salam
[sɑˈɫɑm]
The English phrase 'hi' is translated into Azerbaijani as salam.
salam is a friendly, informal greeting. It is also a common and neutral way to say hi in any formal situation. Other informal variations include Salam dostum (Hi, my friend), Salam qardaşım (Hi, my brother) and Salam, nə var? (Hi, what's up?).
Meaning: friendly, informal greeting (intj)
Which one should you use?
In more formal or respectful settings, one might use Salam əleykum instead of the shorter Salam.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
While salam is the standard way to say 'hi', it is versatile enough to be used in both informal and neutral-formal settings. For a formal way to greet someone, you can use Necəsiz? which translates to 'How are you?'
When do people say it?
The standard response to salam is to repeat the word salam back to the speaker.
Did you know?
- In traditional Azerbaijani culture, it is common for younger people to greet elders with a slight nod or a hand to the heart while saying salam to show deep respect.
- In very traditional settings, a man might not say salam to a woman he does not know unless she initiates the greeting first, reflecting conservative social norms of the region.
- When using the more formal version Salam əleykum, the typical response is not just 'hi', but the specific counterpart Əleykum salam, meaning 'and upon you be peace'.
Examples in context
- Salam, necəsiz?Hi, how is everyone?This sentence demonstrates the use of salam in the greeting 'Hi, how is everyone?'Tatoeba #13592492 by Nicat, translation #7305206 by Bond21
- Salam Bill. Necəsən?Hi, Bill. How are you?This sentence shows salam used in the greeting 'Hi, Bill. How are you?'Tatoeba #2603299 by Nicat, translation #30313 by Zifre
- Salam!Hi!This sentence shows the use of salam as a standalone 'Hi!'Tatoeba #1897911 by LanguageExpert, translation #2742244 by MTC
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emin meets Leyla at a local cafe.
- EminSalam, Leyla!Hi, Leyla!
- LeylaSalam, Emin!Hi, Emin!
- EminNecəsən?How are you?
- LeylaYaxşıyam, çox sağ ol.I am well, thank you very much.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hi” translations and entries salam, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
