Ways to say it
| Hindi | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| नमस्ते | namaste | /nə.məs.t̪eː/ (Hindi, Standard) | |
| नमस्कार | namaskār | /nə.məs.kɑːɾ/ (Hindi, Standard) /nə.məʃ.kɑːɾ/ |
|
| सलाम | salām | /sə.lɑːm/ (Hindi, Standard) | |
| हेलो | helo | /ɦeː.loː/ (Hindi, Standard) | |
| हलो | halo | /ɦə.loː/ (Hindi, Standard) | alternative form |
| आदाब | ādāb | /ɑː.d̪ɑːb/ (Hindi, Standard) | |
| सत श्री अकाल | sat śrī akāl | /sət̪ ʃɾiː ə.kɑːl/ (Hindi, Standard) | Sikh |
The various forms of hello in Hindi vary depending on the social context and whether you are greeting someone in person or over the telephone. Some are specific to religious traditions or specific times of day, such as Suprabhaat for good morning or Shubh sandhya for good evening.
What does it mean word for word?
The word नमस्ते is a combination of namas (bow) and te (to you), literally meaning 'I bow to you'.
Which one should you use?
नमस्कार is slightly more formal than नमस्ते. For telephone communication, हेलो or its alternative spelling हलो is primarily used. In social contexts influenced by Muslim or Urdu traditions, you might use the informal सलाम or the highly formal and polite आदाब.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
नमस्ते is a formal way to say hello. You can use the phrase Saadar pranaam, which means respectful greetings. Similarly, Pranaam is a formal and respectful way to say hello, meaning greetings. In sophisticated or Urdu-influenced settings, आदाब is used as a highly formal and polite greeting. Conversely, सलाम is a common greeting used in informal or Muslim-influenced social contexts.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The phrase सत श्री अकाल is used by the Sikh community.
How do you pronounce it?
namaste (3 syllables: /nə.məs.t̪eː/)
Did you know?
- In some traditional settings, a person may perform चरण स्पर्श as a greeting, which involves touching the feet of an elder and then touching their own forehead.
- The greeting सलाम is a linguistic relative of the Hebrew word शालोम used in Israel.
- The greeting आदाब is traditionally accompanied by a gesture where the right hand is raised toward the forehead, rather than the folded hands used with नमस्ते.
Examples in context
- सलाम, टॉम।Hello, Tom.This sentence shows how to use the form सलाम.Tatoeba #6829775 by aboi, translation #54604 by Zifre
- फिर से, नमस्ते।Again, hello.This sentence demonstrates the use of the form नमस्ते.Tatoeba #8876374 by simranbansal, translation #2095633 by gleki
- नमस्ते, आप कैसे हैं?Hello and how are you?This sentence shows how to use the form नमस्ते in a question.Tatoeba #2336256 by RadiumCat, translation #1674421 by garydale
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Neha and Amit meet in a hallway during the day.
- नेहा Nehaनमस्ते, अमित।namaste, Amit.Hello, Amit.
- अमित Amitनमस्ते, नेहा।namaste, Neha.Hello, Neha.
- नेहा Nehaआप कैसे हैं?aap kaise hain?How are you?
- अमित Amitमैं ठीक हूँ, धन्यवाद।main theek hoon, dhanyavaad.I am fine, thank you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hello” translations and entries नमस्ते, नमस्कार, सलाम, हेलो, हलो, आदाब, सत श्री अकाल, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries अकाल, नमस्कार, नमस्ते, श्री, सत, सत श्री अकाल, सलाम, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
