Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| salut | /sa.ly/ | informal |
| coucou | /ku.ku/ | informal |
The informal greeting salut can be used to say both 'hello' and 'goodbye'. The standard and most widely used way to say 'hello' in French is bonjour. In a formal context, you can say Bonjour, comment allez-vous? to politely inquire about someone's well-being.
Which one should you use?
salut is an informal greeting used with friends and family, whereas bonjour is the standard formal greeting. For a very casual, often cute or affectionate way to say hello, you can use coucou.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
salut is an informal way to say hello. coucou is a colloquial and very casual term, typically used among close friends, family or when speaking to children. For formal situations, use bonjour. To show respect and politeness, you can add Madame for a woman or Monsieur for a man after bonjour.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /sa.ly/ in two syllables.
When do people say it?
When using informal greetings, you might also use Ça va? to ask how someone is doing.
Did you know?
- While coucou is used as a cute 'hello', it is also used in a game of hide and seek, similar to saying 'peek-a-boo' in English.
- The cute greeting coucou mimics the sound of the cuckoo bird, making the phrase an onomatopoeic imitation of nature.
- The word salut shares a root with the English word 'salute' and the Latin word for 'health'. It originally meant wishing someone good health rather than just saying 'hello'.
Examples in context
- Salut à tous !Hello everyone!This sentence shows how to say hello to a group using salut.Tatoeba #10625667 by felix63, translation #854117 by piksea
- Salut ma belle !Hello, beautiful!This sentence uses salut to greet a woman.Tatoeba #594147 by sacredceltic, translation #1265548 by Jefepeters
- Salut mon vieux !Hello, old friend!This sentence uses salut to greet an old friend.Tatoeba #1551225 by sacredceltic, translation #1549913 by miflhanc
- 66 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Manon and Lucas meet in a park.
- ManonSalut Lucas !Hello Lucas!
- LucasSalut Manon, ça va ?Hello Manon, how are you?
- ManonÇa va bien, merci.I am doing well, thanks.
- LucasSuper, bonne journée !Great, have a good day!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hello” translations and entries salut, coucou, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries coucou, salut, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
