How to Say "Hi" in Spanish - How To Say Guide

hola

/ˈola/

The English phrase 'hi' is translated to Spanish as hola.

hola is the most common and straightforward way to say 'hi' in Spanish. It serves as a friendly, informal greeting.

Meaning: friendly, informal greeting (intj)

How do you pronounce it?

/ˈola/

When seeking a more informal or friendly greeting than just hola, you can use ¡Qué tal!, which translates to 'What's up?' or 'How's it going?'

In some informal Spanish contexts, a person might say ¿Qué onda? instead of hola to mean 'hi' or 'what's the vibe'.
The word hola is likely a linguistic traveler that originated from the French command holà, which means 'hey there' or 'stop'.
While hola is the standard greeting, in many Spanish-speaking cultures, a physical gesture like a kiss on the cheek or a light touch on the arm often accompanies the word.

¡Hola! ¿Qué tal estás?
Hi! How are you?
This example shows how to use hola in a question about how someone is doing.
Tatoeba #535238 by Shishir, translation #30316 by Zifre
Hola chicos, soy Mike.
Hi guys, I'm Mike.
This example demonstrates using hola to introduce yourself to a group.
Tatoeba #1020897 by Shishir, translation #1020895 by CP
¡Hola! Soy nuevo aquí.
Hi! I'm new here.
This example uses hola to state that you are new in a location.
Tatoeba #1666523 by marcelostockle, translation #1654229 by Spamster
Buenos días, señor Martínez. ¿Cómo amaneció hoy?
Good morning, Mr. Martínez. How are you today?
¡Hola! ¿Qué tal todo?
Hi! How's everything going?
¿Cómo estás, prima? Hace mucho que no nos vemos.
How are you, cousin? It's been a while since we last saw each other.
75 more sentences on Tatoeba

Daniel and Elena meet in a park.

Sources

Wiktionary, “hi” translations and entries hola, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
Word origins: Wiktionary entries hola, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.

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