salut
/sa.ly/
Hi in French is salut.
salut is the go-to word for an informal hi in French.
Meaning: friendly, informal greeting (intj)
Which one should you use?
While salut is used for both a greeting (hi) and a parting (bye) in informal settings, it is much more casual than bonjour, which is the standard, polite way to say hello in most situations.
How do you pronounce it?
/sa.ly/
Did you know?
- The word salut also means 'salvation' or 'safety' in French. In a religious context, it refers to the saving of a soul from sin.
- In some French-speaking regions, salut may be accompanied by a 'la bise', where friends kiss each other on the cheeks.
- The word salut shares the same linguistic roots as the English word 'salute'.
Examples in context
- Salut à tous !Hi everyone!This example shows salut used to greet a group.Tatoeba #10625667 by felix63, translation #13188716 by glossboss
- Salut, mon amie !Hi, my friend!This example shows salut used to greet a friend.Tatoeba #3270739 by Aiji, translation #3270741 by Ricardo14
- Salut, les mecs !Hi, guys.Tatoeba #5050011 by sacredceltic, translation #2561375 by Hybrid
- Salut , ça fait longtemps!Hi, long time no see!
- Yo , ça roule?Yo, how's it going?
- 63 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa and Gabriel meet at a local park.
- LéaSalut, Gabriel !Hi, Gabriel!
- GabrielSalut, Léa. Ça va ?Hi, Léa. How are you?
- LéaÇa va bien, merci.I'm doing well, thanks.
- GabrielSuper, on y va ?Great, shall we go?
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hi” translations and entries salut, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries salut, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
