aloha
The Hawaiian greeting used to say both hello and goodbye is translated into Italian as aloha.
The informal way to say aloha in Italian is by using the word ciao.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In certain regions of Southern Italy, it is common to use the expression buongiorno as a general greeting throughout the day.
Did you know?
- In Italy, using aloha is often associated with 'surf culture' or 'beach life' rather than a general greeting, making it a marker of a specific lifestyle.
- Because aloha is a loanword, it is treated as a foreign noun in Italian grammar. If you use it in a sentence, it will almost always take the masculine gender, such as un aloha.
- In a formal Italian business meeting, replacing a standard greeting with aloha would be seen as highly unprofessional and out of place.
Examples in context
- Salve, come sta?Hello, how are you?
- Ciao, come stai?Hi, how are you?
- Ciao, tutto bene.Hi, everything's good.
- Dico aloha prima di partire.I say aloha before leaving.
- Possiamo usare aloha come saluto.We can use aloha as a greeting.
Example conversation
Sofia and Francesco are pretending to be in Hawaii.
- SofiaAloha, Francesco!Aloha, Francesco!
- FrancescoAloha, Sofia! Dove siamo?Aloha, Sofia! Where are we?
- SofiaSiamo in vacanza a Honolulu.We are on vacation in Honolulu.
- FrancescoChe bello, aloha a tutti!How lovely, aloha to everyone!
