ສະບາຍດີ
sa bāi dī[sa(ʔ˧˥).baːj˩(˧).diː˩(˧)]
The English phrase "hi" is translated into Lao as ສະບາຍດີ (sa bāi dī). If unsure, use ສະບາຍດີ. Wiktionary also lists ເຮີຍ (hœ̄i).
Meaning: friendly, informal greeting (intj)
Ways to say it
| Lao | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| ສະບາຍດີ | sa bāi dī | [sa(ʔ˧˥).baːj˩(˧).diː˩(˧)] (narrow) [sa(ʔ˩˨).baːj˩˨.diː˩˨] (narrow) |
| ເຮີຍ | hœ̄i | [hɤːj˧˥] (narrow) [hɤːj˩˨] (narrow) |
ສະບາຍດີ is a friendly, informal greeting used to say hello. You can expand this greeting to ask how someone is doing by adding mai before the polite particles khrap or kha, resulting in "Sabaidee mai khrap/kha?" which means "how are you?"
What does it mean word for word?
The greeting ສະບາຍດີ is composed of sa bāi, meaning "well" or "healthy" and dī, meaning "good". Literally, it translates to "are you well?" or "be well".
How do you pronounce it?
sa bāi dī
Did you know?
- While ສະບາຍດີ is the standard greeting, it is often omitted entirely among close friends or family. In these cases, people often start a conversation by asking if the other person has eaten yet.
- When saying ສະບາຍດີ, Lao people often perform the 'nop' by pressing their palms together in a prayer-like gesture. The higher the hands are held in relation to the face, the more respect is being shown to the other person.
- In very informal settings, the word ເຮີຍ is used as a greeting to catch someone's attention. It functions more like 'hey' than 'hello' and is typically used with peers or people younger than the speaker.
Examples in context
- ສະບາຍດີ, ເປັນແນວໃດ?sabaidi, pen naew dai?Hi, how are you?
- ສະບາຍດີ, ເຈົ້າຊື່ຫຍັງ?sabaidi, chao xue yang?Hi, what is your name?
- ສະບາຍດີ, ທຸກຄົນ!sabaidi, thuk khon!Hi, everyone!
Example conversation
Two friends meet at a cafe.
- Aສະບາຍດີ, B!Sabaidee, B!Hi, B!
- Bສະບາຍດີ, A!Sabaidee, A!Hi, A!
- Aເຈົ້າສະບາຍດີບໍ່?Chao sabaidee bor?How are you?
- Bຂ້ອຍສະບາຍດີ, ຂອບໃຈ.Khoy sabaidee, khob chai.I'm fine, thanks.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hi” translations and entries ສະບາຍດີ, ເຮີຍ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
