ሰላም
sälam/ˈsəlam/
The English word "hi" is translated into Amharic as ሰላም (sälam).
ሰላም is a standard greeting used to say "hi" or "hello".
Meaning: friendly, informal greeting (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The word ሰላም literally means "peace".
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is sälam and the pronunciation is /ˈsəlam/.
When do people say it?
When someone greets you with ሰላም, it is common to respond with the same word, ሰላም. To further a conversation with friends or acquaintances, you might use the informal phrase Dehna neh? to ask "How are you?"
Did you know?
- The Amharic greeting ሰላም shares a deep linguistic root with the Arabic salam and the Hebrew shalom. All these words derive from a common Semitic root meaning 'wholeness' or 'peace'.
- In many parts of Ethiopia, a verbal greeting like ሰላም is often accompanied by a specific handshake or a slight bow to show respect.
- Although ሰላም is common for 'hi' many Ethiopians use highly specific greetings based on the gender and age of the person they are addressing to show respect.
Examples in context
- ሰላም!selam!Hi!
- ሰላም፣ እንዴት ነህ?selam, endet neh?Hi, how are you?
- ሰላም፣ ዛሬ በጣም ደስ ብሎኛል።selam, zare betam des bilognal.Hi, I am very happy today.
Example conversation
Dawit and Sara meet at a coffee shop.
- ዳዊት Dawitሰላም ሳራ!Selam Sara!Hi Sara!
- ሳራ Saraሰላም ዳዊት፣ እንዴት ነህ?Selam Dawit, endet neh?Hi Dawit, how are you?
- ዳዊት Dawitደህና ነኝ፣ አመሰግናለሁ።Dehna negn, ameseginalehu.I am fine, thank you.
- ሳራ Saraእኔም ደህና ነኝ።Enem dehna negn.I am fine too.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hi” translations and entries ሰላም, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
