📅 7 May 2025 • 📖 2 min read
“Hello” comes from the 16th-century words “hallo” and “hullo,” which were friendly, informal ways to get someone’s attention or greet someone. In the 19th century, “hello” became the customary way to greet the other person on the phone.Saying hello to a person in their native language helps them warm up to you because they understand that you are trying to “speak” to their nationality and culture. Like,
- “Hello” is sometimes sarcastically used in casual conversation in the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand to call someone’s actions or decisions foolish.
- In Britain, a hello can be an expression of puzzlement or discovery.
Learn to say “Hello” in 40 languages so that you may give them a pleasant surprise, and connect with them easily.
| No. | Language | Formal Hello | Pronunciation | Informal Hello |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Arabic | مرحبا | Marhaba | Ahlan |
| 2. | Bulgarian | Здравейте | Zdraveyte | Zdrasti |
| 3. | Croatian | Bok | Bok | Ćao |
| 4. | Czech | Ahoj | Ahoy | Čau |
| 5. | Danish | Hej | Hay | Halløj |
| 6. | Dutch | Hallo | Hah-loh | Hoi |
| 7. | Estonian | Tere | Teh-reh | Tervist |
| 8. | Filipino | Kumusta | Koo-moo-stah | Hoy |
| 9. | Finnish | Hei | Hay | Moi |
| 10. | French | Bonjour | Bon-zhoor | Salut |
| 11. | German | Hallo | Hah-loh | Hi |
| 12. | Greek | Γειά σου | Yassou | Geia |
| 13. | Hebrew | שלום | Shalom | Hey |
| 14. | Hindi | नमस्ते | Namaste | Hai |
| 15. | Hungarian | Szia | See-ah | Szervusz |
| 16. | Icelandic | Halló | Ha-low | Hæ |
| 17. | Indonesian | Halo | Hah-lo | Hei |
| 18. | Irish | Dia dhuit | Jee-ah ghwitch | Haigh |
| 19. | Italian | Ciao | Chow | Ehilà |
| 20. | Japanese | こんにちは | Konnichiwa | Yā |
| 21. | Korean | 안녕하세요 | Annyeonghaseyo | Annyeong |
| 22. | Latvian | Sveiki | Svey-kee | Čau |
| 23. | Lithuanian | Labas | Lah-bahs | Sveikas |
| 24. | Maltese | Ħelow | Heh-low | Ħej |
| 25. | Mandarin Chinese | 你好 | Ni hao | Nǐ hǎo |
| 26. | Norwegian | Hei | Hay | Hallo |
| 27. | Polish | Cześć | Chesht | Hej |
| 28. | Portuguese | Olá | Oh-lah | Oi |
| 29. | Romanian | Bună | Boo-nuh | Salut |
| 30. | Russian | Привет | Privet | Zdravstvuy |
| 31. | Serbian | Здраво | Zdravo | Ćao |
| 32 | Slovak | Ahoj | Ahoy | Čau |
| 33. | Slovenian | Živjo | Zhiv-yo | Hej |
| 34. | Spanish | Hola | Oh-lah | Qué tal |
| 35. | Swedish | Hej | Hay | Tja |
| 36. | Thai | สวัสดี | Sawasdee | Sawatdi |
| 37. | Turkish | Merhaba | Mer-hah-bah | Selam |
| 38. | Vietnamese | Xin chào | Sin chow | Chào |
| 39. | Welsh | Helo | Heh-lo | Shwmae |
| 40. | Zulu | Sawubona | Sah-woo-boh-nah | Unjani |
Final Words
“Hello” is the greeting most of us use today when speaking on the phone. However, this custom wasn’t started by Alexander Graham Bell, who invented the telephone in 1876. Bell liked to say “Ahoy!”
Shortly after, around 1877, Thomas Alva Edison started actively working on telephone improvements. He began saying “hello” to the person on the other end of the line.
This caught public attention, and eventually, “Hello” became the standard telephone greeting we still use today.
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√ Also Read: How To Say “Goodbye” In 40 Different Languages