Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| salut | /sa.ly/ | informal |
| coucou | /ku.ku/ | informal |
The phrase is an interjection used for greeting. While salut is commonly used in informal situations, Bonjour is the most common and universally accepted way to say hello in French. If you are greeting someone in the evening or at night, Bonsoir is an alternative. For a polite way to greet someone when meeting for the first time, you can use Enchanté(e). In formal situations, it is customary to use Comment allez-vous?
Which one should you use?
salut can be used both as a greeting (hello) and as a farewell (bye) in informal settings. coucou is an even more informal way of saying hello.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
salut is informal. coucou is informal and colloquial, often cute or affectionate way to say hello, frequently used among friends, family or when addressing children.
How do you pronounce it?
/sa.ly/
When do people say it?
Among friends, you might use the informal greeting Ça va? to ask how someone is doing or Quoi de neuf? to inquire about any news or updates in the other person's life.
Did you know?
- In many French-speaking cultures, failing to say Bonjour when entering a shop or starting a conversation is often perceived as a significant social snub.
- The cute, informal greeting coucou is actually an onomatopoeia mimicking the call of the cuckoo bird.
- The informal greeting salut shares a root with the English word 'salute' and the Latin word for 'health'.
Examples in context
- Salut à tous !Hello everyone!This is useful for greeting a group.Tatoeba #10625667 by felix63, translation #854117 by piksea
- Salut ma belle !Hello, beautiful!This is useful for a friendly greeting to a woman.Tatoeba #594147 by sacredceltic, translation #1265548 by Jefepeters
- Salut mon vieux !Hello, old friend!This is useful for greeting an old friend.Tatoeba #1551225 by sacredceltic, translation #1549913 by miflhanc
- 66 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa and Lucas meet in a park.
- LéaSalut, Lucas !Hello, Lucas!
- LucasSalut, Léa. Ça va ?Hello, Léa. How are you?
- LéaÇa va bien, merci.I am doing well, thanks.
- LucasMoi aussi, ça va.Me too, I'm fine.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hello” translations and entries salut, coucou, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries coucou, salut, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
