Salut
casual
The most common way to say "hi" in casual French is Salut. Short friendly options are Coucou and the borrowed Hey. It is also called Wesh.
Meaning: short greeting, informal (phrase)
Ways to say it
| French | Note |
|---|---|
| Salut | casual |
| Coucou | casual, friendly |
| Hey | casual, loanword |
| Wesh | slang, youth |
Coucou is light and friendly and fits texts and messages. Hey is borrowed from English and is easy to use among young people.
Which one should you use?
Salut can also mean "bye". Wesh is youth slang and should stay with people your age who use it too.
Did you know?
- The greeting coucou is also the French word for the cuckoo bird.
Examples in context
- Salut tout le monde !Hi everyone!
- Coucou, c'est moi.Hi, it is me.
- Hey, tu viens ce soir ?Hey, are you coming tonight?
Example conversation
Zoé opens a group chat with her friends Max and Lina.
- ZoéCoucou tout le monde !Hi everyone!
- MaxSalut Zoé !Hi Zoé!
- ZoéVous venez ce soir ?Are you coming tonight?
