dydd da
/dɨːð daː/word by word
dydd da is the Welsh way to say good day.
dydd da is a greeting used between sunrise and sunset. It is used specifically as a greeting during daylight hours and is not typically used as a farewell like the English phrase 'have a good day'.
Meaning: greeting between sunrise and sunset (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of dydd (day) and da (good).
How does it change in a sentence?
In this greeting, the adjective da follows the noun dydd.
How do you pronounce it?
/dɨːð daː/
Did you know?
- Welsh is a Celtic language, meaning dydd da is a distant relative of the Cornish word dydh and the Breton word deiz.
- In some Welsh-speaking communities, a very common way to greet someone is not to mention the 'day' at all, but to use the phrase Sut mae? which literally asks 'How is it?'
- The word dydd shares a common ancestor with the English word 'day' and the Latin 'dies', both tracing back to a Proto-Indo-European root for 'sky' or 'light'.
Examples in context
- Bore da, sut mae?Good morning, how are you?
- Dydd da i ti!Good day to you!
- Dydd da, sut wyt ti?Good day, how are you?
- Dydd da i bawb yma.Good day to everyone here.
Example conversation
Owain meets Elowen on a sunny street during the afternoon.
- OwainDydd da, Elowen!Good day, Elowen!
- ElowenDydd da, Owain. Sut wyt ti?Good day, Owain. How are you?
- OwainDwi'n dda, diolch.I am well, thanks.
- ElowenDa iawn.Very good.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “good day” translations and entries dydd da, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (dydd, da) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries da, dydd, CC BY-SA 4.0.
