היי
haj
In Hebrew, "hi" can be said as היי (haj) or שָׁלוֹם.
Meaning: friendly, informal greeting (intj)
Ways to say it
| Hebrew | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| היי | haj |
| שָׁלוֹם | shalóm |
The greeting היי is a common, informal way to say "hi" in casual, everyday speech, particularly among friends or peers. While it functions as a simple greeting, the word שָׁלוֹם also means "peace" and serves as the most common and widely used way to say "hi" in both formal and informal situations.
Which one should you use?
היי is an informal, borrowed greeting used for casual interactions. In contrast, שָׁלוֹם is a more traditional and formal greeting.
How do you pronounce it?
haj
Did you know?
- In Hebrew, 'peace' is also the root for the word 'complete' or 'whole', implying that when you say 'hi' with שָׁלוֹם, you are wishing someone wholeness.
- In modern Israeli slang, you might hear people use the word אהלן (ahlan) as a greeting, which is actually borrowed from Arabic.
- The word שָׁלוֹם is part of a linguistic family that shares roots with the Arabic word 'salām', meaning 'safety' or 'peace'.
Examples in context
- היי, את עובדת כאן?Hi! Do you work here?This sentence is useful for asking if someone works in a specific location using היי.Tatoeba #570619 by Eldad, translation #54608 by Zifre
- היי, שמי קן סייטו.Hi, my name is Ken Saitou.This sentence is useful for introducing yourself using היי.Tatoeba #1476448 by Eldad, translation #54602 by CN
- היי מימי, מה שלומך?Hi, Mimi! How are you doing?This sentence is useful for greeting someone and asking how they are doing using היי.Tatoeba #1786849 by MrShoval, translation #54601 by Zifre
- 8 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Agur and Itay pass each other in a hallway.
- עגור Adiהיי, איתי!Hi, Itay!Hi, Itay!
- איתי Itayהיי, עגור. מה קורה?Hi, Agur. Ma kore?Hi, Agur. What's up?
- עגור Adiהכל טוב, תודה.Hakol tov, toda.Everything is good, thanks.
- איתי Itayיופי, נשתמע!Yofi, nishtama!Great, talk to you later!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hi” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
