Ways to say it
| Croatian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| bok | /bok/ | Latin |
| ćao | /t͡ɕâːo/ | Latin |
| zdravo | /zdrâʋo/ | Latin |
| merhaba | Latin | |
| halo | Latin |
These terms are used as friendly, informal greetings. While most are used to say hello, some function as both a greeting and a way to say goodbye and others are specific to certain situations like answering the phone.
Which one should you use?
The forms differ in their tone and specific use cases. bok is a very informal greeting or goodbye. ćao is a casual greeting and goodbye. zdravo is a slightly more neutral or old-fashioned way to say hello compared to the very informal bok or ćao. halo is used specifically when answering the telephone rather than for greeting someone in person. merhaba is also available as a greeting.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The terms bok, ćao, zdravo and merhaba are informal. For formal situations, you should use Dobar dan (Good day) or Dobro jutro (Good morning), the latter of which is used until around noon.
Is it said differently in some regions?
ćao is a casual greeting borrowed from Italian that is particularly common in coastal regions. bok is particularly common in Northern Croatia and Zagreb.
How do you pronounce it?
/bok/
Did you know?
- The greeting merhaba entered the Croatian language via Ottoman Turkish, which originally borrowed it from Arabic.
Examples in context
- Zdravo. Moje ime je Sergej.Hi. My name is Sergey.This sentence is useful for introducing yourself using the form zdravo.Tatoeba #6078321 by kkupus, translation #6077633 by carlosalberto
- Bok!Hi!This sentence is useful for practicing the form bok.Tatoeba #6564066 by vlado, translation #2742244 by MTC
- Bok.Hi.Tatoeba #466199 by FeuDRenais, translation #538123 by CM
- Dobar dan. Drago mi je upoznati vas.Good day. Nice to meet you.
- Bok! Kako si?Hi! How are you?
- Ćao! Kako ide?Hi! How's it going?
Example conversation
Mateo and Ivana see each other in a park.
- MateoBok, Ivana!Hi, Ivana!
- IvanaBok, Mateo. Kako si?Hi, Mateo. How are you?
- MateoDobro sam, hvala.I am well, thanks.
- IvanaDrago mi je to čuti.I am glad to hear that.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hi” translations and entries bok, ćao, zdravo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries halo, merhaba, zdravo, ćao, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
