How to Say "Hello, How Are You?" in Tsonga

avuxeni, u njhani?

avuxeni, u njhani? is the Tsonga way to say "hello, how are you?"

This phrase is a common greeting used to say hello and ask about someone's well-being.

What does it mean word for word?

The part u njhani? is composed of the pronoun u (you) and njhani (how).

To address more than one person or to show respect to an elder, change u njhani? to mi njhani?

While u njhani? asks how you are, a common response is ndzi pfukile, which literally means 'I have woken up'. This implies that the act of waking up is synonymous with being well and alive.
While avuxeni is used for 'hello', its literal root refers to 'waking up' or 'the dawn'. In many contexts, it carries the sense of wishing someone a good morning or a fresh start to the day.
When using the respectful form mi njhani?, it is common to accompany the phrase with a slight nod or a gesture of the head to further signal deference to an elder.

Mbalane meets Xivani on the street.

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