hola
/ˈola/
The Spanish word for hi is hola.
hola is the standard and most common way to say hi in Spanish. It serves as a friendly, informal greeting.
Meaning: friendly, informal greeting (intj)
Which one should you use?
While hola is a friendly and informal greeting, it is also widely accepted in most neutral or semi-formal social situations. Other Spanish greetings are more time-specific: Buenos días is used during the morning hours until around midday, Buenas tardes is appropriate from midday until evening and Buenas noches is used when greeting someone in the evening or at night.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The informal greeting ¡Qué hubo! is used in some Caribbean countries, particularly the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈola/
When do people say it?
When using informal greetings like ¡Qué tal! (What's up? Or How's it going?) or ¿Qué pasa? (What's happening? Or What's going on?), you are engaging in casual conversation similar to English speakers.
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, hola is often accompanied by a single or double kiss on the cheek, regardless of whether the people are romantic partners.
- The word hola likely originated from a command to 'stop' or 'hey!' rather than a friendly greeting. It is related to the French expression holà, used to get someone's attention.
- In professional emails in some Spanish-speaking countries, starting with hola can be seen as too casual, even if it is acceptable in person.
Examples in context
- ¡Hola! ¿Qué tal estás?Hi! How are you?This example shows how to use hola to ask how someone is.Tatoeba #535238 by Shishir, translation #30316 by Zifre
- Hola chicos, soy Mike.Hi guys, I'm Mike.This example shows using hola to introduce oneself to a group.Tatoeba #1020897 by Shishir, translation #1020895 by CP
- ¡Hola! Soy nuevo aquí.Hi! I'm new here.This example shows using hola when arriving in a new place.Tatoeba #1666523 by marcelostockle, translation #1654229 by Spamster
- 75 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Javier and María meet in the street.
- Javier¡Hola, María!Hi, María!
- MaríaHola, Javier. ¿Cómo estás?Hi, Javier. How are you?
- JavierMuy bien, gracias.Very well, thanks.
- MaríaMe alegro mucho.I am very glad.
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.
