Language/Standard-arabic/Vocabulary/How-to-Say-Hello-and-Greetings

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๐Ÿค— Standard Arabic Greetings for Everyday Life
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Hi Standard Arabic learners! ๐Ÿ˜ƒ

Do you want to learn how to say โ€œHelloโ€ in Standard Arabic?

Greetings are an important part of any language because they allow you to connect and communicate with others.

If youโ€™re planning a trip to the country or are trying to learn Standard Arabic, keep reading to discover some of the most important greetings.

Letโ€™s get started! ๐Ÿค—

Consider broadening your understanding by checking out these related lessons: Geography, Fish and Seafood, Bank & Football.

Greetings[edit | edit source]

Let's start with the simplest. You might already know how to say "hello" in Arabic, but did you know that there are different ways to say it?

Say "hi"[edit | edit source]

When Yasmine meets her friend Jamila at the Sunday market, she usually says to him:

  • "Salam o alekoume" (ุงู„ุณูŽู‘ู„ุงู…ู ุนูŽู„ูŽูŠู’ูƒูู…ู’)

She could also have said to him:

  • "Salam" (ุณูŽู‘ู„ุงู…)
  • "Sabah el hรฉre" (ุตูŽุจูŽุงู’ุญู ุงู„ู’ุฎูŽูŠู’ุฑู)

If a person says "salam o alekoume" or "salam", you will have to answer him or her by saying:

  • "O alekoume salam" (ูˆูŽุนูŽู„ูŽูŠู’ูƒูู…ู ุงู„ุณูŽู‘ู„ุงู…ู)

Otherwise if this person told you "sabah el hรฉre" (ุตูŽุจูŽุงู’ุญู ุงู„ู’ุฎูŽูŠู’ุฑู), you can answer him the same words.

say his/her first name[edit | edit source]

Jamila was accompanied by a friend, Fatima. Yasmine asks him his first name:

  • "Kรฉ ysmitlรจke?"
  • Another way to ask it would be "kรฉ semรจke Allah?".

Fatima responds as follows:

  • "Ysmitlรฉ Fatima".

Welcome[edit | edit source]

Yasmine had invited her friend Jamila for lunch. Arrived at home, Yasmine welcomes her:

  • "Marhababeke"

If there was more than one person, they would have said "marhababรฉkome".

Then she asks him:

  • "Ke rake daira?"

Note that she would have said "kรฉ rake daรฏre?" if she had spoken to a boy.

Jamila replies:

  • "Ranรฉ labes el hamdoulilahe chokrane"

Goodbye[edit | edit source]

Then as they like to talk a lot, they talked until the evening before saying "goodbye".

By the way, "goodbye" translates to

  • "Bslema"

Practice with these few marks of politeness in Arabic. These are often the most important words in a conversation.

Table: Other greetings[edit | edit source]

