hai
/haɪ/
The English phrase "hi" can be said in Indonesian as hai. Wiktionary also lists salam.
Meaning: friendly, informal greeting (intj)
Ways to say it
| Indonesian | IPA |
|---|---|
| hai | /haɪ/ |
| salam | /ˈsalam/ |
hai is an informal greeting used to say "hi".
Which one should you use?
hai is an informal greeting, whereas salam is more formal or religious in tone.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
hai is an informal way to say "hi". For a neutral alternative that works in both formal and informal settings, you can use halo. salam should be used when a more formal or religious tone is required.
How do you pronounce it?
/haɪ/
When do people say it?
In addition to informal greetings, Indonesian uses time-specific greetings: Selamat pagi is "good morning" (used from around 5 a.m. to 10 a.m.), Selamat siang is "good afternoon" (typically used from around 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.), and Selamat sore is used from around 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Did you know?
- The word salam is used as a greeting, but it is also the name of the 'Indian bay leaf' used in traditional cooking.
- When using salam as a religious greeting, it is often accompanied by a handshake where the palms touch and are then briefly brought to the forehead or chest.
Examples in context
- Hai!Hi!This example shows the exclamation hai!Tatoeba #4556897 by dbahasa, translation #2742244 by MTC
- Hai.Hi.This example shows the greeting hai with a period.Tatoeba #11252770 by Pacific, translation #538123 by CM
- Hai, semuanya!Hi, everybody!This example shows using hai to greet a group of people.Tatoeba #4691957 by Bilmanda, translation #466652 by Alkrasnov
- 10 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Adi and Indah meet at a local cafe.
- AdiHai, Indah!Hi, Indah!
- IndahHai, Adi. Apa kabar?Hi, Adi. How are you?
- AdiAku baik, terima kasih.I am good, thank you.
- IndahSyukurlah kalau begitu.I'm glad to hear that.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hi” translations and entries hai, salam, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hai, salam, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
