ສະບາຍດີ
sa bāi dī[sa(ʔ˧˥).baːj˩(˧).diː˩(˧)]
The Lao word for "hello" is ສະບາຍດີ (sa bāi dī).
ສະບາຍດີ is a common way to say hello in Laos. It can function as a standard greeting or as a way to ask if someone is well.
Meaning: greeting (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is a combination of sa bāi (well/healthy) and dī (good), which literally means "to be well/good".
How do you pronounce it?
sa bāi dī
When do people say it?
When saying ສະບາຍດີ, it is customary to perform the nop by placing your palms together in a prayer-like gesture to show respect.
Did you know?
- In very informal settings among close friends, the formal ສະບາຍດີ is often skipped entirely in favor of asking กินข้าวแล้วหรือยัง meaning 'have you eaten yet'.
- While ສະບາຍດີ is the standard greeting, the height of your hands during the nop indicates the social rank of the person you are greeting.
- If you use ສະບາຍດີ with a person of lower status, you generally do not perform the nop gesture yourself, as it is a gesture of respect toward others.
Examples in context
- ສະບາຍດີHello.This example shows the use of ສະບາຍດີ as a simple greeting.Tatoeba #8670346 by pastelite, translation #1858850 by LanguageExpert
- ສະບາຍດີ!Hello!This example shows the use of ສະບາຍດີ with an exclamation mark.Tatoeba #1897933 by LanguageExpert, translation #373330 by CK
- ສະບາຍດີ, ເຈົ້າສະບາຍດີບໍ?sabaidee, chao sabaidee bo?Hello, how are you?
Example conversation
Two acquaintances meet at a local market.
- Aສະບາຍດີ!sabaidee!Hello!
- Bສະບາຍດີ, ເຈົ້າເປັນແນວໃດ?sabaidee, chao pen naew dai?Hello, how are you?
- Aຂ້ອຍສະບາຍດີ, ຂອບໃຈ.khoy sabaidee, khob chai.I am fine, thank you.
- Bດີຫຼາຍ.dee lai.That's very good.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hello” translations and entries ສະບາຍດີ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