English Standard Arabic Comment
assalฤm aleikom: general greeting ุงู„ุณูŽู‘ู„ุงู…ู ุนูŽู„ูŽูŠู’ูƒูู…ู’ Formal, academic and sometimes with a religious connotation.
Salam Alikom ุณู„ุงู… ุนู„ูŠูƒู… Used between friends or family members. It has an egyptian arabic connotation.
salฤm: general greeting ุณูŽู‘ู„ุงู… We can always say salฤm (it's like saying "Hi" in English).
wa aleikom assalฤm: reply to ุงู„ุณูŽู‘ู„ุงู…ู ุนูŽู„ูŽูŠู’ูƒูู…ู’ ูˆูŽุนูŽู„ูŽูŠู’ูƒูู…ู ุงู„ุณูŽู‘ู„ุงู…ู
wa aleikom assalฤm wa raแธฅmatullฤhi:  reply to ุงุงู„ุณูŽู‘ู„ุงู…ู ุนูŽู„ูŽูŠู’ูƒูู…ู’ ูˆูŽุนูŽู„ูŽูŠู’ูƒูู…ู ุงู„ุณูŽู‘ู„ุงู…ู ูˆูŽุฑูŽุญู’ู…ูŽุฉู ุงู„ู„ูŽู‘ู‡ู
wa aleikom assalฤm wa raแธฅmatullฤhi wa barakฤtuhu:  reply to ุงู„ุณูŽู‘ู„ุงู…ู ุนูŽู„ูŽูŠู’ูƒูู…ู’ ูˆูŽุนูŽู„ูŽูŠู’ูƒูู…ู ุงู„ุณูŽู‘ู„ุงู…ู ูˆูŽุฑูŽุญู’ู…ูŽุฉู ุงู„ู„ูŽู‘ู‡ู ูˆูŽุจูŽุฑูƒุงุชูู‡
assalฤm aleikom wa raแธฅmatullฤh: general greeting ุงู„ุณูŽู‘ู„ุงู…ู ุนูŽู„ูŽูŠู’ูƒูู…ู’ ูˆูŽุฑูŽุญู’ู…ูŽุฉู ุงู„ู„ูŽู‘ู‡ู
wa aleikom assalฤm wa raแธฅmatullฤhi:  reply toุงู„ุณูŽู‘ู„ุงู…ู ุนูŽู„ูŽูŠู’ูƒูู…ู’ ูˆูŽุฑูŽุญู’ู…ูŽุฉู ุงู„ู„ูŽู‘ู‡ู ูˆูŽุนูŽู„ูŽูŠู’ูƒูู…ู ุงู„ุณูŽู‘ู„ุงู…ู ูˆูŽุฑูŽุญู’ู…ูŽุฉู ุงู„ู„ูŽู‘ู‡ู
wa aleikom assalฤm wa raแธฅmatullฤhi wa barakฤtuhu:  reply to ุงู„ุณูŽู‘ู„ุงู…ู ุนูŽู„ูŽูŠู’ูƒูู…ู’ ูˆูŽุฑูŽุญู’ู…ูŽุฉู ุงู„ู„ูŽู‘ู‡ู ูˆูŽุนูŽู„ูŽูŠู’ูƒูู…ู ุงู„ุณูŽู‘ู„ุงู…ู ูˆูŽุฑูŽุญู’ู…ูŽุฉู ุงู„ู„ูŽู‘ู‡ู ูˆูŽุจูŽุฑูƒุงุชูู‡
assalฤm aleikom wa raแธฅmatullฤh wa barakฤtuhu: general greeting (Peace be upon you) ุงู„ุณูŽู‘ู„ุงู…ู ุนูŽู„ูŽูŠู’ูƒูู…ู’ ูˆูŽุฑูŽุญู’ู…ูŽุฉู ุงู„ู„ูŽู‘ู‡ู ูˆูŽุจูŽุฑูƒุงุชูู‡
wa aleikom assalฤm wa raแธฅmatullฤh wa barakฤtuhu: reply to ุงู„ุณูŽู‘ู„ุงู…ู ุนูŽู„ูŽูŠู’ูƒูู…ู’ ูˆูŽุฑูŽุญู’ู…ูŽุฉู ุงู„ู„ูŽู‘ู‡ู ูˆูŽุจูŽุฑูƒุงุชูู‡ (Peace be upon you) ูˆูŽุนูŽู„ูŽูŠู’ูƒูู…ู ุงู„ุณูŽู‘ู„ุงู…ู ูˆูŽุฑูŽุญู’ู…ูŽุฉู ุงู„ู„ูŽู‘ู‡ู ูˆูŽุจูŽุฑูƒุงุชูู‡
wa aleikom: reply to ุณู„ุงู… ูˆูŽุนูŽู„ูŽูŠู’ูƒูู…ู
marแธฅaba: general greeting ู…ูŽุฑู’ุญูŽุจู‹ุงู‹ You can use marhaba as a friendly, casual greeting, commonly used in most Arabic countries. It can be used in both a formal and informal context.
marแธฅaban: general greeting ู…ูŽุฑู’ุญูŽุจู‹ุง
ahlan: informal greeting (Welcome) ุฃูŽู‡ู’ู„ุงู‹ ุงู‡ู„ุง has two usages:
  • first and most common is when someone does you a favour and you say thank you' they reply with ahlan' (ุฃู‡ู„ุงู‹) meaning you are welcome but it's only used in delegate speech (ameya ุนุงู…ูŠุฉ).
  • the second usage for ุฃู‡ู„ุง is to welcome someone it literally means welcome (to my house ..) it is accompanied with the word (ุณู‡ู„ุง) you'll see it a lot ุฃู‡ู„ุง ูˆุณู‡ู„ุง to warmly welcome someone
แนฃabฤh al-khayr: morning greeting (good morning) ุตูŽุจูŽุงู’ุญู ุงู„ู’ุฎูŽูŠู’ุฑู
