How to say “hello” around the world
242 languages · 242 in their own spelling
Dots of one colour begin with a similar sound. Colours group words by the class of their first consonant (a sound-class method used in linguistics): words that begin alike share a colour. This shows resemblance, not common origin — proving relationship needs case-by-case comparison. Readable forms come from Wiktionary translation tables; many smaller languages come from the ASJP word lists, in ASJP’s simplified transcription.
| Language | Word | Romanization | Family |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese | 你好 | nǐ hǎo | Sino-Tibetan |
| English | hello | Indo-European | |
| Spanish | hola | Indo-European | |
| Hindi | नमस्ते | namaste | Indo-European |
| Arabic | السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ | as-salāmu ʕalaykum | Afro-Asiatic |
| Bengali | সালাম | salam | Indo-European |
| Indonesian | hai | Austronesian | |
| Portuguese | olá | Indo-European | |
| French | bonjour | Indo-European | |
| Russian | приве́т | privét | Indo-European |
| Japanese | こんにちは | konnichiwa | Japonic |
| Marathi | नमस्कार | namaskār | Indo-European |
| Swahili | jambo | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Turkish | merhaba | Turkic | |
| Telugu | నమసకారం | namasakāraṁ | Dravidian |
| Wu Chinese | 侬好 | ⁶non ⁵hau | Sino-Tibetan |
| Korean | 안녕하세요 | annyeonghaseyo | Koreanic |
| German | hallo | Indo-European | |
| Vietnamese | chào | Austroasiatic | |
| Tamil | வணக்கம் | vaṇakkam | Dravidian |
| Cantonese | 你好 | nei⁵ hou² | Sino-Tibetan |
| Urdu | سَلام عَلَیکُم | salām 'alaikum | Indo-European |
| Italian | ciao | Indo-European | |
| Egyptian Arabic | اهلاً | ahlan | Afro-Asiatic |
| Gujarati | નમસ્તે | namaste | Indo-European |
| Western Farsi | سَلَام | salām | Indo-European |
| Min Nan Chinese | 汝好 | lí hó | Sino-Tibetan |
| Hakka Chinese | 你好 | ngì-hó | Sino-Tibetan |
| Hausa | sannu | Afro-Asiatic | |
| Kannada | ತುಳಿಲು | tuḷilu | Dravidian |
| Polish | cześć | Indo-European | |
| Yoruba | ẹ pẹ̀lẹ́ | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Malayalam | ഹലോ | halō | Dravidian |
| Odia | ନମସ୍କାର | namaskāra | Indo-European |
| Burmese | မင်္ဂလာပါ | mangga.lapa | Sino-Tibetan |
| Igbo | kèdu | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Ukrainian | приві́т | pryvít | Indo-European |
| Uzbek | salom | Turkic | |
| Sindhi | هيلو | elo | Indo-European |
| Romanian | salut | Indo-European | |
| Dutch | hallo | Indo-European | |
| Amharic | ሰላም | sälam | Afro-Asiatic |
| Thai | สวัสดี | sà-wàt-dii | Tai-Kadai |
| Serbian-Croatian-Bosnian | здра̏во | Indo-European | |
| Khmer | ជម្រាបសួរ | cumriəp suə | Austroasiatic |
| Somali | ma nabad baa | Afro-Asiatic | |
| Turkmen | salam | Turkic | |
| Nepali | नमस्ते | namaste | Indo-European |
| Assamese | নমস্কাৰ | nomoskar | Indo-European |
| Sinhala | හලෝ | halō | Indo-European |
| Greek | γεια | geia | Indo-European |
| Kurdish | merheba | Indo-European | |
| Hijazi Arabic | مَرحَبا | marḥaba | Afro-Asiatic |
| Tajik | салом | salom | Indo-European |
| Kazakh | сәлем | sälem | Turkic |
| Hungarian | szia | Uralic | |
| Kinyarwanda | muraho | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Zulu | sawubona | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Nyanja | moni | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Akan | maakye | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Southern Pashto | سلام | salām | Indo-European |
| Czech | ahoj | Indo-European | |
| Uighur | سالام | salam | Turkic |
| Afrikaans | hallo | Indo-European | |
| Min Dong Chinese | 汝好 | nṳ̄ hō̤ | Sino-Tibetan |
| Haitian | bonjou | Indo-European | |
| Swedish | hallå | Indo-European | |
