Welcome to our comprehensive guide on how to say hello in every language in the world! Greeting someone with a warm hello is the first step towards building connections and showing respect across cultures. In this guide, we will provide you with formal and informal ways to say hello in various languages, highlighting regional variations where necessary. Let’s embark on this linguistic journey!
Table of Contents
Europe
English
Formal: “Hello, how are you?”
Informal: “Hi!”
Example: “Hello, nice to meet you!”
Spanish
Formal: “¡Hola, cómo está?”
Informal: “¡Hola!”
Example: “Hola, ¿cómo te llamas?” (Hello, what’s your name?)
German
Formal: “Guten Tag!”
Informal: “Hallo!”
Example: “Hallo, wie geht es dir?” (Hello, how are you?)
Italian
Formal: “Buongiorno!”
Informal: “Ciao!”
Example: “Ciao, come stai?” (Hello, how are you?)
French
Formal: “Bonjour, comment ça va?”
Informal: “Salut!”
Example: “Salut, ça va?” (Hi, how are you?)
Asia
Chinese
Formal: “Nǐ hǎo, nín hǎo!”
Informal: “Nǐ hǎo!”
Example: “Nǐ hǎo, nǐ jiào shénme míngzì?” (Hello, what is your name?)
Japanese
Formal: “Konnichiwa!”
Informal: “Yā!”
Example: “Yā, genkidesuka?” (Hi, how are you?)
Korean
Formal: “Annyeonghaseyo!”
Informal: “Annyeong!”
Example: “Annyeong, jal jinaess-eoyo?” (Hello, are you doing well?)
Hindi
Formal: “Namaste!”
Informal: “Namaskar!”
Example: “Namaste, aap kaise ho?” (Hello, how are you?)
Africa
Swahili
Formal: “Hujambo?”
Informal: “Jambo!”
Example: “Jambo, habari yako?” (Hello, how are you?)
Amharic (Ethiopia)
Formal: “Selam!”
Informal: “Selam!”
Example: “Selam, kemey aleh?” (Hello, how are you?)
Americas
Spanish (Latin America)
Formal: “¡Hola, cómo está?”
Informal: “¡Hola!”
Example: “¡Hola, mucho gusto!” (Hello, nice to meet you!)
Portuguese (Brazil)
Formal: “Olá, como vai?”
Informal: “Oi!”
Example: “Oi, como você está?” (Hi, how are you?)
Oceania
Maori (New Zealand)
Formal: “Kia ora!”
Informal: “Tēnā koe!”
Example: “Kia ora, kei te pēhea koe?” (Hello, how are you?)
Conclusion
Congratulations! You’ve just embarked on a journey around the world, exploring how to say hello in various languages! Remember, greeting someone with a warm hello is not only polite but also a wonderful way to embrace different cultures and foster connections. Whether you use a formal or informal greeting, these phrases will help you start conversations and demonstrate your respect for others. So go ahead, practice these greetings and spread joy by saying hello in every language!