Ways to say it
| Armenian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| բարև | barew | /bɑˈɾev/ (Eastern Armenian) /pɑˈɾev/ (Western Armenian) |
|
| բարև ձեզ | barew jez | /bɑˈɾev d͡zez/ (Eastern Armenian, word by word) | |
| բարև Ձեզ | barew Jez | /bɑˈɾev d͡zez/ (Eastern Armenian, word by word) | formal |
| ողջույն | oġǰuyn | /voχˈt͡ʃʰujn/ (Eastern Armenian) /voχˈt͡ʃujn/ (Western Armenian) |
The Armenian language uses different forms of greeting depending on how well you know the person and how many people you are addressing. The most common way to say hello is բարև, but you may also encounter the slightly more literary ողջույն.
What does it mean word for word?
The word բարև is derived from a root meaning goodness or well-being.
Which one should you use?
While բարև is the standard everyday greeting, ողջույն is a slightly more formal or literary way to say 'greetings'. When you need to be polite to a single person or address a group of people, you should use բարև ձեզ instead of the informal բարև.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
բարև is the casual version used with friends, family or people younger than you. բարև ձեզ is the standard polite form used with strangers, elders or in professional settings. The written form բարև Ձեզ is also used for formal address.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun or interjection բարև can be turned into a verb by adding the suffix –ել, resulting in the verb բարևել, which means to say hello or to greet.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is barew. The sounds are similar to the English sounds in: [b]ee for /b/, l[a]va for /ɑ/ and [v]an for /v/.
Did you know?
- The greeting բարև is actually the instrumental case of the word for 'good' բարի. This means that when you say hello, you are literally greeting someone 'with good'.
- While բարև is the common greeting, ողջույն shares a root with the Armenian word for 'alive' or 'healthy'. Using it is like wishing the other person continued vitality.
- In Armenian culture, the choice between բարև and բարև ձեզ is strictly tied to social hierarchy. Using the informal version with an elder can be seen as a significant sign of disrespect.
Examples in context
- Բարև, անունդ ի՞նչ է։Hello, what is your name?This sentence is useful for practicing the use of բարև in a basic question.Tatoeba #10716098 by vahanm, translation #1102991 by jamessilver
- Բարև, ո՞ւր ես գնում։Hello, where are you going?This sentence shows how to use բարև before asking a question about movement.Tatoeba #13261394 by Proxima5, translation #13187578 by atitarev
- Ես ուզում էի բարևել նրան:I wanted to say hello to her.This sentence demonstrates the use of the verb form of բարև.Tatoeba #12667966 by Proxima5, translation #3907332 by CH
- Ողջույն, ինչպես ես։Hi, how are you?
- 16 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lilian meets Aram at a local cafe.
- Լիլիան LilianԲարև, Արամ:Barev, Aram:Hello, Aram.
- Արամ AramԲարև, Լիլիա:Barev, Lilia:Hello, Lilian.
- Լիլիան LilianԻնչպե՞ս ես:Inchpes es:How are you?
- Արամ AramԼավ եմ, շնորհակալություն:Lav em, shnorhakalutyun:I am well, thank you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hello” translations and entries բարև, ողջույն, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (բարև, ձեզ) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries բարև, ողջույն, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