| Azerbaijani | salam | Turkic | |
| Bulgarian | здра́сти | zdrásti | Indo-European |
| Shona | mhoro | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Xhosa | molo | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Belarusian | віта́ю | vitáju | Indo-European |
| Tigrinya | ሰላም | sälam | Afro-Asiatic |
| Neapolitan | uè | Indo-European | |
| Santali | ᱡᱚᱦᱟᱨ | jôhar | Austroasiatic |
| Northern Thai | สบายดีก่อ | Tai-Kadai | |
| Danish | hej | Indo-European | |
| Southern Sotho | lumela | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Slovak | ahoj | Indo-European | |
| Kabyle | azul | Afro-Asiatic | |
| Finnish | terve | Uralic | |
| Lao | ສະບາຍດີ | sa bāi dī | Tai-Kadai |
| Norwegian | hallo | Indo-European | |
| Tatar | сәлам | sälam | Turkic |
| Catalan | hola | Indo-European | |
| Guarani | maitei | Tupian | |
| Sicilian | ciao | Indo-European | |
| Kirghiz | салам | salam | Turkic |
| Swiss German | grüezi | Indo-European | |
| Tswana | dumela | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Armenian | բարև | barew | Indo-European |
| Bambara | i ni ce | Mande | |
| Lithuanian | labas | Indo-European | |
| Georgian | გამარჯობა | gamarǯoba | Kartvelian |
| Jamaican Creole English | ello | Indo-European | |
| Albanian | përshëndetje | Indo-European | |
| Luo | msawa | Nilotic | |
| Shan | မႂ်ႇသုင် | màue sǔng | Tai-Kadai |
| Mongolian | сайн уу? | sajn uu? | Mongolic-Khitan |
| Galician | ola | Indo-European | |
| Slovenian | žívjo | Indo-European | |
| Bouyei | mengz ndil | Tai-Kadai | |
| Esperanto | saluton | Artificial Language | |
| Macedonian | здраво | zdravo | Indo-European |
| Venetian | ciao | Indo-European | |
| Zhuang | mwngz ndei | Tai-Kadai | |
| Kabardian | уузыншэм | wuwuzənšɛm | Abkhaz-Adyge |
| Latvian | sveiks | Indo-European | |
| Scots | hullo | Indo-European | |
| Chechen | маршалла ду хьоьга | maršalla du ḥʳöga | Nakh-Daghestanian |
| Estonian | tere | Uralic | |
| Bashkir | сәләм | säläm | Turkic |
| Tibetan | བཀྲ་ཤིས་བདེ་ལེགས | bkra shis bde legs | Sino-Tibetan |
| Central Okinawan | はいさい | haisai | Japonic |
| Pa'o Karen | ခွဲးဟဝ်ဒျာႏ | Sino-Tibetan | |
| Mon | မ္ၚဵုရအဴ | Austroasiatic | |
| Western Frisian | hallo | Indo-European | |
| Iu Mien | yiem longx nyei | Hmong-Mien | |
| Kalmyk | мендвт | mendvt | Mongolic-Khitan |
| Basque | kaixo | Isolates | |
| Welsh | helo | Indo-European | |
| Lü | ᦍᦲᧃᦡᦲ | yiinḋii | Tai-Kadai |
| Picard | bojour | Indo-European | |
| Krio | kushɛ | Indo-European | |
| Lezghian | салам | salam | Nakh-Daghestanian |
| Rusyn | наздар | nazdar | Indo-European |
| Walloon | bondjoû | Indo-European | |
| Maltese | bonġu | Afro-Asiatic | |
| Crimean Tatar | Meraba | Turkic | |
| Occitan | bonjorn | Indo-European | |
| Vlax Romani | te aves baxtalo | Indo-European | |
| Tetum | elo | Austronesian | |
| Asturian | hola | Indo-European | |
| Yakut | эҕэрдэ | eɣerde | Turkic |
| Samoan | talofa | Austronesian | |
| Mingrelian | გომორძგუა | gomorʒgua | Kartvelian |
| Fijian | bula | Austronesian | |
| Dhivehi | އައްސަލާމު ޢަލައިކުމް | assalāmu ʿalaikum̊ | Indo-European |
| Icelandic | halló | Indo-European | |
| Karachay-Balkar | кюнюгюз ашхы болсун | künügüz aşxı bolsun | Turkic |
| Friulian | mandi | Indo-European | |
| Mapuche | mari mari | Araucanian | |
| Tuvinian | экии | ekii | Turkic |
| Udmurt | ӟеч | dźeć | Uralic |
| Laz | გეგაჯგინას | gegacginas | Kartvelian |
| Assyrian Neo-Aramaic | ܫܠܵܡܵܐ | šlāmā | Afro-Asiatic |
| Māori | kia ora | Austronesian | |
| Abkhaz | бзиа збаша | bzja zbaŝa | Abkhaz-Adyge |
| Tonga (Tonga Islands) | mālō e lelei | Austronesian | |
| Navajo | yáʼátʼééh | Athabaskan-Eyak-Tlingit | |
| Lak | салам | salam | Nakh-Daghestanian |
| Corsican | bonghjornu | Indo-European | |
