Ways to say it
| Dari | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| سَلَام | salām |
| سَلَام عَلَیْکُم | salām alaykum |
| دُرود | durōd |
| دَرُود | darūd |
| دُرُود | durūd |
| سَلام | salâm |
| سَلام عَلِیْکُم | salâm aleykom |
The word سَلَام translates to "peace" and is used to greet both individuals and groups. It can be used as a standalone greeting and as a component of longer religious or formal greetings.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase سَلَام عَلَیْکُم (salām alaykum) literally means "peace be upon you."
Which one should you use?
سَلَام is a shorter, more casual version of the greeting compared to the full سَلَام عَلَیْکُم.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
سَلَام عَلَیْکُم is a formal Islamic greeting that means "peace be upon you." For a more formal or literary way to say hello than سَلَام, you can use دُرُود.
How do you pronounce it?
salām
When do people say it?
When someone says سَلَام عَلَیْکُم, the standard response is وَعَلَیْکُمُ السَّلَام (wa-alaykum as-salām), which means "and upon you be peace." In the morning, you might use the formal greeting Sobh be kheir for "good morning." For casual social interactions, you might hear "Khoobi?" (are you well? / how are you?) or "Che khabar?" (what's new? / what's up?).
Did you know?
- The word سَلَام is a cognate with the word 'shalom' in Hebrew, as both derive from a root meaning 'peace' across the Semitic language family.
- While سَلَام is common, the word دُرود is a remnant of pre-Islamic Persian greetings and is often used today to evoke a sense of national identity or poetic elegance.
- In many parts of Afghanistan, a greeting is often accompanied by a slight nod or a hand placed over the heart to show deep respect and sincerity.
Examples in context
- سَلَام، چِطُور هستین؟salām, chitor hastin?Hello, how are you?
- سَلَام، خُوش آمدین.salām, khosh āmadin.Hello, welcome.
Example conversation
Sara and Ahmad meet at a cafe.
- سارا Saraسَلَام، احمد!Salam, Ahmad!Hello, Ahmad!
- احمد Ahmadسَلَام، سارا. خوشحالم که تو را می‌بینم.Salam, Sara. Khoshhal am ke to ra mebinam.Hello, Sara. I am glad to see you.
- سارا Saraمن هم همینطور.Man ham hamintor.Me too.
- احمد Ahmadبیا بنشینیم.Bia benishinim.Let's sit down.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hello” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
