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Greetings in Languages Spoken by Students in California Schools

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This page contains greetings in the languages spoken by students in California public schools.

 

The California Department of Education lists 59 languages spoken by English Learners

and 59 languages spoken by Fluent English Proficient students in California public schools in the 2010-2011 school year.*

This page includes all 59 languages.  Alternative names for the languages are listed at the bottom of this page.

Students in California schools also speak English, or are learning English at school.

 

 

 

 

 

Albanian [als] (Albania.) Click here for other dialects of Albanian.

Mirëmëngjes

morning greeting

Mirëdita

afternoon greeting

Mirëmbrëma

evening greeting

Tungjatjeta

general greeting

Si jeni?

how are you?

Mirë

reply to Si jeni
Mirë se vini welcome greeting

 

Arabic [arb] (Middle East and northern Africa.) Click here for other dialects of Arabic.

السلام عليكم Es salaam aleikom: Muslim greeting

و عليكم السلام Wa aleikom es salaam: reply to Es salaam aleikom
سلام Salaam: general greeting
مرحباً Marhaba: general greeting
صباح الخير Sabaah al-khayr: morning greeting
مساء الخير Masaa al-khayr: afternoon greeting
أهلاً و سهلاً Ahlan wa sahlan: welcome
كيف حالك؟ Kaifa halok: how are you?

 

Armenian [hye] (Armenia, Iran, Turkey, Russia, and Azerbaijain.)
բարև ձեզ barev dzez: formal greeting in the Eastern dialect
բարեւ  barev (Eastern) and parev (Western) and bariev (Ankara dialect): informal greeting
բար իօր ձեզ pari'or tsez: general greeting in the Karabagh dialect
բարի իրկուն   par'irgun: general greeting in the Eastern dialect of Aslanbeg, Turkey
բարի լույս bari luis (Eastern) and pari luis (Western): morning greeting
բարի օր bari or (Eastern) and pari or (Western): afternoon greeting
բարի երեկո bari yereko: evening greeting in the Eastern dialect
բարի իրիկուն pari irigun: evening greeting in the Western dialect
Ինչպես եք inchpes ek: how are you?, formal
Ինչպես ես inchpes es: how are you?, informal
Ոնց ես vonts es: how are you?, informal
շատ լավ shat lav: reply to Ինչպես եք, Ինչպես ես, and Ոնց ես
Լավ եմ, շնորհակալություն lav shnorhakaloutyun: formal reply to Ինչպես եք in the Eastern dialect
Լաւ եմ, շնորհակալ եմ lav shnorhagal em: formal reply to Ինչպես եք  in the Western dialect
Լավ, մերսի lav mersi: informal reply to Ինչպես ես, and Ոնց ես
Բարի գալուստ bari galoust: welcome greeting

 

Assyrian [aii] (Iraq, Armenia, Iran, Syria, and Israel.) Click here for other dialects of Assyrian.
Shlama general greeting in the Eastern dialect
Shlama alukh general greeting spoken to a man in the Eastern dialect
Shlama alakh general greeting spoken to a woman in the Eastern dialect
Shlama umukh general greeting spoken to a man in the Eastern dialect
Shlama umakh general greeting spoken to a woman in the Eastern dialect
Shlama ilakh general greeting in the Eastern dialect
Shlama lakh general greeting in the Eastern dialect
Shlama amkhon general greeting in the Eastern dialect
Shlama 'lokhun general greeting in the Eastern dialect
Shlama alokhun general greeting spoken to a group of people in the Eastern dialect
Brikh sâpra morning greeting spoken in the Eastern dialect
Brikh tahra afternoon greeting in the Eastern dialect
Brikh ramsha evening greeting in the Eastern dialect
Dakhit? how are you? in the Eastern dialect
Dakhi wit? how are you? spoken to a man in the Eastern dialect
Dakhi wat? how are you? spoken to a woman in the Eastern dialect
Dakhi woton? how are you? spoken to a group of people in the Eastern dialect
Spaay, basima reply to Dakhit, Dakhi wit, Dakhi wat, and Dakhi woton
Pshina tilokh welcome greeting spoken to a man in the Eastern dialect
Pshina tilakh welcome greeting spoken to a woman in the Eastern dialect
Pshina tilokhon welcome greeting spoken to a group of people in the Eastern dialect

 

Bengali [ben] (Bangladesh and India.)
নমস্কার৷ nomoskaar: general greeting
অস্সলামু অলযকুম৷ assalamu alaikum: Muslim greeting
অলযকুম অস্সলামু৷ walaikum assalam: reply to অস্সলামু অলযকুম
সুপ্রভাত৷ shuprovat: morning greeting
শুভ অপরাহ্ন৷ shubh oporanho: afternoon greeting
তুমি কেমন আছ? tumi kemon āccho: how are you? informal to one person
কেমন আছেন? kemon ācchen: how are you?
আপনি কেমন আছেন? āpni kemon ācchen: how are you?
আপনি কেমোন আচ্ছেন? āpani kemon āccho: how are you? formal to one person
আপনারা কেমোন আচ্ছেন? āpanārā kemon āccho: how are you? formal to a group of people
তুই কেমোন আচ্ছিশ? tui kemon ācchis: how are you? informal to one person
তোমরা কেমোন আচ্ছো? tomarā kemon āccho: how are you? informal to a group of people
তোরা কেমোন আচ্ছিশ? tora kemon ācchis: how are you? informal to a group of people
ভালো৷ bhālo: reply to তুমি কেমন আছ and আপনি কেমন আছেন
আমি ভালো আছি৷ āmi bhālo ācchi: reply to তুমি কেমন আছ and আপনি কেমন আছেন
স্বাগতম৷ swāgatam: welcome greeting to a visitor

