გამარჯობა
gamarǯoba[ɡ̊ämäɾd͡ʒo̞bä]
Hello in Georgian is გამარჯობა (gamarǯoba). Wiktionary also lists ჰეი (hei).
Meaning: greeting (intj)
Ways to say it
| Georgian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| გამარჯობა | gamarǯoba | [ɡ̊ämäɾd͡ʒo̞bä] (narrow) |
| ჰეი | hei |
The standard greeting is გამარჯობა. In very casual settings, you may also hear the English loanword ჰეი.
What does it mean word for word?
The word გამარჯობა is derived from a root meaning victory, effectively meaning 'victory' or 'may you be victorious'.
Which one should you use?
გამარჯობა is the standard, neutral way to say hello and is suitable for most social situations. In contrast, ჰეი is a loanword from English used in very casual settings.
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the greeting more formal or to address more than one person, you add the suffix –თ to form გამარჯობათ.
How do you pronounce it?
gamarǯoba
Did you know?
- In Georgian culture, a greeting is often accompanied by a physical gesture such as a handshake, but the warmth of the greeting can extend into a lengthy ritual of hospitality known as 'supra'.
- Because გამარჯობა is rooted in the concept of 'victory', the greeting echoes Georgia's long history of defensive warfare and struggle for sovereignty.
- While გამარჯობა wishes you 'victory' when arriving, the word for 'goodbye' წარმატებები focuses on 'success'. Together, these greetings frame a social encounter as a movement from triumph to continued achievement.
Examples in context
- გამარჯობა?Hello?This example shows how to use გამარჯობა as a simple question.Tatoeba #8459747 by Natalie_71, translation #3613319 by Thanuir
- გამარჯობა ყველას!Hello everybody!This example shows გამარჯობა used to greet a group.Tatoeba #8470749 by Natalie_71, translation #1181558 by nonymus1
- გამარჯობა, მშვენიერო.Hello, beautiful!This example shows გამარჯობა used in a friendly greeting.Tatoeba #8470743 by Natalie_71, translation #1265548 by Jefepeters
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two neighbors meet by the elevator.
- ქეთევან Ketevanგამარჯობა, ირაკლი!gamarjoba, irakli!Hello, Irakli!
- ირაკლი Irakliგამარჯობა, ქეთევან. როგორ ხარ?gamarjoba, ketevan. rogor khar?Hello, Ketevan. How are you?
- ქეთევან Ketevanკარგად, გმადლობ.kargad, gmadlob.I'm well, thank you.
- ირაკლი Irakliმეც კარგად ვარ.mets kargad var.I am well too.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hello” translations and entries გამარჯობა, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries გამარჯობა, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
and final:
informal greeting in Georgian”
“_ გამარჯობა, ”
“_ გაგიმარჯოს”
formal greeting:
“_ გამარჯობა”
_ გაგიმარჯოს”
“_ როგორ ხარ?”
“_ კარგად.”
“კარგად” means “good”
And at the end about “გამიკითხავენ?” “გამისახავენ”
If someone responds me with “გამისახავენ”, I’ll fail to even understand what it means at all.
About “გამიკითხავენ?” – possible meaning of this word may be looks like “Will someone judge me?” (I’m sorry for free translation).And at the end:
“გამიკითხავენ?”
“გამისახავენ”
If someone responds me with გამისახავენ”, I’ll fail to understand what does it mean at all
About “გამიკითხავენ?” – possible meaning of this word may be looks like “Will someone judge me?” (I’m sorry for free translation).
But definitely there is no greeting in Georgian like “Salamatko”. May be you wanted to mention “Salami” – “სალამი”?
It’s possible to use “სალამი”, but it comes from “Salam Aleikum”, and myself I never use it.
Hello Frederik, I am Genadi Tvauri, not a linguist, just native Georgian speaker.
Thank you for your effort to popularize Georgian language.
But I am afraid, your guide needs some corrections. I’ll try to introduce them.
You are 100% right, whenever you say that informal and formal exchange of greetings in Georgian is:
“_ Gamarjoba – გამარჯობა”
_ Gagimaros – გაგიმარჯოს”