سلام
salām
سلام (salām) is the Urdu word for salam.
The word is a common and polite way to greet someone in both formal and informal settings. It is used to express peace and well-wishes when meeting someone.
What does it mean word for word?
The word سلام literally means 'peace'.
How do you pronounce it?
salām
When do people say it?
When you greet someone with سلام, the standard response is وعلیکم السلام (wa-alaykum-as-salām), which means 'And upon you be peace'. In certain contexts, one might also use the phrase Adaab arz hai (آداب عرض ہے) to mean 'I present my regards'.
Did you know?
- The term salam is used in the Urdu military and police forces to denote a formal salute given to a superior officer.
- While سلام is a common greeting, some people use the gesture of touching their forehead or chest while saying it to show deep respect.
- The word سلام first appeared in Middle Hindi records around the year 1503.
Examples in context
- میں نے اسے سلام کیا۔main ne usay salam kiya.I greeted him.
- بچوں نے استاد کو سلام کیا۔bachon ne ustad ko salam kiya.The children greeted the teacher.
- سب کو میرا سلام کہنا۔sab ko mera salam kehna.Give my salam to everyone.
Example conversation
Zainab and Hamza meet each other at a cafe.
- زینب Zainabسلام، حمزہ!Salam, Hamza!Hello, Hamza!
- حمزہ Hamzaسلام، زینب! کیسی ہیں آپ؟Salam, Zainab! Kaisi hain aap?Hello, Zainab! How are you?
- زینب Zainabمیں ٹھیک ہوں۔Main theek hoon.I am fine.
- حمزہ Hamzaیہ سن کر خوشی ہوئی۔Yeh sun kar khushi hui.I am glad to hear that.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries سلام, CC BY-SA 4.0.
