "Mingalaba" (မင်္ဂလာပါ). To mimic the pronunciation, say "Min-ga-la-ba" with emphasis on the second syllable. Practice saying "Mingalaba" with a friendly and welcoming tone.

12. Lao language

The Lao greeting is "Sabaidee" (ສະບາຍດີ). To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Sabaidee" as "sa-bai-dee" with equal stress on each syllable. Practice saying "Sabaidee" with a warm and respectful intonation.

13. Hindi

In Hindi, "hello" is "Namaste" (नमस्ते). To mimic the pronunciation, say "Namaste" with emphasis on the second syllable. Practice saying "Namaste" with a respectful and gentle tone.

14. Tamil

The Tamil greeting is "Vanakkam" (வணக்கம்). To mimic the pronunciation, say "Van-ak-kam" with emphasis on the first syllable. Practice saying "Vanakkam" with a warm and friendly tone.

15. Urdu

In Urdu, "hello" is "Asalaam-walaikum" (السلام عليكم). To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Asalaam-walaikum" as "as-sa-lam-wa-laik-um" with emphasis on the second and fourth syllables. Practice saying "Assalamualaikum" with a respectful and welcoming tone.

16. Bengali

The Bengali greeting is "Nomoshkar" (নমস্কার). To mimic the pronunciation, say "No-mosh-kar" with emphasis on the second syllable. Practice saying "Nomoshkar" with a friendly and warm tone.

17. Sinhalese

The Sinhalese greeting is "Ayubowan" (ආයුබෝවන්). To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Ayubowan" as "ah-yoo-bo-wan" with equal stress on each syllable. Practice saying "Ayubowan" with a friendly and welcoming tone.

18. Nepali

In Nepali, "hello" is also "Namaste" (नमस्ते). Follow the instructions in the Hindu section.

19. Dzongkha

The Dzongkha greeting is "Kuzu zangpo" (ཀུུུ་མུུུ་བཀྲ་ཤིས་འཛོམས་). To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Kuzu zangpo" as "koo-zoo zahng-po" with emphasis on the second syllable of each word. Practice saying "Kuzu zangpo" with a warm and respectful tone.

20. Dhivehi

In Dhivehi, the language of the Maldives, "hello" is "Assalaamu alaikum" (އަސްލާންމުކުރުމަލް). To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Assalaamu alaikum" as "as-sa-laam-oo a-lai-kum" with emphasis on the second and fifth syllables. Practice saying "Assalaamu alaikum" with a respectful and welcoming tone.

21. Persian (Farsi)

The Persian greeting is "Salam" (سلام). To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Salam" as "sa-laam" with emphasis on the first syllable. Practice saying "Salam" with a warm and friendly tone.

22. Kurdish

In Kurdish, "hello" is "Silav" or "Slaw." To mimic the pronunciation, say "Silav" as "see-lav" or "Slaw" as "slahw." Practice saying these greetings with a friendly and warm tone.

23. Pashto

The Pashto greeting is "Salam" (سلام), same as Persian.

24. Tibetan

In Tibetan, "hello" is "Tashi delek" (བཀྲ་ཤིས་བདེ་ལེགས). To mimic the pronunciation, say "Tashi delek" with emphasis on the first syllable of each word. Practice saying "Tashi delek" with a warm and respectful tone.

25. Mongolian

In Mongolian, "hello" is "Sain baina uu" (Сайн байна уу). To mimic the pronunciation, say "Sain baina uu" with emphasis on the first and third syllables. Practice saying "Sain baina uu" with a friendly and warm tone.

26. Kazakh

The Kazakh greeting is "Salem" (Сәлем). To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Salem" as "sah-lem" with equal stress on each syllable. Practice saying "Salem" with a friendly and welcoming tone.

27. Tajik

In Tajik, "hello" is "Salom" (Салом). To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Salom" as "sa-lom" with equal stress on each syllable. Practice saying "Salom" with a warm and respectful tone.

28. Turkmen

The Turkmen greeting is "Salam" (Салам). To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Salam" as "sa-lam" with equal stress on each syllable. Practice saying "Salam" with a warm and friendly tone.

29. Uzbek

In Uzbek, "hello" is also "Salom", see the Tajik section for more details.

30. Uyghur

The Uyghur greeting is "Assalamu alaikum" (ئەسسالامۇ ئالەيكۇم). To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Assalamu alaikum" as "as-sa-la-mu a-lai-kum" with emphasis on the second and fifth syllables. Practice saying "Assalamu alaikum" with a respectful and welcoming tone.

31. Hebrew

In Hebrew, "hello" is "Shalom" (שלום). To pronounce that, pronounce "Shalom" as "sha-lom" with emphasis on the second syllable.

