Ways to say it
| Romanian | IPA |
|---|---|
| salut | /saˈlut/ |
| bună | [ˈbunə] (narrow) |
Both salut and bună are used as friendly, informal greetings. While salut is a common way to say "Hi!", bună is often used as a shortened version of the more formal Bună ziua (Good day).
What does it mean word for word?
The word bună is the feminine form of the adjective bun, which means "good".
Which one should you use?
The two forms differ in their linguistic roots. salut is a noun-based greeting meaning "salutation", while bună is an adjective-based greeting.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form salut is an invariable noun used as an interjection, meaning it does not change based on the gender of the person you are addressing.
How do you pronounce it?
/saˈlut/
When do people say it?
In informal settings, after saying hello, it is common to follow up with Ce faci? (How are you?) or Ce mai faci? (How are you doing?). Among friends, you might also hear the casual greeting Hei! (Hey!).
Did you know?
- In Romania, salut is used not only to arrive but also to leave. It can function as both 'hi' and 'bye' among friends.
- The word salut is a doublet of săruta, meaning to kiss. Both words share a distant root in the Latin word for 'health' or 'salvation'.
- In a casual conversation, simply saying bună is often immediately followed by the phrase Ce faci?, which translates literally to 'What are you doing?'
Examples in context
- Bună!Hi.Tatoeba #3703722 by radubradu, translation #538123 by CM
- Salut tuturor!Hi, everybody!Tatoeba #2317656 by Wenceslaus, translation #466652 by Alkrasnov
- Bună, prietene!Hi, my friend!Tatoeba #8829127 by elenacristina260, translation #3270741 by Ricardo14
- 12 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel meets Andreea at a local cafe.
- GabrielSalut, Andreea!Hi, Andreea!
- AndreeaSalut, Gabriel!Hi, Gabriel!
- GabrielCe mai faci?How are you?
- AndreeaBine, mulțumesc.Well, thanks.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hi” translations and entries salut, bună, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bună, salut, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
