سَلام عَلَیکُم
salām 'alaikum
Hello in Urdu can be said as سَلام عَلَیکُم (salām 'alaikum). Wiktionary also lists اَلسَّلامُ عَلَیکُم (as-salāmu 'alaikum) and آداب (ādāb).
Meaning: greeting (intj)
Ways to say it
| Urdu | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| سَلام عَلَیکُم | salām 'alaikum | |
| اَلسَّلامُ عَلَیکُم | as-salāmu 'alaikum | |
| آداب | ādāb | /ɑː.d̪ɑːb/ (Standard, Urdu) |
سَلام عَلَیکُم is the most common way to say hello in Urdu, used regardless of the time of day.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase سَلام عَلَیکُم literally means 'peace be upon you'.
Which one should you use?
آداب is a more secular and formal way to greet someone, often used in literary or highly polite social settings, whereas سَلام عَلَیکُم has religious roots.
How do you pronounce it?
salām 'alaikum
When do people say it?
The standard response to سَلام عَلَیکُم is وَعَلَیکُمُ السَّلام.
Did you know?
- The word سَلام is a cognate with the Hebrew word 'shalom', as both derive from the same root for 'peace' in the Semitic language family.
- The secular greeting آداب was specifically coined by Wajid Ali Shah, the last Nawab of Awadh, to create a greeting that could be shared across different religious communities.
- The word آداب is the plural form of the word for 'etiquette' or 'manners', meaning that by saying hello, you are essentially wishing the other person 'politeness'.
Examples in context
- سَلام عَلَیکُم، آپ کیسے ہیں؟salām 'alaykum, āp kaise hain?Hello, how are you?
- سَلام عَلَیکُم، کیا حال ہے؟salām 'alaykum, kyā hāl hai?Hello, how is it going?
- میں نے اسے سَلام عَلَیکُم کہا۔main ne usay salām 'alaykum kaha.I said hello to him.
Example conversation
Omar and Fatima meet at a cafe.
- عمر Omarسَلام عَلَیکُم، فاطمہ!Salam alaykum, Fatima!Hello, Fatima!
- فاطمہ Fatimaوَعَلَیکُمُ السَّلام، عمر!Wa alaykum us-salam, Umar!Hello, Omar!
- عمر Omarآپ کی طبیعت کیسی ہے؟Aap ki tabiyat kaisi hai?How is your health?
- فاطمہ Fatimaمیں بالکل ٹھیک ہوں، شکریہ۔Main bilkul theek hoon, shukriya.I am perfectly fine, thank you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hello” translations and entries آداب, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries آداب, CC BY-SA 4.0.
