Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| здра́вствуйте | zdrávstvujte | formal |
| приве́т | privét | informal |
| здоро́во | zdoróvo | colloquial |
| до́брый день | dóbryj denʹ | |
| здра́вствуй | zdrávstvuj | informal |
| салю́т | saljút |
Russian offers several ways to say hello depending on your relationship with the person and the setting. You can use standard polite greetings like здра́вствуйте or до́брый день, casual greetings like приве́т or салю́т or very colloquial options like здоро́во.
What does it mean word for word?
The formal greeting здра́вствуйте is an imperative that literally means be healthy or stay healthy.
Which one should you use?
приве́т is a casual hi used with friends and peers, while здра́вствуйте is the standard polite greeting for strangers or superiors. здра́вствуйте is used when addressing one person formally or addressing any group of people, whereas the singular informal здра́вствуй is used for a single person you know well. до́брый день is a polite way to say good day often used in professional or service-oriented settings during daylight hours. салю́т is a more stylized, somewhat old-fashioned or playful informal greeting among friends.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The formal version is здра́вствуйте. For a casual hi among friends and people of the same age group, use приве́т. If you are among close male friends, you might use the very casual, masculine-coded здоро́во, which is similar to hey man in English. салю́т is also an informal, more stylized greeting. до́брый день is a polite option suitable for professional settings.
How does it change in a sentence?
The informal form здра́вствуй is the singular imperative version of the formal здра́вствуйте.
How do you pronounce it?
zdrávstvujte
Did you know?
- In Russia, it is common to avoid shaking hands through a doorway, as doing so during a greeting is believed to bring bad luck.
- While салю́т is used as a casual 'hello', its primary meaning in Russian is 'salute' or 'fireworks'.
- The casual greeting здоро́во is derived from the same root as the formal здра́вствуйте, both relating to health and wellness.
Examples in context
- Здравствуйте, как вас зовут?Hello, what is your name?
- Привет! Как дела?Hi! How are you?
- Доброе утро! Как вы сегодня поживаете?Good morning! How are you today?
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hello” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
