muraho
The Kinyarwanda phrase for hi is muraho.
muraho is used when arriving or when greeting someone you have not seen for a while. You can also use the question Amakuru? to ask "How are you?"
Meaning: friendly, informal greeting (intj)
Which one should you use?
While muraho is the standard greeting, it is more formal than casual greetings used among close friends or peers.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
muraho is a formal or polite greeting used when meeting someone, especially if you do not know them well. Other formal options include Mwaramutse for "Good morning", Mwiriwe for "Good afternoon", Mwiriwe neza for a more polite "Good afternoon" and Mwiriwe mwiza for "Good evening".
Did you know?
- The greeting muraho is actually derived from a phrase meaning 'be visible' or 'appear to me'.
- When greeting someone, it is common practice to use both hands to shake hands, or to touch the person's elbow to show deep respect.
- Kinyarwanda is a tonal language, meaning the pitch used when saying muraho can subtly alter the emotion or intent behind the greeting, even if the spelling remains the same.
Examples in context
- Mwiriwe mwiza!Good evening!
- Muraho!Hi!
- Muraho, amakuru?Hi, how are you?
Example conversation
Beatrice and Eric meet on the street.
- BeatriceMuraho, Eric!Hi, Eric!
- EricMuraho, Beatrice. Amakuru?Hi, Beatrice. How are you?
- BeatriceNi meza, murakoze.I am fine, thank you.
- EricNanjye ni meza.I am also fine.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry muraho, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