32. Arabic

The Arabic greeting is "Marhaba" (مرحبا). To mimic the Arabic pronunciation, pronounce the "M" sound with your lips slightly closed, and roll the "r." The "ha" sound is pronounced deep from the throat. Practice saying "Marhaba" with clarity and confidence.

"Hello" in European languages

33. English

The English greeting is "Hello", or "Hi" for short. This really sounds like "Huh-loh". Which syllable in "Hello" to emphasize depends on the context. When you say it alone, you emphasize the first syllable.

34. Scottish

In Scottish, it is also "Hello", same as English.

35. Scottish Gaelic

The Scottish Gaelic greeting is "halò", that also sounds like "Hello". To mimic the pronunciation, say "Halò" as "ha-loh".

36. Welsh

The Welsh greeting is "Helo" or "Shwmae" (informal). To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Helo" as "he-lo" and "Shwmae" as "shoo-mai." Practice saying these greetings with a friendly and welcoming tone.

37. Cornish

In Cornish, "hello" is "Dydh da" or "Dydh da dhis" (formal) / "Dydh da dhys" (informal). To mimic the pronunciation, say "Dydh da" as "dith da" and "Dydh da dhis" as "dith da dhis" (formal) or "Dydh da dhys" as "dith da dhis" (informal). Practice saying these greetings with a friendly and warm tone.

38. Irish

The Irish greeting is "Dia duit" (singular) or "Dia daoibh" (plural). To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Dia duit" as "dee-ah gwit" (singular) or "Dia daoibh" as "dee-ah dee-iv" (plural). Practice saying these greetings with a friendly and respectful tone.

39. Breton

In Breton, "hello" is "Demat" or "Salud" (informal). To mimic the pronunciation, say "Demat" as "deh-mat" and "Salud" as "sa-lud." Practice saying these greetings with a friendly and warm tone.

40. French

In French, "hello" is "Bonjour." To imitate the French pronunciation, focus on the nasal sound of the "on" in "Bonjour." Repeat "bon" and add "jour" while maintaining the nasal quality. Practice saying "bonjour" with a soft and gentle intonation.

41. Spanish

"Hello" in Spanish is "Hola." To mimic the Spanish pronunciation, emphasize the "oh" sound and place the stress on the first syllable. Practice by repeating "oh-la" several times, gradually increasing your speed.

42. Portuguese

In Portuguese, "hello" is "Olá" or "Oi" (informal). To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Olá" as "oh-lah" and "Oi" as "oi." Practice saying these greetings with a friendly and warm tone.

43. Basque

The Basque greeting is "Kaixo" or "Egun on" (good day). To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Kaixo" as "kye-sho" and "Egun on" as "egoon on." Practice saying these greetings with a friendly and welcoming tone.

44. Catalan

In Catalan, "hello" is "Hola." To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Hola" as "oh-la." Practice saying "Hola" with a friendly and warm tone.

45. Dutch

The Dutch greeting is "Hallo" or "Hoi" (informal). To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Hallo" as "ha-lo" and "Hoi" as "hoi." Practice saying these greetings with a friendly and welcoming tone.

46. Frisian

In Frisian, "hello" is also "Hallo". See the Dutch section for more details.

47. German

In German, "hello" is "Hallo" or "Guten Tag" (formal). To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Hallo" as "ha-lo" and "Guten Tag" as "goo-ten tahk." Practice saying these greetings with a friendly and warm tone.

48. Danish

The Danish greeting is "Hej" or "God dag" (formal). To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Hej" as "hey" and "God dag" as "go dahg." Practice saying these greetings with a friendly and welcoming tone.

49. Norwegian

In Norwegian, "hello" is "Hei" or "Hallo." To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Hei" as "hay" and "Hallo" as "ha-lo." Practice saying these greetings with a friendly and warm tone.

50. Swedish

The Swedish greeting is "Hej" or "Hallå." To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Hej" as "hey" and "Hallå" as "hal-loh." Practice saying these greetings with a friendly and welcoming tone.

51. Icelandic

In Icelandic, "hello" is "Halló" or "Góðan dag" (formal). To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Halló" as "hat-loh" and "Góðan dag" as "go-than dahg." Practice saying these greetings with a friendly and warm tone.

52. Finnish

In Finnish, "hello" is "Hei" or "Moi" (informal). To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Hei" as "hey" and "Moi" as "moi." Practice saying these greetings with a friendly and warm tone.

53. Estonian

The Estonian greeting is "Tere." To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Tere" as "teh-reh." Practice saying "Tere" with a friendly and welcoming tone.

