salut
/sa.ly/
The French word for "hi" is salut.
salut is a friendly, informal way to say both "hi" and "bye".
Meaning: friendly, informal greeting (intj)
Which one should you use?
While salut is a friendly way to say hi, it is less formal than bonjour, which is the standard greeting for strangers or professional settings.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /sa.ly/. It has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- The word salut is a homonym for the French word for 'salvation' or 'safety'. In a religious context, it refers to the saving of a soul from sin.
- In some French regions, people may pair salut with a bise, which is a social kiss on both cheeks, regardless of whether the person is male or female.
- In English, the word 'salute' shares the same lineage as salut, but in English, it is almost exclusively a formal military gesture rather than a casual greeting.
Examples in context
- Salut à tous !Hi everyone!This example shows how to use salut to greet a group.Tatoeba #10625667 by felix63, translation #13188716 by glossboss
- Salut, mon amie !Hi, my friend!This example shows how to use salut to greet a friend.Tatoeba #3270739 by Aiji, translation #3270741 by Ricardo14
- Salut, les mecs !Hi, guys.This example shows how to use salut when addressing a group of guys.Tatoeba #5050011 by sacredceltic, translation #2561375 by Hybrid
- Bonjour, comment ça va ?Hello, how are you?
- 63 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nathan and Léa meet in a park.
- NathanSalut, Léa !Hi, Léa!
- LéaSalut, Nathan ! Ça va ?Hi, Nathan! How are you?
- NathanÇa va bien, merci.I'm doing well, thanks.
- LéaMoi aussi, ça va super !Me too, I'm doing great!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hi” translations and entries salut, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
