నమస్కారం
namaskaram
నమస్కారం (namaskaram) is the Telugu phrase for hello and goodbye.
నమస్కారం is a polite phrase used for both greeting someone upon arrival and for bidding them farewell. Other terms include the English loanword హలో for informal greetings and నమస్తే for versatile farewells.
Which one should you use?
నమస్కారం is the standard formal way to say both hello and goodbye. In contrast, హలో is an informal term borrowed from English used specifically among friends and peers, while నమస్తే serves as a versatile term for farewells in both formal and informal settings.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form నమస్కారాలు can be used to express multiple greetings or to add an extra layer of formal respect in certain contexts.
How do you pronounce it?
namaskaram
When do people say it?
When saying నమస్కారం, it is customary to join your palms together in front of your chest in a gesture of respect.
Did you know?
- Although నమస్కారం is the standard form, in some rural regions of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, greetings are often replaced by asking తిన్నావా? which means 'did you eat?', acting as a functional 'hello'.
- In classical Telugu literature and poetry, the concept of 'namaskaram' is often treated as a spiritual act of bowing to the divinity within another person, rather than just a social greeting.
- Even though నమస్కారం is the standard, you might hear people in urban areas use the English 'Hi' while still maintaining the traditional palm-joining gesture.
Examples in context
- అందరికీ నమస్కారం.Andariki namaskāram.Hello to everyone.
- నమస్కారం, మీరు ఎలా ఉన్నారు?Namaskāram, mīru elā unnāru?Hello, how are you?
Example conversation
Lakshmi and Kiran meet in a street.
- లక్ష్మి Lakshmiనమస్కారం కిరణ్!Namaskāram Kiran!Hello, Kiran!
- కిరణ్ Kiranనమస్కారం లక్ష్మి, ఎలా ఉన్నారు?Namaskāram Lakshmi, elā unnāru?Hello Lakshmi, how are you?
- లక్ష్మి Lakshmiనేను బాగున్నాను, ధన్యవాదాలు.Nēnu bāgunnānu, dhanyavādālu.I am fine, thank you.
- కిరణ్ Kiranసరే, మళ్ళీ కలుద్దాం.Sarē, maḷḷī kaluddām.Okay, see you again.
