allillanchu
The Quechua word for hello is allillanchu.
In Quechua, greetings are often phrased as questions about one's well-being rather than a direct equivalent of the English 'hello'. allillanchu is used to mean both 'hello' and 'how are you?'
Meaning: greeting (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of allin (good/well) and the interrogative suffix -chu (question marker). Together, the word literally means 'is it well?'
Which one should you use?
While allillanchu is the question used for a greeting, allillanmi is the typical affirmative response, meaning 'I am well'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The suffix -chu is used to turn the adjective allin into a question, which is why the greeting functions as 'Are you well?'
Did you know?
- In traditional settings, the response allillanmi is often followed by a reciprocal question to ensure the other person is also well, reflecting a cultural emphasis on reciprocity known as 'ayni'.
- While allillanchu is widely understood, there are dozens of regional dialects of Quechua, meaning a person in Cusco and a person in Ayacucho might use different words to say 'hello'.
- Because Quechua is an agglutinative language, you can attach many different suffixes to the root allin to change the nuance of a greeting, making it far more flexible than the English 'hello'.
Examples in context
- Rimaykullayki, John! Allillanchu?Hello, John! How are you?This example shows how to use allillanchu in a greeting.Tatoeba #773401 by marloncori, translation #30307 by CN
Example conversation
Juan meets Maria on a village path.
- JuanAllillanchu, Maria!Hello, Maria!
- MariaAllillanmi, Juan. Allillanchu?I am well, Juan. How are you?
- JuanAllillanmi, añay.I am well, thanks.
- MariaTupananchiskama.See you later.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
