Ways to say it
| Bengali | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| হ্যালো | hêlō | /hælo/ /hælɔ/ |
| আসসালামু আলাইকুম | assalamu alaikum | /ˈasːalamu‿alai̯kum/ /ˈasːalamo̯alai̯kum/ |
| সালাম | salam | /salam/ |
| নমস্কার | nomoskar | /nɔmoʃkaɾ/ /nɔmoʃkaɹ/ |
While হ্যালো is a common casual way to say hello, particularly when answering the phone or greeting friends, other traditional greetings are used to acknowledge specific religious backgrounds or social hierarchies.
Which one should you use?
The choice of greeting depends on the context: আসসালামু আলাইকুম is a standard greeting used by Muslims, while নমস্কার is the standard greeting used by Hindus. হ্যালো is the transliterated English word used for informal or casual situations.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization of হ্যালো is hêlō.
When do people say it?
Religious greetings are very common: Muslims in Bangladesh and West Bengal typically use আসসালামু আলাইকুম, to which the standard response is ওয়ালাইকুম আসসালাম. Hindus in the same regions typically use নমস্কার. Additionally, when addressing people in social settings, it is customary to call older males Dada (brother) and older females Didi (sister).
Did you know?
- The shortened form সালাম is a Persian adaptation of the original Arabic greeting, showing how Persian acted as a cultural bridge to Bengal.
- In many formal Bengali settings, rather than saying a word for 'hello', people simply join their palms together in a gesture called প্রণাম (pranam) or নমস্কার (namaskar) while bowing slightly.
- When replying to আসসালামু আলাইকুম, the response ওয়ালাইকুম আসসালাম literally flips the word order to mean 'and upon you be peace'.
Examples in context
- হ্যালো, আপনি কেমন আছেন?Hello, how are you?This sentence shows how to use হ্যালো to ask how someone is.Tatoeba #12524869 by robingaspi, translation #138868 by CK
- হ্যালো!Hello!This sentence demonstrates the use of হ্যালো as a standalone greeting.Tatoeba #11455854 by robingaspi, translation #373330 by CK
- হ্যালো, শুনতে পাচ্ছেন কি?hyalo, shunte pacchen ki?Hello, can you hear me?
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Rahul and Ishani are talking on the phone.
- ইশানি Ishaniহ্যালো, রাহুল!Hello, Rahul!Hello, Rahul!
- রাহুল Rahulহ্যালো, ইশানি। কেমন আছো?Hello, Ishani. Kemon acho?Hello, Ishani. How are you?
- ইশানি Ishaniআমি ভালো আছি। তুমি?Ami bhalo achi. Tumi?I am fine. And you?
- রাহুল Rahulআমিও ভালো আছি।Amio bhalo achi.I am also fine.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hello” translations and entries হ্যালো, আসসালামু আলাইকুম, সালাম, নমস্কার, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries আসসালামু আলাইকুম, নমস্কার, সালাম, হ্যালো, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
