Casual Ways to Say “Hello”
Greet people you know well with “Hi” or “Hey!” There are lots of ways to say “Hello” and greet people in English that are perfect for informal situations. Say these phrases with people you know well, like friends, family members, casual acquaintances, and coworkers or colleagues you have a close relationship with. You can use these phrases on their own, or follow them with the person’s name (ex: “Hi, Sam!”). “Hi!” “Hey, Amari!” “Hiya!” “Heyo!” “Hey, you!” “Holla!” If you know the person really well, lengthen your “Hi” or “Hey.” For instance, lots of English speakers greet their friends by saying, “Hiiiiiii,” “Heeeeey,” or “Helloooooo!”
Say “How’s it going” or “What’s up” as an alternative. In English-speaking countries, it’s common practice to greet someone you know by asking them how they’re doing instead of saying “Hello.” It’s okay to use some of these phrases in casual situations at the workplace, but stick to using the very informal greetings with your friends and family members. Casual (coworkers, colleagues, friends, family, acquaintances): “How’s it going, Carlos?” “How are you? “How are things?” “What’s new?” Very casual (friends, family): “What’s up, Dina?” “How ya been?” “What’s poppin’?” “What’s good?” “What’s happenin’?” “What’s goin’ on?” “How you doin’?” “How’s you?” “What’s crackin’?”
Use slang phrases like “‘Sup” and “Yo” to greet close friends. To help you sound like a native English speaker, use slang to say “Hello” to your closest friends. These phrases are super informal, so say them in casual situations with people you know very well. “‘Sup, Joseph!” “Yo!” “Whassup!” “What’s good in the hood?” Feel free to replace your friend’s name with a slang term like, “bro,” “dude,” “girl,” or “homie.” For instance, you might say “‘Sup, bro!” or “Whassup, homie!”
Say “Morning/Afternoon/Evening” depending on the time of day. If you’re saying “Hello” to a friend or coworker before 12:00 pm, say, “Morning, Yuki!” In the afternoon between 12 pm and 5 pm, say, “Afternoon!” If you’re greeting them after 5 pm, say, “Evening!” For an even more casual greeting, say “Mornin’” or “Evenin’!” You might say these when you quickly want to acknowledge someone but can’t stop to talk to them further.
Formal Ways to Say “Hello”
Say “Good morning/afternoon/evening” at the appropriate time of day. Besides “Hello,” saying either “Good morning,” “Good afternoon,” or “Good evening” are the most formal ways to greet someone in English. Use these when greeting someone you don’t know well, authority figures (like bosses or teachers), and people older than you. When to say: Before 12:00 pm, say, “Good morning.” Between 12:00 pm and 5:00 pm, say, “Good afternoon.” After 5:00 pm, say, “Good evening.” For a more personal “Hello,” say the person’s name after your greeting. Just make sure to use their proper title to stay polite, if they have one (ex: “Good morning, Mr. Smith.”). Note: While “How do you do,” “Greetings,” and “Salutations” are very formal greetings, most US English speakers don’t say them.
Ask the person how they are doing. It’s also appropriate to ask people how they are doing instead of saying “Hello” in more formal situations. This is a polite and friendly way to quickly acknowledge someone you don’t know well or to start a conversation with someone in a position of authority. For instance, say: “How are you doing, Dr. Robinson?” “How are you?” “How have you been?”
Say “It’s nice to see you again” if you don’t know the person very well. If you’re saying “Hello” to someone you’ve met once or who you see infrequently (like a colleague’s husband), use a slightly formal greeting like “It’s nice to see you again.” This is a great way to acknowledge them without being overly casual or friendly. “It’s nice to see you again, Felix.” “It’s good to see you again.” “It’s nice to meet you again.” “Hello, again!”
How to Say “Hello” to Someone You Haven’t Met
Introduce yourself and say, “It’s nice to meet you.” When you meet someone new for the first time, say, “Hello” and tell them your name. Then, use a polite expression to let them know you’re happy to meet them. Saying, “It’s nice to meet you” is appropriate for most formal and casual situations. Example: “Hello, Pierre. My name is Jack. It’s nice to meet you!” Formal variations: “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Lewis.” “It’s nice to meet you.” “It’s so good to meet you.” Casual variations: “Nice to meet you, Jenna!” “I’ve heard so much about you!” “I’ve been looking forward to meeting you!”
How to Say “Hello” to Someone You Haven’t Seen in a While
Say “Long time, no see” or “Good to see you.” These phrases are pretty casual, so say them to friends, family members, and other people you know well. For instance, you might say “Long time no see” to a friend after spending a long time apart or greet a coworker who’s been sick with “Good to see you!” Casual (coworkers, colleagues, friends, family, acquaintances): “Good to see you, Abdul!” “It’s nice to see you, finally!” “It’s been a minute since I’ve seen you! How have you been?” “It’s been a while!” Very casual (friends, family): “Long time, no see!” “Hello, stranger!” “You’re a sight for sore eyes!” “Where have you been hiding?” “Is that really you?” “No way, this can’t be real!”
