היי
heycasual
In Hebrew letters the casual "hi" is היי (hey). Israelis also say שלום (shalóm), which works for hello and goodbye, and the friendly אהלן (ahlán), which came from Arabic.
Meaning: informal greeting (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Hebrew | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| היי | hey | casual |
| אהלן | ahlán | slang |
| שלום | shalóm | everyday |
היי is used with friends and in messages. שלום fits any situation and every age.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
In formal settings use שלום or a time greeting like בוקר טוב (bóker tov), "good morning". אהלן is informal.
How does it change in a sentence?
Hebrew reads right to left, and the usual spelling leaves out most vowels, so שלום is only four letters.
Did you know?
- שלום (shalóm) also means "peace", and it shares its root with the Arabic salām.
Examples in context
- היי, מה נשמע.Hey, ma nishmá.Hi, how are you.
- שלום, נעים מאוד.Shalóm, naím meód.Hello, nice to meet you.
- אהלן, בוא פנימה.Ahlán, bo pnimá.Hi, come in.
Example conversation
Yossi meets his neighbor Tamar in the stairwell of their building in Haifa.
- Yossiהיי, תמר.Hey, Tamár.Hi, Tamar.
- Tamarהיי, יוסי. מה נשמע.Hey, Yósi. Ma nishmá.Hi, Yossi. How are you.
- Yossiהכול טוב, תודה.Hakól tov, todá.All good, thanks.
