salut
/saˈlut/
The English phrase hello and goodbye can be expressed in Romanian using salut.
The term salut is used as a casual greeting used both when arriving and when leaving.
Which one should you use?
While salut is a versatile informal greeting, there are more specific terms for different levels of formality and specific parts of an interaction. For example, bună ziua is used when you wish to be more polite or formal than salut and la revedere is specifically used as a formal way to bid farewell.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
salut is an informal greeting used with friends, peers or people you know well. For formal situations, use bună ziua to say hello or be more polite. To say goodbye formally, use la revedere.
How do you pronounce it?
/saˈlut/
When do people say it?
In Romanian culture, non-verbal greetings such as handshakes, nods and cheek kisses are quite common.
Did you know?
- The word salut is a doublet of the Romanian word săruta, which means 'to kiss'.
- The word salut shares the same Latin root as the English word 'salute', though in Romanian it is a casual greeting rather than a military gesture.
- While salut is used for both arriving and leaving, the formal goodbye la revedere literally means 'until we see each other again'.
Examples in context
- Pa! A fost o seara minunata.Goodbye! It was a wonderful evening.
- Salut, ce mai faci?Hello, how are you doing?
- Salut, ne vedem mâine.Hello, see you tomorrow.
- Îți spun doar un salut rapid.I'm just giving you a quick hello.
Example conversation
Andreea and Stefan meet briefly in the hallway.
- AndreeaSalut, Stefan! Te aștept afară.Hi, Stefan! I'll wait for you outside.
- StefanSalut, Andreea! Vin imediat.Hi, Andreea! I'm coming right away.
- AndreeaBine, ne vedem în cinci minute.Okay, see you in five minutes.
- StefanPerfect. Salut!Perfect. Bye!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry salut, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries salut, CC BY-SA 4.0.