 

Burmese [mya] (Myanmar.)
Mingala ba general greeting
Mingala ba kinbya general greeting spoken by a man
Mingala ba shin general greeting spoken by a woman
T'amin sapibila? general greeting, literally "have you eaten?"
K'amya t'amin sapyibabyila? greeting spoken by a man, literally "have you eaten?"
Shin t'amin sapyibabyila? greeting spoken by a woman, literally "have you eaten?"
Sapyibabyi reply to T'amin sapibila, K'amya t'amin sapyibabyila, and Shin t'amin sapyibabyila
Be thwa malo le? greeting, literally: "where are you going?
Di na le be reply to Be thwa malo le, literally: "around here"
Kyosopae welcome greeting

 

Cantonese (Yue Chinese) [yue] (China.)

你好 néih hóu: general greeting
喂 wei: general greeting
早晨 jou san: morning greeting
午安 ńgh ón: afternoon greeting
晚安 máahn ón: evening greeting
晚上好 máahn seuhng hóu: evening greeting
早抖 jóutáu: nighttime greeting
你好嗎? néih hóu ma: how are you?
點呀? dím a: how are you?
我幾好 ngóh géi hóu: reply to 你好嗎 and 點呀
好好 hóu hóu: reply to 你好嗎 and 點呀
幾好 gei hóu: reply to 你好嗎 and 點呀
喂, 食咗飯未呀? wei, sik jor fan mei a: greeting used around lunch and dinnertime: "did you have your meals?"
歡迎 fun ying: welcome greeting
歡迎光臨 fun ying guang lam: welcome greeting

 

Cebuano / Visayan [ceb] (Philippines.)

Maayong adlaw general greeting in the Visayan dialect
Maayong buntag morning greeting in the Visayan dialect
Maayong udto noontime greeting in the Visayan dialect
Maayong hapon afternoon greeting in the Visayan dialect
Maayong gabii evening greeting in the Visayan dialect
Kumusta ka? how are you? in the Visayan dialect
Maayo man reply to Kumusta ka in the Visayan dialect
Maajong adlaw general greeting in the Boholano dialect
Maajong buntag morning greeting in the Boholano dialect
Maajong udto noontime greeting in the Boholano dialect
Maajong hapon afternoon greeting in the Boholano dialect
Maajong gabi-i evening greeting in the Boholano dialect
Kamusta ka? how are you? in the Boholano dialect
Maajo man reply to Kamusta ka in the Boholano dialect
Maaung adlaw general greeting in the Leyte dialect
Maaung buntag morning greeting in the Leyte dialect
Maaung udto noontime greeting in the Leyte dialect
Maaung hapon afternoon greeting in the Leyte dialect
Maaung gabii evening greeting in the Leyte dialect

 

Chaldean [cld] (Iraq: Kurdistan, Mosul, and Baghdad.)

Shlama illukh general greeting spoken to a man
Shlama illakh general greeting spoken to a woman
Shlama illokhun general greeting spoken to a group of people
Qedemtookh brikhta morning greeting spoken to a man
Qedemtakh brikhta morning greeting spoken to a woman
Dirkhi wit? how are you? spoken to a man
Dirkhi wat? how are you? spoken to a woman
Dirkhi wotun? how are you? spoken to a group of people
Randa reply to Dirkhi wit, Dirkhi wat, and Dirkhi wotun
Kulish randa reply to Dirkhi wit, Dirkhi wat, and Dirkhi wotun

 

Chamorro [cha] (Guam.)

Håfa general greeting
Håfa adai general greeting
Håfa gachong informal greeting spoken to a man
Håfa cheluho informal greeting spoken to a woman
Talu'ånin maolek morning greeting
Oga'an maolek morning greeting
Pupuengin maolek evening greeting
Manana si Yu'us morning greeting
Talo'åni si Yu'us afternoon greeting
Pupuengi si Yu'us evening greeting
Buenas tatdes afternoon greeting borrowed from Spanish
Buenas noches evening greeting borrowed from Spanish
Håfa tatatmånu hao? how are you?
Håfa mamaoleka? how are you?
Maolek yu' reply to Håfa tatatmånu hao and Håfa  mamaoleka
Maolek ha yu reply to Håfa tatatmånu hao and Håfa  mamaoleka
Todo maolek reply to Håfa tatatmånu hao and Håfa  mamaoleka
Bienbenido welcome greeting

 

Chaozhou (Min Nan Chinese) [nan] (China.) Click here for other dialects of Min Nan Chinese.
汝好 leu ho: general greeting. 
汝好吗? leu ho mo: general greeting. 
好吗 ho mo: general greeting, also written 好無
在生 jai sen: general greeting
早  za: morning greeting
你好吗?
 leu tsue keng tsai seng: how are you?
在生樣? jai sen ion: how are you?
吃饭了吗? tsiak pung bue: common greeting, literally: have you eaten?
欢迎 hua ngeng: welcome greeting

   

Dutch [nld] (Netherlands and Belgium.)

