Ways to say it
| Ukrainian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| приві́т | pryvít | informal |
| здоро́в був | zdoróv buv | informal |
| чоло́м | čolóm | |
| се́рвус | sérvus | |
| здра́стуйте | zdrástujte | |
| здра́стуй | zdrástuj | |
| добри́день | dobrýdenʹ | formal, gender neutral |
Ukrainian offers various ways to greet others depending on the time of day and social context. For common, versatile greetings, you can use Привіт to say hi or hello. If you want to be more specific with time-based formal greetings, you can use Доброго ранку for Good morning (used until around noon), Доброго дня for Good day (a polite greeting suitable from late morning until early evening) or Добрий вечір for Good evening (used when meeting someone after sunset).
Which one should you use?
The choice of greeting depends on whether you are speaking to one person or a group, and how well you know them. Use здра́стуйте when addressing a single person in a formal setting or when addressing a group of people. In contrast, use здра́стуй when addressing a single person in an informal setting. While приві́т is a casual greeting used with friends and family, здра́стуйте is the standard polite form for strangers or superiors.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For informal situations, you can use приві́т, which is the most common way to say hi to peers and close acquaintances or здра́стуй among friends and acquaintances. The phrase здоро́в був is also an informal option. For formal situations, добри́день is a polite, slightly more traditional way to say good day or hello during daylight hours and it is gender-neutral. Other formal options include the time-specific greetings mentioned above.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase здоро́в був is a masculine-specific informal greeting. A woman would say здоро́ва бу́ла (zdoróva búla).
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization for приві́т is pryvít.
Did you know?
- The greeting се́рвус is borrowed from the Latin 'servus', meaning 'slave' or 'servant'. It was adopted into Ukrainian via Austro-Hungarian influence in Western Ukraine.
- Although здра́стуйте is the polite form, it is grammatically an imperative verb, effectively telling the person to 'be healthy'.
- While приві́т is common, using the root 'ві́т' is related to the concept of 'news' or 'tidings'. To greet someone is essentially to bring them news of your presence.
Examples in context
- Привіт, як ти?Hi, how are you?
- Добрий вечір, радий Вас бачити.Good evening, it's good to see you.
Example conversation
Two friends meet at a cafe.
- Дмитро DmytroПриві́т, Олено!Pryvít, Oléno!Hello, Olena!
- Олена OlenaПриві́т, Дмитре!Pryvít, Dmytre!Hello, Dmytro!
- Дмитро DmytroТи давно тут чекаєш?Ty davno tut chekáyesh?Have you been waiting here long?
- Олена OlenaНі, я тільки-но прийшла.Ni, ya tílky-no pryyshla.No, I just arrived.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hello” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