Funny Ways to Say “Hello”
Use silly or outdated phrases to greet close friends and family. It’s perfectly fine to use a funny greeting when you’re saying “Hello” to your close friends and family. These phrases show that you know the person very well and are excited to see them. English speakers often use funny rhyming expressions, like “What’s cookin’, good lookin’,” say their greetings sarcastically, or say outdated, formal greetings in a silly way, like “Salutations, my friend!” “Howdy!” “What’s cookin’, good lookin’?” “What’s shakin’, bacon?” “Howdy-doo, partner!” “Ahoy, matey!” “Top o’ the mornin’ to ya!” “Oh, it’s you again…” “Well, well, well. Look who it is.” “Speak of the devil…” “So, we meet at last.” “Fancy meeting you here!” “Come here often?” “Greetings, earthling. I come in peace.” “How do you do?” “How art thou, good sir? “Good day!” “Greetings and salutations!” Note: Feel free to use a popular reference as your greeting, as long as your friend knows it! For instance, you might say, “What’s up, doc!” (Looney Tunes) or “Here’s Johnny!” (The Shining).
How to Say Hello on the Phone, In Texts, and In Emails
Phone Since most phones have caller ID, English speakers usually answer the phone by saying, “Hello” or “Hey” followed by the person’s name. If you’re answering the phone at work or receiving a call from someone you don’t know, you usually say, “Hello” followed by your own name. Casual/you know the person calling: “Hello, Aanya!” “Hey, Mark! What’s up?” “Hi, Iris! What’s going on?” Professional/you don’t know the person calling: “Hello, this is Mateo.” “Hello, this is Genesis speaking. How can I help you?” “Hello, this is Ivan. May I ask who’s calling?”
Texting If you’re texting someone for the first time or you haven’t messaged them in a while, greet them by typing, “Hello,” “Hi,” or “Hey.” If you’re texting friends and family that you message regularly, there’s no need to say “Hello” or “Hi” at the start of each message—simply continue your conversation without a greeting. “Hi, Cora! This is Enzo. Jessie gave me your phone number. How’s it going?” “Hey, Silas! It’s been a while since we’ve texted. How are you doing?”
Emails If you’re emailing someone you don’t know, an authority figure (like a boss or teacher), or an important business client, begin your email with a formal greeting like “Dear” or “Good morning” followed by the person’s name. If you’re emailing someone you know well, like a friend or coworker, use a more casual greeting like “Hi” or “Hey.” Formal: “Dear Dr. Mitchel,” “Good morning, Susan,” “Hello, Harrison,” Casual: “Hi, Niko,” “Hey, Kiara!” “Morning, Noah!”
Regional Ways to Say “Hello”
The United States The United States is a big country, so people in the north, south, east, and west often have different slang ways of saying “Hello!” For instance, you might hear: Western or southern US: “Howdy!” Southern US: “Hey, y’all!” (“Y’all” is a contraction of “you all,” so you usually say this to 2 or more people) New York City: “Yurr!”
Great Britain The Brits have their own ways of saying “Hello.” If you’re in Great Britain, you might hear people saying these casual expressions to their friends: “Alright?” “Hello, mate!” “Hullo!” “You okay?” “Lovely to see you!” “Oi!”
Ireland In Ireland, you might hear people say “Hello” in Irish instead of English. The Irish also have a few unique expressions for saying, “Hello” in English. “Dia dhuit!” “What's the craic?” “What’s the story?” “How’s the form?”
Australia Australians have a few different slang ways of saying “Hello,” too. These are pretty casual greetings, so you’ll usually hear them among friends. “G’day!” (“G’day” is a contraction of “good day”) “G’day, mate!” “Oi!” “Mate!”
New Zealand Lots of New Zealanders use Maori terms to say “Hello,” so you might hear them while in the country. New Zealanders also have a few slang ways of saying “Hello” in English. “Kia ora!” (This literally translates to “Be well”) “Tēnā koe!” “Gidday!” (“Gidday” is a slang way of saying “Good day”)
How to Respond to “Hello”
Say “Hello” back. When someone greets you with a “Hello,” simply say it back! If they’re a friend or someone you know well, say “Hi,” “Hey,” or “What’s up!” Then, if you want to start a conversation, ask them how they’re doing. If the person is a stranger or an authority figure, stick to saying, “Hello” or “Good morning/afternoon/evening.” Them: “Hey, Angela!” You: “Hi, Garrett! How are you doing?” Them: “Hello!” You: “Good morning!”
Tell the person how you are doing and ask them how they’re doing, too. When someone simply greets you with a “How are you” or “What’s up,” briefly answer with how you’re doing. In most cases, these question-style greetings are just polite and rhetorical—the person isn’t expecting you to tell them everything that’s going on in your life. You simply tell them that you’re doing well and ask them how they’re doing back. Them: “How are you, Gianna?” You: “I’m well! How are you doing?” Them: “How ya doin’, Amelia?” You: “Good, how ‘bout you?” Them: “What’s up, Roy?” You: “Not much! What’s goin’ on with you?”
How to Say “Hello” in Different Languages
Want to say “Hello” to people in different languages? Check out the greetings below! Like in English, these are the standard ways to say “Hello,” so they work in both casual and formal situations. Spanish: “¡Hola!" French: “Bonjour!” Italian: “Buongiorno!” Portuguese: “Olá!” German: “Guten tag!” Arabic: “As-salam alaykom!” Afrikaans: “Goeie dag!” Hindi: “नमस्ते” (“Namaste!”) Chinese: “你好” (“Nǐ hǎo!”) Japanese: “こんにちは” (“Konnichiwa!”) Korean: “안녕하세요” (“An-nyeong-ha-se-yo!”) Russian: “Zdravstvujtye!”
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