Goedendag

general greeting

Goeiedag

general greeting used in spoken language

Dag

polite informal greeting

Goedemorgen

morning greeting

Goeiemorgen

morning greeting used in spoken language

Morgen

morning greeting

Goedemiddag

afternoon greeting

Goeiemiddag

afternoon greeting used in spoken language

Goedenavond

evening greeting

Goeienavond

evening greeting used in spoken language

Hoe gaat het met jou?

how are you?

Hoe gaat het met u?

how are you? formal

Hoe gaat het?

how are you? informal

Goed, dank je

reply to Hoe gaat het, Hoe gaat het met jou, and Hoe gaat het met u

Goed

reply to Hoe gaat het, Hoe gaat het met jou, and Hoe gaat het met u

Welkom

welcome greeting

Hoi

informal greeting used in the Netherlands

Hey

informal greeting used in Belgium

Jow

informal greeting used by young people in Belgium

 

English [eng] (United Kingdom, United States of America, Canada, Australia, various other countries.)

Hello

formal greeting

Hi

informal greeting

Good morning

morning greeting

Good afternoon

afternoon greeting

Good evening

formal evening greeting

Good day

formal daytime greeting

Welcome

formal greeting spoken to a person who is arriving

How are you?

how are you?

 

Fine

reply to how are you

Fine, how're you?

reply to how are you

Fine, and you?

reply to how are you

I'm fine, thank you, and you?

formal reply to how are you

 

Farsi [pes] (Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.) Click here for other dialects of Farsi.

سلام

Salam: general greeting

خوش آمدید

Khush amadeed: general greeting

صبح بخیر

Sobh beh'khayr: morning greeting

ظهر بخير

Zor beh'khayr: afternoon greeting

عصر بخیر

Asr beh'khayr: evening greeting

شب بخير

Shab beh'khayr: evening greeting

شما چطور هستین

Shoma chetur hasten: how are you?

من خوبم.ممنون

Man khoobam, mamnoon: reply to شما چطور هستین

خوش آمدید

Hosh amadeed: welcome greeting

 

Filipino [fil] / Tagalog [tgl] (Philippines.)

Magandang araw po

formal daytime greeting

Magandang araw

informal daytime greeting

Magandang umaga po

formal morning greeting

Magandang umaga

informal morning greeting

Magandang tanghali po

formal noontime and early afternoon greeting (until 2 pm)

Magandang tanghali

informal noontime and early afternoon greeting (until 2 pm)

Magandang hapon po

formal afternoon and early evening greeting (from about 2 pm until 7 pm)

Magandang hapon

informal afternoon and early evening greeting (from about 2 pm until 7 pm)

Magandang gabi po

formal evening and nighttime greeting (after about 7 pm)

Magandang gabi

informal evening and nighttime greeting (after about 7 pm)

Halo

informal greeting

Kumusta po kayo?

how are you? formal

Mabuti po naman

reply to Kumusta po kayo

Kumusta ka?

how are you? informal

Mabuti naman

reply to Kumusta ka

Mabuhay

welcome greeting

Maligayang pagdating

welcome greeting
 

French [fra] (France. Canada: Quebec. Various other countries in Europe and Africa.)  Click here for other dialects of French.

Bonjour

general greeting

Salut

informal greeting

Bon matin

morning greeting

Bon après-midi

afternoon greeting

Bonsoir

evening greeting after sunset

Comment allez-vous?

how are you? formal

Comment vas-tu?

how are you? informal

Très bien, merci

reply to Comment allez-vous and Comment vas-tu

Comment ça va?

how are you?

Ça va?

how are you?

Ça va bien

reply to Comment ça va and Ça va

Bienvenue

welcome greeting

 

German [deu] (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and various other countries in central Europe.) Click here for other dialects of German.

Guten Tag

general greeting

Guten Morgen

morning greeting

Guten Abend

evening greeting

Hallo

general greeting

Grüß dich

informal greeting

Tag

informal greeting

Wie geht's?

how are you?

Wie geht es Ihnen?

how are you? formal

Wie geht es dir?

how are you? informal

Es geht mir gut

reply to Wie geht's, Wie geht es Ihnen, and Wie geht es dir

Mir geht es gut

reply to Wie geht's, Wie geht es Ihnen, and Wie geht es dir

Wilkommen

welcome greeting

© 1995 - 2011 by Jennifer Runner. www.elite.net/~runner/jennifers/

Greek [ell] (Greece, Cyprus, and Italy.) Click here for other dialects of Greek.

Γεια σας

Yeia sas: formal greeting in the Dimotiki (δημοτικη) dialect

Γεια σου

Yeia sou: informal greeting in the Dimotiki (δημοτικη) dialect

Γεια

Yeia: general greeting in the Dimotiki (δημοτικη) dialect

Καλημερα

Kalimera: daytime greeting in the Dimotiki (δημοτικη) dialect

Χαιρετε

Khairete: afternoon greeting in the Dimotiki (δημοτικη) dialect

Καλο μεσημερι

Kalo mesimeri: afternoon greeting in the Dimotiki (δημοτικη) dialect

Καλησπερα

Kalispera: evening greeting in the Dimotiki (δημοτικη) dialect

Καληνυχτα

Kalinikhta: evening greeting in the Dimotiki (δημοτικη) dialect

Πος εισαι?