54. Latvian

In Latvian, "hello" is "Sveiki." To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Sveiki" as "svey-kee." Practice saying "Sveiki" with a friendly and warm tone.

55. Lithuanian

The Lithuanian greeting is "Labas." To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Labas" as "lah-bahs." Practice saying "Labas" with a friendly and welcoming tone.

56. Polish

In Polish, "hello" is "Cześć." To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Cześć" as "cheh-shch." Practice saying "Cześć" with a friendly and warm tone.

57. Czech

The Czech greeting is "Ahoj" or "Dobrý den" (formal). To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Ahoj" as "ah-hoy" and "Dobrý den" as "dob-ree den." Practice saying these greetings with a friendly and welcoming tone.

58. Slovak

Same as Czech, in Slovak, "hello" is "Ahoj" or "Dobrý deň" (formal). Follow the instructions in the Czech section.

59. Hungarian

The Hungarian greeting is "Szia." To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "szia" as "see-ah." For greeting a group of people, use "Sziasztok" instead, and pronounce it like "see-ya-stock."

60. Italian

In Italian, "hello" is "Ciao" or "Salve" (formal). To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Ciao" as "chow" and "Salve" as "sal-veh." Practice saying these greetings with a friendly and warm tone.

61. Slovenian

The Slovenian greeting is "Zdravo" or "Pozdravljeni" (formal). To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Zdravo" as "zdrah-vo" and "Pozdravljeni" as "poz-drah-vlye-nee." Practice saying these greetings with a friendly and welcoming tone.

62. Croatian

In Croatian, "hello" is "Bok" or "Dobar dan" (formal). To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Bok" as "bohk" and "Dobar dan" as "doh-bahr dahn." Practice saying these greetings with a friendly and warm tone.

63. Bosnian

The Bosnian greeting is "Zdravo" or "Dobar dan" (formal). To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Zdravo" as "zdrah-vo" and "Dobar dan" as "doh-bahr dahn." Practice saying these greetings with a friendly and welcoming tone.

64. Serbian

In Serbian, "hello" is also "Zdravo" (Здраво) or "Dobar dan" (formal), follow the instruction in the Bosnian section to pronounce them.

65. Bulgarian

The Bulgarian greeting is "Здравейте" (Zdraveyte) for formal situations and "Здрасти" (Zdrasti) for informal situations. To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Здравейте" as "zdrah-vey-te" and "Здрасти" as "zdras-tee." Practice saying these greetings with a friendly and welcoming tone.

66. Albanian

In Albanian, "hello" is "Përshëndetje" or "Tungjatjeta" (formal). To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Përshëndetje" as "per-shen-de-tieh" and "Tungjatjeta" as "toon-ja-tye-ta." Practice saying these greetings with a friendly and warm tone.

67. Greek

The Greek greeting is "Γεια σας" (Geia sas) for formal situations and "Γεια σου" (Geia sou) for informal situations. To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Γεια σας" as "yeh-ah sas" and "Γεια σου" as "yeh-ah soo." Practice saying these greetings with a friendly and welcoming tone.

68. Romanian

In Romanian, "hello" is "Salut" or "Bună ziua" (formal). To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Salut" as "sa-loot" and "Bună ziua" as "boo-nuh zee-wah." Practice saying these greetings with a friendly and warm tone.

69. Maltese

In Maltese, "hello" is "Bongu" or "Merħba." To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Bongu" as "bon-goo" and "Merħba" as "mer-hba." Practice saying these greetings with a friendly and warm tone.

70. Turkish

The Turkish greeting is "Merhaba." To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Merhaba" as "mer-ha-ba." Practice saying "Merhaba" with a friendly and welcoming tone.

71. Russian

In Russian, "hello" is "Привет" (Privet) for informal situations and "Здравствуйте" (Zdravstvuyte) for formal situations. To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Привет" as "pree-vyet" and "Здравствуйте" as "zdra-stvooy-tye." Practice saying these greetings with a friendly and warm tone.

72. Belarusian

The Belarusian greeting is "Вітаю" (Vitaju). To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Вітаю" as "vee-ta-yu." Practice saying these greetings with a friendly and welcoming tone.

73. Ukrainian

In Ukrainian, "hello" is "Привіт" (Pryvit). To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Привіт" as "pri-vit." Practice saying these greetings with a friendly and warm tone.

74. Georgian

The Georgian greeting is "გამარჯობა" (Gamarjoba). To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "გამარჯობა" as "ga-mar-jo-ba." Practice saying "გამარჯობა" with a friendly and welcoming tone.

75. Armenian

In Armenian, "hello" is "Բարեւ" (Barev). To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Բարեւ" as "ba-rev." Practice saying "Բարեւ" with a friendly and warm tone.

