hej
/ɦɛj/
hej is the Bosnian way to say hey.
hej is used as an informal greeting.
Meaning: informal greeting (intj)
How do you pronounce it?
/ɦɛj/
Did you know?
- In some parts of the Balkans, including Bosnia, a sudden 'hej' can actually function as a way to signal a rhythmic or musical start in folk singing contexts.
- If you use 'hej' to greet an elder in Bosnia, you might inadvertently sound disrespectful, as it lacks the required social distance for older generations.
- The English 'hey' and the Bosnian hej are cognates of a sort, as both likely evolved from similar ancient exclamatory sounds used to grab attention.
Examples in context
- Hej, kako si?Hey, how are you?
- Hej, vidiš li me?Hey, do you see me?
- Hej, šta ima novo?Hey, what's new?
Example conversation
Amar and Lejla meet at a cafe.
- AmarHej, Lejla!Hey, Lejla!
- LejlaHej, Amar! Drago mi je što te vidim.Hey, Amar! I'm glad to see you.
- AmarHvala, i ja sam.Thanks, me too.
- LejlaHoćemo li naručiti kafu?Shall we order coffee?
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry hej, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hej, CC BY-SA 4.0.