Pos eisai: how are you? to one person in the Dimotiki (δημοτικη) dialect

Πος ειστε?

Pos eiste: how are you? to a group of people in the Dimotiki (δημοτικη) dialect

Πος εισαστε?

Pos eistaote: how are you? to a group of people in the Dimotiki (δημοτικη) dialect

Καλα. ευχαριστω

Kala efkharisto: reply to Πος εισαι and Πος εισαστε in Dimotiki (δημοτικη) dialect

Καλωσ ορισατε

Kalos orisate: welcome greeting to a group of people in the Dimotiki (δημοτικη) dialect

Καλωσ ορισες

Kalos orises: informal welcome greeting to one person in the Dimotiki (δημοτικη) dialect

Καλως ηρθατε

Kalos irthate: welcome greeting to a group in the Dimotiki (δημοτικη) dialect

Καλως ηρθες

Kalos irthes: informal welcome greeting to one person in the Dimotiki (δημοτικη) dialect

 

Gujarati [guj] (India.)

નમસ્તે

namaste: general greeting used by Hindus

નમસ્કાર

namaskar: general greeting used by Hindus

જય જય

jay jay: informal greeting

કેમ છો?

kem chho: how are you?

તમે કેમ છો?

tame kem chho: how are you?

હું મજામાં છું, આભાર

hum majamam abhar: reply to કેમ છો and તમે કેમ છો

મજામાં

majamam: reply to કેમ છો and તમે કેમ છો

સારુન

sarun: reply to કેમ છો and તમે કેમ છો

સુપ્રભાત

shubh prabhaat: morning greeting

શુભરાત્રિ

shubh ratri: nighttime greeting

સ્વાગત

svaagat: welcome greeting

 

Hebrew [heb] (Israel.)

שָׁלוֹם

shalom: general greeting

בֹּקֶר טוֹב

boker tov: morning greeting

אַחַר צָהֳרַיִם טוֹבִים

tzohora'im tovim: afternoon greeting

עֶרֶב טוֹב

erev tov: evening greeting

לַיְלָה טוֹב

laila tov: nighttime greeting

מַה שְלוֹמְךָ

ma shlomcha: how are you? spoken to a man

מַה שְלוֹמֶךְ

ma shlomech: how are you? spoken to a woman

מַה שְלוֹמֵכֶם

ma shlomechem: how are you? spoken to a group of men

מַה שְלוֹמֵכֶן

ma shlomechen: how are you? spoken to a group of women

מַה נִשְמַע

ma nishma: how are you? informal

טוב, תודה

tov toda: reply to מַה שְלוֹמְךָ ,מַה שְלוֹמֶךְ,מַה שְלוֹמֵכֶם ,מַה שְלוֹמֵכֶן and מַה נִשְמַע

ברוכים הבאים

baruhim haba'im: welcome greeting

 

Hindi [hin] (India.)

नमस्ते

namasté: general greeting

नमस्कार

namaskaar: general greeting

प्रणाम

praņaam: respectful greeting used by Hindus

राम राम

raam raam: informal greeting used by Hindus

सत श्री अकाल

sat sri akal: general greeting used by Sikhs

आप कैसे हैं?

aap kaise hain: how are you? to a man

आप कैसी हैं?

aap kaisi hain: how are you? to a woman

तुम कैसे हो?

tum kaise ho: how are you? informal to a man

तुम कैसी हो?

tum kaisi ho: how are you? informal to a woman

आप ख़ैरियत से है?

aap kairiyat se hain: how are you?

मैं ठीक हूँ

main thiik hun: reply to आप कैसे हैं, आप कैसी हैं, तुम कैसे हो, तुम कैसी हो, and आप ख़ैरियत से है

सुप्रभात

suprabhaat: morning greeting

शुभ प्रभात

shubh prabhaat: morning greeting

शुभ संध्या

shubh sundhyaa: evening greeting

शुभ रात्रि

shubh ratri: nighttime greeting

स्वागत

svaagat: welcome greeting

 

Hmong [mww] (Laos and Thailand.) Click here for other dialects of Hmong.

Nyob zoo

general greeting

Koj puas nyob zoo?

how are you?, literally: "do you live well"

Kuv nyob zoo

reply to Koj puas nyob zoo

Koj puas noj qab nyob zoo?

how are you?, literally: "do you eat and live well"

Kuv noj qab nyob zoo

reply to Koj puas noj qab nyob zoo

Koj nyob licas lawm?

how are you?

Kuv nyob zoo kaws

reply to Koj nyob licas lawm

Zoo siab txais tos

welcome greeting

Zoo siab tos txais

welcome greeting

Zoo siab txais tos koj tuaj

welcome greeting spoken to one person

Zoo siab txais tos neb tuaj

welcome greeting spoken to two people

Zoo siab txais tos nej tuaj

welcome greeting spoken to a group of people

 

Hungarian [hun] (Hungary.)