| Irish | Dia dhuit | Indo-European | |
| Ladino | shalom | Indo-European | |
| Gilbertese | mauri | Austronesian | |
| Judeo-Tat | шолум | şolum | Indo-European |
| Zapotec | ola | Otomanguean | |
| Faroese | hey | Indo-European | |
| Chamorro | håfa adai | Austronesian | |
| Komi-Permyak | Видза оланныд | Vidźa olannyd | Uralic |
| Marshallese | io̧kwe | Austronesian | |
| Scottish Gaelic | halò | Indo-European | |
| Southern Altai | эзен | ezen | Turkic |
| Sanskrit | नमस्कार | namaskāra | Indo-European |
| Abaza | сальам | salᶻam | Abkhaz-Adyge |
| Dungan | ни хо | ni ho | Sino-Tibetan |
| Karelian | terveh | Uralic | |
| Plains Cree | tânisi | Algic | |
| Xibe | ᠪᠠᡳᡨᠠᡴᡡ ᠨᠠ | baitakū na | Tungusic |
| Hawaiian | aloha | Austronesian | |
| North Saami | dearvva | Uralic | |
| Palauan | alii | Austronesian | |
| Central Yupik | waqaa | Eskimo-Aleut | |
| Svan | ხოჩა ლადა̈ღ | xoča ladäɣ | Kartvelian |
| Western Apache | dagotʼee | Athabaskan-Eyak-Tlingit | |
| Upper Sorbian | dobry dźeń | Indo-European | |
| Cherokee | ᎣᏏᏲ | osiyo | Iroquoian |
| Choctaw | halito | Muskogean | |
| Lower Sorbian | dobry źeń | Indo-European | |
| Chukchi | еттык | ettyk | Chukotko-Kamchatkan |
| Jejueo | 반갑수다 | ban-gapsuda | Koreanic |
| Rapanui | 'iorana | Austronesian | |
| Mohawk | sekoh | Iroquoian | |
| Lakota | háu | Siouan | |
| Interlingua | bon die | Artificial Language | |
| Archi | салам алейкум | salam alejkum | Nakh-Daghestanian |
| Michif | tánishi | Algic | |
| Cornish | dydh da | Indo-European | |
| Southern Sami | buaregh | Uralic | |
| Pitcairn-Norfolk | watawieh | Indo-European | |
| Pacific Gulf Yupik | cama’i | Eskimo-Aleut | |
| Skolt Sami | tiõrv | Uralic | |
| Inari Sami | tiervâ | Uralic | |
| Aleut | aang | Eskimo-Aleut | |
| Ingrian | tere | Uralic | |
| Chickasaw | chokma | Muskogean | |
| Cayuga | sgę́꞉nǫʼ | Iroquoian | |
| Iquito | juu | Zaparoan | |
| Manchu | ᠰᠠᡳᠶᡡᠨ | saiyūn | Tungusic |
| Maranunggu | yo | Western Daly | |
| Ainu | イランカラㇷ゚テ | irankarapte | Ainu |
| N||ng | ǃhonkia | Tuu | |
| Ahom | 𑜈𑜩𑜨 𑜀𑜪𑜨 | bayo kaṃo | Tai-Kadai |
| Ambonese Malay | wai | Austronesian | |
| Jicarilla Apache | dá nzhǫ́ | Athabaskan-Eyak-Tlingit | |
| Gilit Mesopotamian Arabic | هلو | helaww | Afro-Asiatic |
| Central Atlas Tamazight | ⴰⵣⵓⵍ | azul | Afro-Asiatic |
| Coptic | ⲛⲟϥⲣⲓ | nofri | Afro-Asiatic |
| Meskwaki | ahô | Algic | |
| Pular | mihofnima | Atlantic-Congo | |
| Gothic | 𐌷𐌰𐌹𐌻𐍃 | hails | Indo-European |
| Ancient Greek | χαῖρε | khaîre | Indo-European |
| Kalaallisut | aluu | Eskimo-Aleut | |
| Hebrew | שָׁלוֹם | shalóm | Afro-Asiatic |
| Hmong Njua | nyob zoo | Hmong-Mien | |
| Hmong Daw | nyob zoo | Hmong-Mien | |
| Javanese | halo | Austronesian | |
| Latin | salvē | Indo-European | |
| Livonian | tēriņtš | Uralic | |
| Low German | moi | Indo-European | |
| Moselle Franconian | hallo | Indo-European | |
| Masai | sopa | Nilotic | |
| Malagasy | manao ahoana? | Austronesian | |
| Malay | helo | Austronesian | |
| Mopan | dʼyoos | Mayan | |
| Khiamniungan Naga | hǖhêi | Sino-Tibetan | |
| Classical Nahuatl | niltze | Uto-Aztecan | |
| Ojibwa | boozhoo | Algic | |
| Old English | wes hāl | Indo-European | |
| Oromo | akkam | Afro-Asiatic | |
| Iron Ossetian | салам | salam | Indo-European |
| Potawatomi | bozho | Algic | |
| Eastern Panjabi | ਸਤਿ ਸ਼੍ਰੀ ਅਕਾਲ | sati śrī akāl | Indo-European |
| Samburu | supa | Nilotic | |
| Shawnee | hatito | Algic | |
| Sundanese | halo | Austronesian | |
| Tagalog | kamusta | Austronesian | |
| Pangwa Naga | äshazhoix | Sino-Tibetan | |
| Ulithian | adiyoos | Austronesian | |
| Ho-Chunk | hinįkaraginʼ | Siouan | |
| Yiddish | שלום־עליכם | sholem-aleykhem | Indo-European |
| Dimli | sılam | Indo-European |