Which one should you use?
While ciao is strictly informal, salve is a more neutral greeting that can be used in semi-formal situations where ciao might be too casual. For specific times of day, you may use the formal Buongiorno for 'good morning' or Buonasera for 'good evening' (used from 6 pm until late at night).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
ciao is an informal greeting. In formal situations, such as speaking to a stranger or a superior, you should use Buongiorno instead of ciao. Other formal options include Salve for 'hello' at any time of day, or Salve a tutti to mean 'hello everyone' when greeting a group.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ˈtʃa.o/. It has 2 syllables, and the stress is on the 1st syllable.
When do people say it?
When greeting groups of people informally, you can use Ciao a tutti for 'hi everyone' or Salve ragazzi for 'hello guys'. Another informal option is Salutone, which translates roughly to 'big greetings' or 'a big hello'.
Did you know?
- The word ciao has a surprisingly humble origin, as it comes from the Venetian word for 'slave'.
- While ciao is universal now, it began in the specific dialect of Venice rather than as standard Italian.
- Despite being a global symbol of Italian friendliness, using ciao with a boss or a stranger in Italy can be seen as a social faux pas.
Examples in context
- Ciao, tu sei Tom?Hi, are you Tom?This sentence shows how to use ciao to ask someone's name.Tatoeba #7096281 by Guybrush88, translation #4036990 by Hybrid
- Ciao, come va oggi?Hi, how are you doing today?This sentence shows how to use ciao to ask how someone is doing.Tatoeba #9740460 by Guybrush88, translation #9189170 by DJ_Saidez
- Ciao Mimi! Come stai?Hi, Mimi! How are you doing?This sentence shows how to use ciao when addressing a specific person.Tatoeba #423804 by Pharamp, translation #54601 by Zifre
- Buongiorno, come sta?Hello, how are you?
- 83 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Francesco and Giulia meet on a street in the afternoon.
- FrancescoCiao, Giulia!Hi, Giulia!
- GiuliaCiao, Francesco. Come stai?Hi, Francesco. How are you?
- FrancescoBene, grazie. E tu?Fine, thanks. And you?
- GiuliaNon c'è male.Not bad.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hi” translations and entries ciao, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ciao, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