Jó napot

general greeting

 

Jó napot kívánok

general greeting

 

Jó reggelt

morning greeting

 

Jó estét

afternoon and evening greeting

 

Szervusz

informal greeting spoken to one person

 

Szervusztok

informal greeting spoken to a group of people

 

Szia

informal greeting spoken to one person

 

Sziasztok

informal greeting spoken to a group of people

 

Hogy van?

how are you? formal

 

Hogy vagy?

how are you? informal

 

Köszönöm, jól

reply to Hogy van and Hogy vagy

 

Üdvözlünk

welcome greeting

 

Üdv

informal greeting

 

Ilocano [ilo] (Philippines.)

 

Naimbag nga bigat

morning greeting

 

Naimbag a bigatyo

formal morning greeting to one person, and morning greeting to a group of people

 

Naimbag a bigatmo

informal morning greeting

 

Naimbag nga aldaw

noontime greeting

 

Naimbag ñga aldawyo

formal noontime greeting to one person, and morning greeting to a group of people

 

Naimbag ñga aldawmo

informal noontime greeting

 

Naimbag nga malem

afternoon

 

Naimbag a malemyo

formal afternoon greeting to one person, and morning greeting to a group of people

 

Naimbag a malemmo

informal afternoon greeting

 

Naimbag nga rabii

evening greeting

 

Naimbag a rabiiyo

formal evening greeting to one person, and morning greeting to a group of people

 

Naimbag a rabiimo

informal evening greeting

 

Kumusta ka?

how are you?

 

Indonesian [ind] (Indonesia and Suriname.)

 

Selamat

general greeting

 

Selamat siang

general greeting

 

Selamat pagi

morning greeting

 

Selamat sore

afternoon greeting

 

Selamat malam

evening greeting

 

Selamat datang

welcome greeting

 

Salam

general greeting

 

Apa kabar?

how are you?

 

Kabar baik

reply to Apa kabar

 

Sudah sarapan?

morning greeting, literally: "have you eaten breakfast yet?"

 

Sudah

reply to Sudah sarapan

 

Hai

informal greeting

 

Italian [ita] (Italy.) Click here for other dialects of Italian.

Buon giorno

morning greeting

Buon pomeriggio

afternoon greeting

Buona sera

evening greeting

Salve

informal greeting

Ciao

informal greeting

Come sta?

how are you?

Come va?

how are you? informal

Tutto bene?

how are you? informal

Bene

reply to Come sta, Come va, and Tutto bene

Benvenuti

welcome greeting

 

Japanese [jpn] (Japan.) Click here for other dialects of Japanese.

こんにちは。

konnichi wa: general greeting in standard Japanese (標準語)

おはよう。

ohayo: morning greeting in standard Japanese (標準語)

おはようございます。

ohayo gozaimasu: morning greeting in standard Japanese (標準語)

こんばんは。

konban wa: evening greeting in standard Japanese (標準語)

元気ですか?

genki desu ka: how are you? in standard Japanese (標準語)

お元気ですか?

o genki desu ka: how are you? in standard Japanese (標準語)

はい、 げんき です。

hai, genki desu: reply to 元気ですか and お元気ですか in standard Japanese (標準語)

だいじょうぶ です か?

daijobu desu ka: how are you? in standard Japanese (標準語)

はい、だいじょうぶ です。

hai, daijobu desu: reply to だいじょうぶ です か in standard Japanese (標準語)

ようこそ。

yokoso: welcome greeting in standard Japanese (標準語)

 

Kannada [kan] (India.)

ನಮಸ್ಕಾರ namaskaara: general greeting
ಏನು ಸಮಾಚಾರ enu samaachaara: informal greeting
ನೀವು ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀರ? nivu hegiddira: how are you?
ನಾನು ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿದ್ದೇನೆ nanu chenagiddene: reply to ನೀವು ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀರ
ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀರ? hegiddira: how are you?
ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀಯ? hegiddiya: how are you?
ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿದ್ದೇನೆ nchenagiddene: reply to ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀರ and ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀಯ
ಶುಭ ಮುಂಜಾನೆ shuba mumjane: morning greeting
ಶುಭ ಮಧ್ಯಾಹ್ನ shuba mahdyana: afternoon greeting
ಶುಭ ರಾತ್ರಿ shuba raatri: evening greeting
ಸ್ವಾಗತ svaagata: welcome greeting

 

Khmer [khm] (Cambodia.)
សួស្តី suor sdei.  general greeting
ជំរាបសួរ choum reap suor.  general greeting 
អរុណសួស្តី arun suor sdei.  morning greeting 
រាត្រីសួស្តី rea drei suor sdei.  nighttime greeting
  សុខសប្បាយទេ sok sabai te. how are you?
  សុខសប្បាយជទេ sok sabai ji te. how are you?
  អ្នកសុខសប្បាយទេ? niak sok sabai te. how are you?
  តើអ្នកសុខសប្បាយទេ? tar niak sok sabai te. how are you?
  តើអ្នកសុខសប្បាយជាទេ? tar niak sok sabai ji te. how are you?
  ខ្ងុំសុខសប្បាយទេ khnyom sok sabai. reply to តើអ្នកសុខសប្បាយទេ   
  បាទ, ខ្ញុំសុខសប្បាយ baht, khnyom sok sabai. reply to តើអ្នកសុខសប្បាយទេ spoken by a man.  
  ចា, ខ្ញុំសុខសប្បាយ jah, khnyom sok sabai. reply to តើអ្នកសុខសប្បាយទេ spoken by a woman.  
  ភាស្វាគមន៍ som swaakom: welcome greeting

 

Khmu [kjg] (Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand.)