76. Azerbaijani

The Azerbaijani greeting is also "Salam", same as Persian.

"Hello" in African languages

77. Afrikaans

In Afrikaans, "hello" is "Hallo" or "Goeiedag" (formal). To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Hallo" as "ha-lo" and "Goeiedag" as "hoi-duh-dahk." Practice saying these greetings with a friendly and warm tone.

78. Zulu

The Zulu greeting is "Sawubona" or "Sanibonani" (plural). To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Sawubona" as "sah-woo-boh-nah" and "Sanibonani" as "sah-nee-boh-nah-nee." Practice saying these greetings with a friendly and welcoming tone.

79. Malagasy

In Malagasy, "hello" is "Manao ahoana" or "Salama." To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Manao ahoana" as "mah-now ah-wah-nah" and "Salama" as "sah-lah-mah." Practice saying these greetings with a friendly and warm tone.

80. Shona

The Shona greeting is "Mhoro" or "Mamuka sei" (formal). To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Mhoro" as "moh-roh" and "Mamuka sei" as "mah-moo-kah say." Practice saying these greetings with a friendly and welcoming tone.

81. Swahili

In Swahili, "hello" is "Habari". To mimic the pronunciation, say "hah-bah-ree" with emphasis on the second syllable. Practice saying these greetings with a friendly and warm tone.

82. Somali

The Somali greeting is "Salaam" or "Iska warran" (informal). To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Salaam" as "sa-lahm" and "Iska warran" as "is-kah war-ran." Practice saying these greetings with a friendly and welcoming tone.

83. Oromo

The Oromo greeting is "Akkam." To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Akkam" as "ak-kam" with emphasis on the first syllable.

84. Amharic

In Amharic, "hello" is "Selam" (ሰላም). To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Selam" as "seh-lahm" with emphasis on the second syllable.

85. Tigrinya

The Tigrinya greeting is also "Selam", see the Amharic section for more details.

86. Hausa

In Hausa, "hello" is "Sannu". To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Sannu" as "san-noo".

87. Yoruba

The Yoruba greeting is "Enle o"

88. Igbo

In Igbo, "hello" is "Ndewo" or "Kedu." To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Ndewo" as "n-deh-woh" and "Kedu" as "keh-doo." Practice saying these greetings with a friendly and warm tone.

"Hello" in American languages

89. Greenlandic

In Greenlandic, "hello" is "Aluu." To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Aluu" as "ah-loo." Practice saying these greetings with a friendly and warm tone.

90. Mayan

The Mayan greeting varies depending on the specific Mayan language. Here's an example in Yucatec Maya: "Bix a beel." To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Bix a beel" as "beesh ah bay-el." Practice saying this greeting with a friendly and welcoming tone.

91. Quechua

The Quechua greeting is "Imaynallan." To mimic the pronunciation, break it down into syllables: "ee-mai-nal-lan" and focus on the third syllable.

92. Aymara

In Aymara, "hello" is "Laphi", but you can simply use "jay." To pronounce "jay", say it like "hey".

93. Mapuche

In Mapuche, "hello" is "Mari mari." To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Mari mari" as "mah-ree mah-ree." Practice saying these greetings with a friendly and warm tone.

94. Guaraní

The Guaraní greeting is "maiteí." To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "maiteí" as "mai-day" and end with a high tone.

"Hello" in Oceanian languages

95. Hawaiian

In Hawaiian, "hello" is "Aloha." To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Aloha" as "ah-loh-hah" with emphasis on the second syllable.

96. Tongan

The Tongan greeting is "Mālō e lelei" or simply "Mālō." To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Mālō e lelei" as "mah-loh eh leh-leh" and "Mālō" as "mah-loh." Practice saying these greetings with a friendly and welcoming tone.

97. Samoan

In Samoan, "hello" is "Talofa." To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Talofa" as "tah-loh-fah."

98. Fijian

The Fijian greeting is "Bula." To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Bula" as "boo-lah."

99. Māori

In Māori, "hello" is "Kia ora." To mimic the pronunciation, pronounce "Kia ora" as "kee-ah oh-rah."

Now you know how to say hello in 99 languages

Learning to say "hello" in multiple languages is not only a linguistic achievement but also a way to connect with people from different cultures. By mimicking the pronunciation and embracing cultural nuances, English speakers can demonstrate respect and open doors to meaningful cross-cultural interactions. So, let's embark on this linguistic journey and spread goodwill with a heartfelt "hello" in as many languages as we can.

This is how we say "Hello" in 99 languages. To learn more about culture customs or other topics related to our ordinary life, make sure to follow PotatoNews. We will also post some cliffsnotes on our socials, make sure to follow them.

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