buongiorno
/ˌbwɔnˈd͡ʒor.no/
good day in Italian is translated as buongiorno. It is also spelled buon giorno.
Meaning: greeting between sunrise and sunset (intj)
Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| buongiorno | /ˌbwɔnˈd͡ʒor.no/ /bwonˈd͡ʒor.no/ |
|
| buon giorno | /ˈbwɔn ˈd͡ʒor.no/ | alternative form |
buongiorno is used as a greeting between sunrise and sunset. You might use the informal ciao to say hello to someone during the day.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is a compound of buon (good) and giorno (day).
Which one should you use?
buongiorno is used from sunrise until the afternoon, whereas buonasera is used once the afternoon begins to transition into evening.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˌbwɔnˈdʒor.no/. It has 3 syllables, with the stress on the 2nd of 3 syllables.
Did you know?
- While 'buongiorno' is a standard greeting, if you want to wish someone a 'good day' as a farewell, you would say 'buona giornata' instead.
- The word 'giorno' shares an ancestral root with the English word 'journal', which originally referred to a daily record.
- In many parts of Italy, the switch from buongiorno to buonasera happens after lunch, often as early as 1:00 PM or 2:00 PM.
Examples in context
- Buongiorno. Come sta oggi?Good day. How are you today?This sentence uses buongiorno to ask how someone is doing today.Tatoeba #2856759 by Guybrush88, translation #54599 by AlanF_US
- Buongiorno, come posso aiutarla?Good day, how may I help you?This sentence uses buongiorno to offer assistance.Tatoeba #911128 by Guybrush88, translation #399628 by Dorenda
- Buongiorno.Good day.This sentence uses buongiorno as a simple greeting.Tatoeba #4561149 by Guybrush88, translation #1844755 by wwkudu
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lorenzo and Martina meet at a coffee shop in the morning.
- LorenzoBuongiorno, Martina!Good day, Martina!
- MartinaBuongiorno, Lorenzo. Come stai?Good day, Lorenzo. How are you?
- LorenzoBene, grazie. E tu?Well, thanks. And you?
- MartinaTutto bene, grazie.Everything is fine, thanks.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “good day” translations and entries buongiorno, buon giorno, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries buongiorno, giorno, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