Samai lə 

general greeting

Sambai lə 

general greeting

Yat lə 

general greeting

Jɔh mə 

general greeting, "where are you going"

Ta jɔh mə 

greeting spoken to an elder man, "grandfather, where are you going"

Ma jɔh mə 

greeting spoken to an elder woman, "grandmother, where are you going"

Jong teng jɔh mə 

greeting spoken to an older man, "older uncle, where are you going"

Jong aw jɔh mə 

greeting spoken to an older man, "younger uncle, where are you going"

Ma teng jɔh mə 

greeting spoken to an older woman, "aunt, where are you going"

Siə jɔh mə 

greeting spoken to a younger man, "where are you going"

Pə jɔh mə 

greeting spoken to a younger woman, "where are you going"

 

Korean [kor] (North Korea and South Korea.) Click here for other dialects of Korean.

안녕하십니까

annyeong hasimnikka: general greeting

안녕하세요

annyeong haseyo: informal greeting

안녕

annyeong: informal greeting

안녕히 주무셨습니까

annyeonghi jumusyeotseumnikka: morning greeting

좋은아침입니다

joun achimipnida: morning greeting

좋은저녁입니다

joun jonyokipnida: evening greeting

좋은밤입니다

joun bamipnida: nighttime greeting

어떻게 지내세요?

eotteoke jinaeseyo: how are you?

잘지대요

jaljinaeyo: reply to 어떻게 지내세요

어디 가니?

eodi gani: informal greeting, literally "are you going somewhere"

응, 어디 가

eung, eodi ga: reply to 어디 가니

어서 오세요

eoseo oseyo: welcome greeting

환영함니다

hwanyeong hamnida: welcome greeting

안녕하십네까

annyong hashipnegga: general greeting in Pyongyang dialect (평안)

반갑시오

ban gapsio: general greeting in the Jeju dialect (제주방언)

혼저옵서예

honjeo opseoye: welcome greeting in the Jeju dialect (제주방언)

 

Kurdish / Kurdi / Kurmanji [ckb] (Iraq.)  Click here for other dialects of Kurdish.

سلاو

slaw: general greeting in the Sorani dialect

رۆژ باش

roj bash: general greeting in the Sorani dialect

به‌يانی باش

beyani bash: morning greeting in the Sorani dialect

ه‌واره‌ باش

eware bash: evening greeting in the Sorani dialect

شاو باش

shaw bash: nighttime greeting in the Sorani dialect

چۆنی

chorni: how are you? in the Sorani dialect

باشم، سوپاس

bashem supas: reply to چۆنی in the Sorani dialect

هوون ب خێر هاتن

hun bi xer hatin: welcome greeting

 

Lahu [lhu] (China, Burma, and Thailand.)

Cheh˅ sha la˅? how are you? (literally: is life easy?)
Cheh˅ sha la˅ reply to Cheh˅ sha la˅
Cheh˅ sha cheh˅-aw la˅? how are you?
Cheh˅ sha ve yo ̬ reply to Cheh˅ sha cheh˅-aw la˅
E cheh˅ sha cheh˅-aw reply to Cheh˅ sha cheh˅-aw la˅
Aw_ ca˅ o ̬ la˅? general greeting (literally: have you eaten?)
Aw_ ca˅ peu ̬ o ̬ la˅? general greeting (literally: have you eaten?)
Ca˅ o ̬ reply to Aw_ ca˅ peu ̬ o ̬ la˅  and Aw_ ca˅  o ̬ la˅  (I have eaten)
Aw_ ca˅ peu ̬ o ̬ reply to Aw_ ca˅ peu ̬ o ̬ la˅  and Aw_ ca˅  o ̬ la˅  (I have eaten)
Ma˅ ca˅ she_ reply to Aw_ ca˅ peu ̬ o ̬ la˅  and Aw_ ca˅  o ̬ la˅  (I have not eaten)
Aw_ ma˅ ca˅ she_ reply to Aw_ ca˅ peu ̬ o ̬ la˅  and Aw_ ca˅  o ̬ la˅  (I have not eaten)
  Hk'aw_ k'ai le? greeting to a person going somewhere ("where are you going")
  Naw_ hk'aw_ k'ai le? greeting to a person going somewhere ("where are you going")
  Naw_ hk'aw_ k'ai ve le? greeting to a person going somewhere ("where are you going")
  Hk'aw_ ka ̭ la ̬ le? welcome greeting to a visitor ("where are you coming from")
  Aw_ bo ui ja˅ welcome greeting to a visitor

 

Lao [lao] (Laos.)

Sabai dii

general greeting

Sabai dii baw?

how are you?

Chao sabai dii baw?

how are you?

