Ways to say it
| Bosnian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| zdravo | /zdrâʋo/ | Latin |
| ćao | /t͡ɕâːo/ | Latin |
| merhaba | Latin | |
| selam | Latin | |
| bok | /bok/ | Latin |
In Bosnian, there are several ways to greet someone depending on the level of familiarity and the specific social or cultural context.
Which one should you use?
zdravo is a neutral, standard greeting that can be used in most situations. In contrast, ćao is more informal and is frequently used both to say hello and to say goodbye. selam and merhaba are greetings of Arabic origin. selam is an informal greeting often used among friends in a religious or cultural context, while merhaba can serve as a more formal or culturally specific greeting.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For formal and polite situations, you may use Dobar dan (Good day) at any time during the day, Dobro jutro (Good morning) until around noon or Dobra večer (Good evening) from the late afternoon until late evening. For informal situations, you can use zdravo, ćao or selam. merhaba is also used in informal settings but carries specific cultural weight.
Is it said differently in some regions?
merhaba is commonly used in parts of Sarajevo and Eastern Bosnia, which are areas influenced by Turkish culture.
How do you pronounce it?
/zdrâʋo/
When do people say it?
The use of greetings like merhaba and selam reflects the influence of Arabic and Turkish culture in certain parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, particularly within Muslim-majority contexts.
Did you know?
- In some traditional contexts, a greeting like selam might be accompanied by a hand placed over the heart to show sincerity.
- The standard greeting zdravo is actually a wish for someone to be 'healthy'. It is etymologically rooted in the adjective zdrav, which means 'healthy' or 'sane'.
- While zdravo is common, the greeting bok is often heard in Bosnia due to influence from Croatia, where it is the standard informal 'hello'.
Examples in context
- Zdravo.Hello!This shows the use of zdravo as a standalone greeting.Tatoeba #466190 by FeuDRenais, translation #373330 by CK
- Zdravo, Tom.Hello, Tom.This shows how to use zdravo when addressing someone by name.Tatoeba #466212 by FeuDRenais, translation #54604 by Zifre
- Zdravo, kako si danas?Hello, how are you today?
Example conversation
Lejla and Tarik meet briefly in a park.
- LejlaZdravo, Tarik!Hello, Tarik!
- TarikZdravo, Lejla. Šta ima?Hello, Lejla. What's up?
- LejlaNema ništa novo.Nothing new.
- TarikVidimo se kasnije.See you later.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hello” translations and entries zdravo, ćao, bok, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries merhaba, zdravo, ćao, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
