Ways to say it
| Latvian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| sveiki | /sveiki/ | |
| čau | informal | |
| sveiks | [svɛ̀jks] (narrow) | addressee masculine |
| sveika | addressee feminine |
While it serves as a general greeting, it can also be adjusted based on the gender or number of people you are addressing.
What does it mean word for word?
The greeting is derived from the adjective meaning 'healthy' or 'well'.
Which one should you use?
While sveiki can be a general greeting, sveiks and sveika are gender-specific to the person being addressed.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The form čau is a popular and casual way to say 'Hi' or 'Hey' among friends or people of the same age group. For formal situations, it is more common to use time-specific greetings such as Labdien (Good day), Labrīt (Good morning) or Labvakar (Good evening).
How does it change in a sentence?
When greeting a single man, use the masculine form sveiks. When greeting a single woman, use the feminine form sveika. To greet multiple people or to use a neutral greeting, use sveiki.
How do you pronounce it?
/sveiki/
Did you know?
- The casual greeting čau is not native to Latvian but is a loanword from the Italian 'ciao'.
- One theory suggests sveiks comes from an Old Norse word meaning 'flexible' or 'nimble', shifting over time to mean 'healthy' and eventually 'hello'.
- The common greeting sveiki is actually a relatively recent addition to the language, only becoming a widespread way to say 'hello' in the 20th century.
Examples in context
- Sveiki, kā es varu jums palīdzēt?Hello, how can I help you?This example shows how to use sveiki in a helpful context.Tatoeba #12581682 by GemMonkey, translation #12256409 by sundown
- Sveiks!Hello!This example shows the use of sveiks for a male.Tatoeba #12944443 by GemMonkey, translation #373330 by CK
- Sveika, māt.Hello, Mother.This example shows the use of sveika for a female.Tatoeba #13863153 by GemMonkey, translation #7262550 by azraelgnosis
- Labrīt! Ceru, ka jums būs veiksmīgs dienas sākumsGood morning! I hope you have a successful start to your day.
- Čau! Kā tev iet?Hi! How are you?
- 15 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Artūrs and linearly meet in a hallway.
- ArtūrsSveiki, linearly!Hello, linearly!
- linearlySveiki, Artūr!Hello, Artūrs!
- ArtūrsKā tev iet?How are you doing?
- linearlyVisu labi, palieci!Everything is good, bye!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hello” translations and entries sveiki, čau, sveiks, sveika, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries sveiks, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