Khoi sabai dii

reply to Sabai dii baw and Chao sabai dii baw

Pen jung dai?

how are you? informal

Yin dee thon hap

welcome greeting

 

Mandarin [cmn] (China)

汝好

nî hâo: general greeting

您好

nín hâo: general greeting

早晨好

zâo chén hǎo: morning greeting used in the People's Republic of China

早上好

zâo shàng hǎo: morning greeting used in the People's Republic of China

早安

zâo an: morning greeting used in Taiwan

早

zâo: morning greeting used in Taiwan

下午好

xìa wǔ hǎo: afternoon greeting used in the People's Republic of China

午安

wǔ ān: afternoon greeting  used in Taiwan

晚上好

wǎn shàng hǎo: evening greeting

晚安

wǎn ān: evening and nighttime greeting

你好吗?

nî hâo ma: how are you?, also written 你好嗎

您好吗?

nín hâo ma: how are you?, also written 您好嗎

我很好

wǒ hěn hǎo: reply to 你好嗎

你怎么样?

nǐ zěnme yàng: how are you?, informal

幸会

xìng huì: greeting used when meeting someone for the first time

久仰

jiǔwén dàmíng: polite greeting used when meeting someone for the first time

欢迎

huan ying: welcome greeting, also written 歡迎

欢迎光临  

huan ying guang lin: welcome greeting, also written 歡迎光臨

 

Marathi [mar] (India: Maharashtra.)

नमस्कार namaskār: general greeting
नमस्ते namaste: general greeting
तू कसा आहेस? thu kasa āhesa: how are you? spoken to a man
  तू कशी आहेस? thu kaśī ahesa: how are you? spoken to a woman
तुम्ही कसे आहात? tumhī kase āhāt: how are you? formal
आपण कसे आहात? apana kase ahatha: how are you? formal
मी ठीक आहे mi thika āhe: reply to तू कसा आहेस, तू कशी आहेस, and आपण कसे आहात
मी मजेत आहे mi majaet āhe: reply to तू कसा आहेस, तू कशी आहेस, and आपण कसे आहात
शुभ रात्री śubh ratri: nighttime greeting
स्वागत svaagat: welcome greeting

 

Marshallese [mah] (Marshal Islands and Nauru.)

Iokwe general greeting (also written  Yokwe)
Iokwe iokwe general greeting (also written  Yokwe yokwe)
Iọkwe eok general greeting spoken to one person (also written  Yokwe yok)
Iọkwe kom general greeting spoken to a group (also written  Yokwe kom)
Iọkwe aolep general greeting spoken to a group (also written  Yokwe aolep)
Iokwe in jibbon morning greeting (also written  Yokwe in jibbon)
Iokwe in raelep afternoon greeting (also written  Yokwe in raelep)
Iokwe in jota evening greeting (also written  Yokwe in jota)
Emman mour? how are you?
Emman ke am mour? how are you?
Ej et am mour? how are you?
Ej et mour? how are you?
Emman reply to Emman mour, Emman ke am mour, Ej et mour and Ej et am mour
  Elukkuun emman reply to Emman mour, Emman ke am mour, Ej et mour and Ej et am mour
  Emmantata reply to Emman mour, Emman ke am mour, Ej et mour and Ej et am mour

 

Mien (Iu Mien) [ium] (Laos and Thailand.)

Yiem longx

general greeting

Yiem longx nyei

general greeting

A'hneiv duqv buangh

general greeting

Yiem longx nyei fai?

how are you?

Yiem longx nyei saah?

how are you?

Yiem longx nyei saqc?

how are you?

Meih yiem longx nyei?

how are you?

Meih longx nyei saah?

how are you?

Meih longx nyei?

how are you?

Longx nyei saah?

how are you?

Baengh orn lungh ndorm

morning greeting

Baengh orn lungh aanx

afternoon greeting

Baengh orn lungh muonx

evening greeting

Ov, meih daaih orh

welcome greeting

A'hneiv zipv

welcome greeting

A'hneiv zipv meih

welcome greeting

 

Mixteco [mil] (Mexico: Oaxaca.) Click here for other dialects of Mixteco.

Tanìndíí táà

morning greeting spoken to a man

Tanìndíí náà

morning greeting spoken to a woman

 

Tanìndíí

morning greeting

Tándi

morning greeting

Tàníshiù

noontime greeting

Tá'úshiù

noontime greeting

Tanìñíni

afternoon greeting

Tanìkuaa

evening greeting

Ndesa kúuní?

how are you? formal

Ndesa yóóni?

how are you? formal

Ndesa kúuró?

how are you? informal

Ndesa yóóró?

how are you? informal

Kúu kuééni

reply to Ndesa kúuní, Ndesa yóóni, Ndesa kúuró, and Ndesa yóóró

 

Pashto [pbu] (Afghanistan and Pakistan.) Click here for other dialects of Pashto.

السلام عليكم

assalamu u alaikum: general greeting

و عليكم السلام

wa alaikum assalam: reply to assalamu u alaikum

څنگه يې؟             

sanga ye: how are you

زه شه یم

za sha yam: reply to څنگه يې

ستړی مه شی

starhi mashe: welcome greeting, "may you not be tired"

پخیرراغلی

pakher raghle: welcome greeting

ښه راغلاست

sa raghlast: welcome greeting

 

Polish [pol] (Poland.)

Dzień dobry

general greeting

Dobry wieczór

afternoon and evening greeting

Cześć

informal greeting

Witam

informal greeting

Witaj

informal greeting

Jak się masz?

how are you?

Jak się miewasz?

how are you?

