היי
haj
In Hebrew, the phrase "hi" can be expressed as היי (haj) or שָׁלוֹם.
Meaning: friendly, informal greeting (intj)
Ways to say it
| Hebrew | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| היי | haj |
| שָׁלוֹם | shalóm |
היי is a direct loanword from English used for casual greetings, while שָׁלוֹם literally translates to "peace" and serves as a versatile greeting that can also be used when saying goodbye.
Which one should you use?
היי is a casual, everyday way to say "hi". In contrast, שָׁלוֹם is a more traditional and versatile term that means both "hello" and "goodbye" and it also carries the meaning of "peace".
How do you pronounce it?
haj
Did you know?
- In modern Israeli slang, you might hear people say אהלן (Ahlan) as a greeting, which is actually borrowed from Arabic rather than Hebrew or English.
- In very religious or ultra-Orthodox circles, a person might replace a simple 'hi' with שלום עליכם (Shalom Aleichem), a much more formal and traditional blessing.
- While שָׁלוֹם is the standard greeting, it is also the root of the word for 'complete' or 'whole' in many Semitic contexts, reflecting the idea of being at peace.
Examples in context
- היי, את עובדת כאן?Hi! Do you work here?This sentence shows how to use היי to start a question.Tatoeba #570619 by Eldad, translation #54608 by Zifre
- היי, שמי קן סייטו.Hi, my name is Ken Saitou.This sentence demonstrates using היי when introducing yourself.Tatoeba #1476448 by Eldad, translation #54602 by CN
- היי מימי, מה שלומך?Hi, Mimi! How are you doing?This sentence shows היי being used in a friendly greeting with a name.Tatoeba #1786849 by MrShoval, translation #54601 by Zifre
- 8 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Rotem and Ido meet at a coffee shop.
- רוטם Rotemהיי עידו, מה קורה?Hi Ido, ma kore?Hi Ido, what's up?
- עידו Idoהיי רוטם, הכל טוב.Hi Rotem, hakol tov.Hi Rotem, everything is good.
- רוטם Rotemאתה רוצה קפה?Ata rotze kafe?Do you want a coffee?
- עידו Idoכן, בבקשה.Ken, bevakasha.Yes, please.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hi” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