แนฃabฤh an-nuur: reply to ุตูŽุจูŽุงู’ุญู ุงู„ู’ุฎูŽูŠู’ุฑู ุตูŽุจูŽุงู’ุญู ุงู„ู†ูˆุฑ
im แนฃabฤแธฅan: morning greeting spoken to a man in Classical Arabic ุนูู…ู’ ุตูŽุจูŽุงู’ุญู‹ุง
imta แนฃabฤแธฅan: morning greeting spoken to a man in Classical Arabic ุนูู…ู’ุชูŽ ุตูŽุจูŽุงู’ุญู‹ุง
imฤซ แนฃabฤแธฅan: morning greeting spoken to a man in Classical Arabic ุนูู…ููŠู’ ุตูŽุจูŽุงู’ุญู‹ุง
imti แนฃabฤแธฅan: morning greeting spoken to a man in Classical Arabic ุนูู…ู’ุชู ุตูŽุจูŽุงู’ุญู‹ุง
masฤ al-khayr: afternoon greeting (good afternoon) ู…ูŽุณูŽุงู’ุกู ุงู„ู’ุฎูŽูŠู’ุฑู
masฤ an-nลซr: reply to ู…ูŽุณูŽุงู’ุกู ุงู„ู’ุฎูŽูŠู’ุฑู ู…ุณุงุก ุงู„ู†ูˆุฑ
im masฤ'an: evening greeting spoken to a man in Classical Arabic (Good night) ุนูู…ู’ ู…ูŽุณูŽุงู’ุกู‹
imta masฤ'an: evening greeting spoken to a man in Classical Arabic ุนูู…ู’ุชูŽ ู…ูŽุณูŽุงู’ุกู‹
imฤซ masฤ'an: evening greeting spoken to a man in Classical Arabic ุนูู…ููŠู’ ู…ูŽุณูŽุงู’ุกู‹
imti masฤ'an: evening greeting spoken to a man in Classical Arabic ุนูู…ู’ุชู ู…ูŽุณูŽุงู’ุกู‹
tuแนฃbiแธฅ alฤ-khayrin: nighttime greeting spoken to a man ุชูุตู’ุจูุญู ุนูŽู„ูŽู‰ู’ ุฎูŽูŠู’ุฑู
tuแนฃbiแธฅฤ“n alฤ-khayrin: nighttime greeting spoken to a woman ุชูุตู’ุจูุญููŠู’ู†ูŽ ุนูŽู„ูŽู‰ู’ ุฎูŽูŠู’ุฑู
laylatan hฤni'a: nighttime greeting ู„ูŠู„ูŽุฉู‹ ู‡ูŽุงู’ู†ูุฆูŽุฉู‹
kaif alhal: how are you? ฺฉูŽูŠู’ููŽ ูฑู„ู’ุญูŽุงู„ุŸ
alhamdulillah: reply to ฺฉูŽูŠู’ููŽ ูฑู„ู’ุญูŽุงู„    ุงู„ู’ุญูŽู…ู’ุฏู ู„ูู„ูŽู‘ู‡ู
kaifa haluk: how are you? spoken to a man ูƒูŽูŠู’ููŽ ุญูŽุงู’ู„ููƒูŽุŸ
kaifa haluki: how are you? spoken to a woman ูƒูŽูŠู’ููŽ ุญูŽุงู’ู„ููƒูุŸ
kaifa halkum: how are you? spoken to a group ูƒูŽูŠู’ููŽ ุญูŽุงู’ู„ูƒู…ุŸ
ana bikhayrin: reply to ูƒูŽูŠู’ููŽ ุญูŽุงู’ู„ููƒูŽ and  ูƒูŽูŠู’ููŽ ุญูŽุงู’ู„ููƒู ุฃูŽู†ูŽุงู’ ุจูุฎูŽูŠู’ุฑู
ana bikhayrin shukran: reply to ูƒูŽูŠู’ููŽ ุญูŽุงู’ู„ููƒูŽ and  ูƒูŽูŠู’ููŽ ุญูŽุงู’ู„ููƒู ุฃูŽู†ูŽุงู’ ุจูุฎูŽูŠู’ุฑู ุŒ ุดููƒู’ุฑู‹ุง
shukran: thank you ุดููƒู’ุฑู‹ุง
shukran jazilan: thank you very much ุดููƒู’ุฑู‹ุง ุฌุฒูŠู„ุง
ahlan wa sahlan: welcome greeting ุฃูŽู‡ู’ู„ุงู‹ ูˆูŽุณูŽู‡ู’ู„ุงู‹ Arabs love to give visitors a warm welcome to their home or work place. Note: this is different to โ€œyouโ€™re welcomeโ€, the phrase youโ€™d use in response to someone thanking you
ahlan bek: reply to ุฃูŽู‡ู’ู„ุงู‹ ูˆูŽุณูŽู‡ู’ู„ุงู‹ spoken to a man ุฃูŽู‡ู’ู„ุงู‹ ุจูŠูƒู
ahlan beki: reply to ุฃูŽู‡ู’ู„ุงู‹ ูˆูŽุณูŽู‡ู’ู„ุงู‹ spoken to a woman ุฃูŽู‡ู’ู„ุงู‹ ุจูŠูƒ
Hayak allaah ุญูŠูŽู‘ุงูƒ ุงู„ู„ู‡ Formal way to say hello in Arabic that is used often in Gulf countries. It means may God give you a long life.

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