head ööd
In Estonian, 'good night' is said as head ööd.
The most common and straightforward way to say good night in Estonian is head ööd! You can also use a shorter version, Ööd!, which remains polite. If you want to be more specific, Head ööd sulle! adds the word 'sulle', meaning 'to you' in English. For wishing someone sweet dreams, you can say Magusat und! or the more poetic Heade unede rada!, which translates to 'the path to good dreams'.
Meaning: a farewell (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase head ööd is composed of head (good) and ööd (night in the partitive case).
Which one should you use?
While hea öö is the grammatically nominative form, head ööd is the standard idiomatic way to express 'good night' as a farewell or wish.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase head ööd, the word ööd is the partitive singular form of öö (night). It is used in this way because head functions as a greeting or wish that requires the partitive case.
Did you know?
- The poetic phrase heade unede rada uses the word 'path' rada to describe the transition into sleep. This reflects a traditional Estonian linguistic tendency to view abstract states as physical journeys.
- Estonians may use the phrase magusat und specifically for children or romantic partners, as it carries a higher level of intimacy than the standard head ööd.
- If you wish someone a 'sweet night' by saying magusat ööd, it may sound odd to a native speaker. Estonians prefer wishing a 'sweet sleep' using magusat und, as the sweetness applies to the slumber itself rather than the time of night.
Examples in context
- Head ööd, Tatoeba. Näeme homme.Good night, Tatoeba. See you tomorrow.This example shows how to use head ööd in a farewell.Tatoeba #2700140 by Maasikas, translation #1698425 by Amastan
- Head ööd kõigile!Good night, everyone!This example demonstrates how to use head ööd when addressing a group.Tatoeba #2552624 by Balamax, translation #1082672 by MUIRIEL
- Head ööd! Kas näeme homme kontoris.Good night! See you in the office tomorrow.
- Head ööd sulle! Näeme hommikul kohvikus.Good night to you! See you in the cafe tomorrow morning.
- Head ööd, kallis.Good night, dear.
- 1 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Kristjan and Liis are going to bed.
- KristjanMa lähen nüüd magama.I am going to sleep now.
- LiisMinast samuti. Head ööd, Kristjan!Me too. Good night, Kristjan!
- KristjanHead ööd, Liis!Good night, Liis!
- LiisUni tuleb juba.Sleep is already coming.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “good night” translations and entries head ööd, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
