Ways to say it
| Swedish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| hej | /ˈhɛjː/ | |
| hallå | /haˈloː/ | |
| tjena | /ˈɕeːna/ (Sweden) /ˈt͡ɕeːnɑ/ (Finland) |
|
| hejsan | informal | |
| tja | /ɕa/ (Sweden) /t͡ɕɑ/ (Finland) |
The most common and versatile way to say hello in almost any social situation is hej. While hej serves as a standard greeting, hallå is specifically used to answer the phone or to call out to someone to get their attention.
Which one should you use?
hej is the standard greeting, whereas hallå is used for phone calls or getting attention. hejsan is a slightly more friendly, upbeat and informal variant of hej. Among the colloquial options, tjena is used among friends and tja is a shortened, even more casual version of tjena.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
hej is the most common greeting for almost any situation. For a more formal way to address someone during the day, you can use Goddag. For informal and friendly contexts, you might use hejsan or hallå. In very casual settings with friends and peers, you can use the colloquial forms tjena or tja.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Gothenburg, locals often use the informal greeting tjena.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈhɛjː/
Did you know?
- The informal greeting tjena actually contains a hidden noun, as it is a shortened version of the word tjänare, which means 'servant'.
- The upbeat variant hejsan may have its suffix '-san' derived from the phrase 'sa han', which means 'he said'.
Examples in context
- Hallå? Är du där?Hello? Are you still here?This example shows how to use hallå to check if someone is still there.Tatoeba #4159684 by richke, translation #1878 by brauliobezerra
- Hallå! Hör du mig?Hello! Can you hear me?This example shows how to use hallå to check if someone can hear you.Tatoeba #3122159 by herrsilen, translation #4644966 by ProfessorGiraffe
- Hej Meg, hur är det?Hello, Meg, how are things?This example shows a standard use of hej to greet someone.Tatoeba #12109031 by johanrhg, translation #894771 by pauldhunt
- 17 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alice and Oscar meet in a sunny park.
- AliceHej, Oscar!Hello, Oscar!
- OscarHej, Alice!Hello, Alice!
- AliceHur är läget?How is it going?
- OscarDet är bara bra.It is just fine.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hello” translations and entries hej, hallå, tjena, hejsan, tja, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hallå, hej, hejsan, tjena, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
