Whether you're spending a serious amount of time in a particular destination or just passing through, you can't go wrong with learning how to say "hello" in the local language.
So far, as part of our January challenge, we've covered Japanese, Lakota Sioux, Igbo, Spanish, Hindi and Quechua, and Indonesian, Italian, Pashto, Burmese, Swedish and Vietnamese. Now here’s how to say it in Korean, Swahili, Polish, Navajo, Mandarin and Greek.
Korean
Upwards of 77 million people speak Korean as their native language, including 51.8 million citizens below the 38th parallel and 25.6 million to the north. In South Korea, English is quite common, though offering greetings in the local tongue is a good way to show respect.
안녕 (ann-yeong) - ann-YONG - This informal “hello” is for close associates like friends and family.
안녕하세요 (ann-yeong-haseyo) - ann-YONG-ha-SAY-oh - To greet someone you don’t know very well, or an elder, use the more formal version of “hello.”
Usage tip: Though yeoboseyo (여보세요, pronounced YO-bo-SEY-oh) translates to “hello” as well, it’s generally used when answering the phone – not so much during in-person conversations.
Swahili
A Bantu language with heavy Arabic influences, Swahili (also known as Kiswahili) is the lingua franca of eastern Africa and the Congo region, particularly in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, where it’s one of the official languages. There are more than a dozen dialects spoken across the continent, from Rwanda and Burundi to northern Mozambique and parts of Malawi, and an estimated 120 to 150 million Kiswahili-speakers around the world.
Habari gani? - hah-BAH-ree GAH-ni? - When you’re meeting someone for the first time, open the conversation by asking how they’re doing, or what's the news. If they’re the ones doing the asking, you can reply with nzuri sana (nZOO-ree SAH-nah), which means “very good,” or salama sana (sah-LAH-mah SAH-nah), which means “very peaceful.”
Hamjambo wote? - hahm-JAHM-boh WOH-tay - You can also ask, “Are you all well?” and hear, “Hatujambo," (hah-too-JAHM-boh), or “We are all well,” in response.
Cultural tip: Swahili proliferated during the 19th century as Arab slavers and traders pushed inland from Africa’s east coast, and the word “Swahili” itself has roots in the Arabic language, deriving from the term sawāḥil, which loosely translates to “of the coast.”
Polish
Perhaps best known for a preponderance of consonants in tongue-twisting configurations, Polish is a West Slavic language akin to Czech and Slovak, with bits and pieces adopted from Poland's European neighbors, like Germany, Belarus, Ukraine, and Italy.
Cześć - cheshch - For informal conversations with friends, relatives and peers, go with this greeting for “hi” or “hello.” A casual “hej” also works – it’s pronounced like the English “hey” and used the same way.
Siema - SHEM-ah - To keep up with the younger crowd, try a breezy “what’s up.”
Dzień dobry - JEN DOH-brih - This formal greeting translates to “good morning” or “good day,” and it’s used throughout the day. To get it right, say the English word for "brick," minus the "ck."
Dobry wieczór - DOH-brih VYEH-choor - Use this to wish someone “good evening.”
Culture tip: Though more than 98% of Poland’s population speaks the official language, the country’s national minority languages include Hebrew, Russian, Lithuanian, and Armenian, while Karaim, Lemko, Romani, and Tatar are considered ethnic minority languages.
Navajo
At 300,000-plus tribal members centered primarily in Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah in the southwestern US, the Diné, or Navajo, are the second-most populous American Indian Nation. A complicated language predicated on tone, Navajo was one of several Native languages used for top-secret communications during World Wars I and II, when hundreds of American Indians – primarily Navajo – served in the US military as code talkers.
Yá’át’ééh - yah-ah-t’ey - This standard greeting is used to say “hello,” but its literal translation is “it is good.” (The first two syllables are often shortened in casual conversation, so you may hear something like “yah-t’ey” as well.)
Pronunciation tip: In the Navajo language, an apostrophe indicates a glottal stop, meaning the sound just before should be cut short or abbreviated.
Mandarin
With 917 million native speakers, Mandarin is the most popular language on earth, the official language of both China and Taiwan and one of two official languages in Singapore.
你好 - ní hǎo - nee how - If you’re greeting a stranger or introducing yourself to someone new, this is the polite way to say hello.
Cultural tip: In many parts of Asia, it may be customary to bow when greeting someone, but not so in China. Here, you’re better served with a handshake.
Greek
One of the world’s oldest languages, Greek dates back nearly 35 centuries, and today the modern version is spoken by an estimated 10.7 million people within Greece’s borders – and even more abroad.
Γειά σας - yassas - YAH-sahs - To greet someone formally or to address a group of people, this is the most respectful way to say hello.
Γειά σου - yassou - YAH-soo - This is a bit more casual, best for saying hello to one other person.
Γεια - ya - yah - The most informal of the bunch, ya simply means “hi” or “hello.” It’s also used for “goodbye.”
Usage tip: While hellos are perfectly appropriate for pretty much any situation, you’ll often hear another set of greetings as you make your way around the Greek mainland and outlying islands. Kaliméra (kah-lee-MER-ah) means “good morning” or “good day,” while kalispéra (kah-lee-SPARE-ah) means “good afternoon” or “good evening.”
You might also like:
Lonely Planet 2021 Challenge #1: How to say “hello” in Japanese, Lakota Sioux, Igbo, Spanish, Hindi and Quechua
Lonely Planet 2021 Challenge #2: How to say “hello” in Indonesian, Italian, Pashto, Burmese, Swedish and Vietnamese
The Lonely Planet 2021 Challenge: Learn to say hello in 25 different languages
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