ሰላም
sälam/ˈsəlam/
ሰላም (sälam) is the Amharic way to say "hey".
While it is commonly used as a casual greeting equivalent to "hey" or "hello", you might also encounter Endet neh? as an informal way to ask "what's up?" or "how are you doing?"
Meaning: informal greeting (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The word ሰላም literally means "peace".
Which one should you use?
To turn the greeting ሰላም into a question asking "How are you?", you can add the verb ነው to form ሰላም ነው? which translates to "Is it peace?"
How do you pronounce it?
sälam
Did you know?
- The greeting ሰላም is a cognate of the Hebrew word 'Shalom' and the Arabic 'Salam'. All three share a common linguistic root meaning 'peace'.
- While ሰላም is the standard greeting, Ethiopians often engage in a long series of reciprocal questions about family and health before the actual conversation begins. To say just ሰላም and move immediately to business can seem abrupt.
- The phrase ሰላም ነው? functions as both a greeting and a genuine inquiry into the state of the environment. It can be used to ask if everything is okay after a loud noise or a sudden commotion.
Examples in context
- ሰላም፣ እንዴት ነህ?selam, indet neh?Hey, how are you?
- ሰላም፣ ሁሉ ነገር መልካም?selam, hulu neger melkam?Hey, is everything good?
- ሰላም፣ ዛሬ በጣም ስራ በዝቶብኛል።selam, zare beṭam sira beztibignall.Hey, I've been very busy today.
Example conversation
Abel and Elisabeth run into each other on the street.
- ኤልሳቤጥ Elsabethሰላም፣ አቤል!selam, Abel!Hey, Abel!
- አቤል Abelሰላም ኤልሳቤጥ፣ እንዴት ነሽ?selam Elisabeth, indet nesh?Hey Elisabeth, how are you?
- ኤልሳቤጥ Elsabethደህና ነኝ፣ አመሰግናለሁ።deḥna neñ, ameseginalehu.I am fine, thank you.
- አቤል Abelእኔም ደህና ነኝ።inem deḥna neñ.I am fine too.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ሰላም, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ሰላም, CC BY-SA 4.0.
