salut
/sa.ly/
The French word for hi is salut.
salut is the equivalent of saying hi or hey in French.
Meaning: friendly, informal greeting (intj)
Which one should you use?
In informal settings, salut is versatile and can be used both as a greeting for hi and as a farewell for bye.
How do you pronounce it?
/sa.ly/
Did you know?
- While salut is used for 'hi', the word salut also means 'salvation' or 'safety' in religious and formal contexts.
- The word salut shares the same root as the English word 'salute', though it is used much more casually in French daily life.
- French speakers sometimes use salut as a way to 'cut through' the formality of bonjour when they want to signal that a relationship is becoming more intimate.
Examples in context
- Salut à tous !Hi everyone!This example shows how to use salut to greet a group.Tatoeba #10625667 by felix63, translation #13188716 by glossboss
- Salut, mon amie !Hi, my friend!This example shows how to use salut when greeting a friend.Tatoeba #3270739 by Aiji, translation #3270741 by Ricardo14
- Salut, les mecs !Hi, guys.This example shows how to use salut when greeting a group of guys.Tatoeba #5050011 by sacredceltic, translation #2561375 by Hybrid
- Salut, comment ça va ?Hi, how are you?
- 63 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Chloé see each other at a cafe.
- GabrielSalut, Chloé !Hi, Chloé!
- ChloéSalut, Gabriel !Hi, Gabriel!
- GabrielÇa va ?How are you?
- ChloéÇa va bien, merci.I am doing well, thanks.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hi” translations and entries salut, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
