Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ciao | /ˈt͡ʃa.o/ | |
| salve | /ˈsal.ve/ | |
| buongiorno | /ˌbwɔnˈd͡ʒor.no/ /bwonˈd͡ʒor.no/ |
|
| saluti | masculine, plural |
In Italian, there are several ways to greet someone depending on the level of formality and the time of day. While ciao is a very common greeting, other forms like salve and buongiorno are used to vary the degree of politeness or to suit specific times.
Which one should you use?
The choice between these words depends on the social context. ciao serves as both 'hello' and 'goodbye' in informal settings. salve is a neutral greeting that sits between the informal ciao and the more formal buongiorno. buongiorno is a formal greeting specifically used during the morning and the day. For the evening, the formal counterpart to buongiorno is buonasera. Finally, saluti is rarely used as a spoken 'hello' and is instead used in written correspondence to mean 'regards'.
How does it change in a sentence?
saluti is a masculine plural noun.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of ciao is /ˈtʃa.o/. It has 2 syllables, with the stress on the 1st syllable.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use ciao with strangers or superiors, which can be perceived as overly familiar or rude.
Did you know?
- The common greeting ciao actually has a much darker origin, deriving from a Venetian expression meaning 'I am your slave'. It was used to signal that one was a 'humble servant' to another.
- While buongiorno is used for the morning, the greeting buonasera can be used as early as mid-afternoon in some Italian regions, long before the sun actually sets.
- The use of ciao as a greeting is similar to the use of servus in Southern Germany and Central Europe, which also stems from the idea of being a servant to the person greeted.
Examples in context
- Ciao, tu sei Ana?Hello, are you Ana?This example shows how to use ciao to ask if someone is Ana.Tatoeba #7796553 by Guybrush88, translation #7795992 by sharris123
- Ciao, tu sei Jose?Hello, are you Jose?This example shows how to use ciao to ask if someone is Jose.Tatoeba #7909230 by Guybrush88, translation #7773695 by sharris123
- Ciao, John! Come va?Hello, John! How are you?This example shows how to use ciao when greeting John and asking how he is.Tatoeba #564013 by Guybrush88, translation #30307 by CN
- Buongiorno, ho dimenticato come si dice ciao in italiano. Mi può aiutare?Good morning, I forgot how to say hello in Italian. Can you help me?
- Ciao bello/bella!Hello handsome/beautiful!
- 183 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Francesco and Chiara meet at a cafe.
- FrancescoCiao, Chiara! Come stai?Hello, Chiara! How are you?
- ChiaraCiao, Francesco! Tutto bene, grazie.Hello, Francesco! Everything is good, thanks.
- FrancescoChe bella giornata oggi, vero?What a beautiful day today, right?
- ChiaraSì, è davvero splendida!Yes, it is truly splendid!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hello” translations and entries ciao, salve, buongiorno, saluti, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries buongiorno, ciao, salve, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
