szia
[ˈsijɒ]
The Hungarian word for 'hi' is szia.
szia is a common informal way to say 'hi' or 'hello' among friends or peers. Other informal options include Helló, which is borrowed from English or Reggelt, which is used to mean 'Good morning'.
Meaning: friendly, informal greeting (intj)
Which one should you use?
You may also use Jó napot to mean 'Good afternoon'.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
In formal situations where szia would be too casual, one would use Jó napot kívánok!, which means 'I wish you a good day' or 'Good day'.
How does it change in a sentence?
szia is used for a single person. The plural form sziasztok is used when greeting more than one person informally.
Did you know?
- The phrase szia is an abbreviation of szervusz, which is borrowed from the Latin 'servus' meaning 'slave' or 'servant'.
- While szia is used to say 'hi', it is also used by Hungarians to say 'bye' to the same person.
- In Hungarian, using szia with a stranger or a superior can be seen as an intentional act of disrespect or over-familiarity.
Examples in context
- Heló! Szia!"Hi." "Hi."This example shows an exchange of informal greetings using szia.Tatoeba #10648929 by maaster, translation #10648927 by maaster
- Szia, a nevem Tom.Hi, my name is Tom.This sentence shows how to use szia when introducing yourself.Tatoeba #11598748 by kiseva33, translation #4500043 by CK
- Szia, az én nevem Omid.Hi, my name is Omid.Tatoeba #786172 by szaby78, translation #696157 by omidcat2004
- Hahó, mi újság?Hi, what's up?
- 30 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
László and Katalin meet at a local park.
- KatalinSzia, László!Hi, László!
- LászlóSzia, Katalin! Hogy vagy?Hi, Katalin! How are you?
- KatalinKöszönöm, jól.Thanks, I'm fine.
- LászlóÉn is jól vagyok.I am also fine.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hi” translations and entries szia, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries szia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
