नमस्ते
namaste/nɐ.mɐs.tɐi̯/
The Sanskrit phrase for hi is नमस्ते (namaste).
नमस्ते is a friendly greeting used to acknowledge someone's presence or to say goodbye. In a formal context, the phrase can be translated as 'I bow to the divine in you'.
Meaning: friendly, informal greeting (intj)
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 3 syllables and is pronounced as [namaste].
Did you know?
- In ancient Sanskrit tradition, a greeting was often accompanied by the 'Anjali Mudra', a gesture where the palms are pressed together at the heart.
- Although used globally today, नमस्ते originates from an ancient language that served as the liturgical 'Latin' of India for millennia.
- The grammatical structure of नमस्ते contains a hidden direction, as the 'te' component specifically points the action of bowing towards 'you'.
Examples in context
- नमस्ते!namaste!Hi!
- नमस्ते, भवान् कथम् अस्ति?namaste, bhavan katham asti?Hi, how are you?
- नमस्ते, मित्र!namaste, mitra!Hi, friend!
Example conversation
Kavya and Aditya meet at a park.
- काव्या Kavyaनमस्ते, आदित्य!Namaste, Āditya!Hi, Aditya!
- आदित्य Adityaनमस्ते, काव्या।Namaste, Kāvyā.Hi, Kavya.
- काव्या Kavyaभवान् कुत्र गच्छति?Bhavān kutra gacchati?Where are you going?
- आदित्य Adityaअहं गृहं गच्छामि।Ahaṃ gṛhaṃ gacchāmi.I am going home.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry नमस्ते, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries नमस्ते, CC BY-SA 4.0.
