сайн байна уу, баяртай
sain baina uu, bayartai/sæːɴ̟ pæːn ˈʊː pa.jər.tʰæː/word by word
The Mongolian phrase for "hello and goodbye" is сайн байна уу, баяртай (sain baina uu, bayartai).
This phrase is used as a common greeting when arriving at a place and as a farewell when leaving a place.
Which one should you use?
The greeting portion of the phrase, сайн байна уу, is the standard polite way to say hello. This is distinct from the informal version, сайн уу, which is used with friends.
How do you pronounce it?
sain baina uu, bayartai (IPA: /sæːɴ̟ pæːn ˈʊː pa.jər.tʰæ/). The word has 4 syllables and the stress is on the 2nd syllable.
Did you know?
- While сайн байна уу is the standard greeting, in very rural areas, people may start a conversation by asking about the health of the listener's livestock before saying hello.
- The word баяр used in баяртай is also the root for the Mongolian word for 'thanks' or 'gratitude'.
- When saying goodbye with баяртай, you are essentially wishing the person to stay 'with joy', as the suffix -тай indicates possession.