Jak się Pan miewa?

how are you? formal, spoken to a man

Jak się Pani miewa?

how are you? formal, spoken to a woman

Dziękuje dobrze

reply to Jak się masz, Jak się Pan miewa, Jak się Pani miewa, and Jak się miewasz

Dobrze

reply to Jak się masz, Jak się Pan miewa, Jak się Pani miewa, and Jak się miewasz

Sie masz?

how you are? informal

Sie ma?

how are you? informal

 

Portuguese [por] (Portugal and Brazil.)

Bom dia

general greeting

Boa tarde

afternoon greeting

Boa noite

evening and nighttime greeting

Olá

informal greeting

Oi

informal greeting

Como está?

how are you?

Como estás?

how are you? informal, spoken in Portugal

Muito bem

reply to Como está and Como estás

Bem, obrigado

reply to Como está and Como estás, spoken by a man

Bem, obrigada

reply to Como está and Como estás, spoken by a woman

Como você vai?

how are you? spoken in Brazil

Como vai?

how are you? spoken in Brazil

Tudo bem?

how are you? spoken in Brazil

Tudo bem, obrigado

reply to Como você vai, Como vai, and Tudo bem, spoken by a man

Tudo bem, obrigada

reply to Como você vai, Como vai, and Tudo bem, spoken by a woman

Bem-vindo

welcome greeting spoken to one person

Bem-vindos

welcome greeting spoken to a group of people

Seja bem-vindo

welcome greeting spoken to one person

Sejam bem-vindos

welcome greeting spoken to a group of people

 

Punjabi (Panjabi) [pan] (India.) Click here for other dialects of Punjabi.

ਸਤਿ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਅਕਾਲ

sat sri akal: general greeting used by Sikhs

ਸਤਿ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਅਕਾਲ ਜੀ

sat sri akal ji: formal greeting used by Sikhs

ਹੈਲੋ

hailo: general greeting (from English)

ਕੀਥਾ

keedah: informal greeting

ਸ਼ੁਭ ਰਾਤ੍ਰੀ

shubh ratri: nighttime greeting

ਤੁਹਾਡਾ ਕੀ ਹਾਲ ਹੈ?

tuhada ki haal hai: how are you?

ਤੁਹਾਡਾ ਕੀ ਹਾਲ ਏ?

tuhada ki haal aeh: how are you?, informal

ਅੱਛਾ, ਧੰਨਵਾਦ।

accha dhannavad: reply to ਤੁਹਾਡਾ ਕੀ ਹਾਲ ਹੈ and ਤੁਹਾਡਾ ਕੀ ਹਾਲ ਏ

ਅੱਛ

accha: reply to ਤੁਹਾਡਾ ਕੀ ਹਾਲ ਹੈ and ਤੁਹਾਡਾ ਕੀ ਹਾਲ ਏ

ਬਹੁਤ ਅੱਛਾ

bahut accha: reply to ਤੁਹਾਡਾ ਕੀ ਹਾਲ ਹੈ and ਤੁਹਾਡਾ ਕੀ ਹਾਲ ਏ

ਜੀ ਆਇਆਂ ਨੂੰ

ji aya nun: welcome greeting

 

Rumanian (Romanian) [ron] (Romania.) Click here for other dialects of Rumanian.

Bună

general greeting

Bună ziua

general greeting

Bună dimineaţa

morning greeting

Bună seara

evening greeting

Salut

general greeting

Sărut mâna

polite greeting spoken to an older woman

Ce mai faci?

how are you?

Ce mai faceţi domnule?

how are you? spoken to a man

Ce mai faceţi doamnă?

how are you? spoken to a woman

Bine

reply to Ce mai faci, Ce mai faceţi domnule, and Ce mai faceţi doamnă

Foarte bine

reply to Ce mai faci, Ce mai faceţi domnule, and Ce mai faceţi doamnă

Bun venit

welcome greeting

Bine aţi venit

welcome greeting

 

Russian [rus] (Russia.)
Здравствуйте zdravstvuite: general greeting
Здравствуй zdravstvui: general greeting
Здравейте zdravyeite: informal greeting
Привет privyet: informal greeting
Добрый день dobry den: general daytime greeting
Доброе утро dobroye utro: morning greeting
Добрый вечер dobry vecher: evening greeting
Как дела? kak dyela: how are you?
Как ваши дела? kak vashi dyela: how are you?
Как жизнь? kak zhizn: how are you?
Как поживаешь? kak pozhivayesh: how are you?
Хорошо horosho: reply to Как дела, Как ваши дела, Как жизнь, and Как поживаешь
Добро пожаловать dobro pozhalovat': welcome greeting

 

Samoan [smo] (Samoa.)

Tālofa

general greeting

Tālofa lava

general greeting

Feofoofoa'iga

general greeting

Lele taeao

morning greeting

Taeao manuia

morning greeting

Lele ao auli

afternoon greeting

Talofa manuia le aso

afternoon greeting

Lele afiafi

evening greeting

Manuia le afiafi

evening greeting

O ā mai oe?

how are you?

Manuia, fa'afetai

reply to O a mai oe

Manuia

reply to O a mai oe

 

Serbo-Croatian / Bosnian [bos] / Croatian [hrv] / Serbian [srp] (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Serbia.)

Zdravo

general greeting in Croatian and Bosnian, written as Здраво in Serbian

Dobro jutro

morning greeting in Croatian and Bosnian, written as Добро јутро in Serbian

Dobar dan

afternoon greeting in Croatian and Bosnian, written as Добар дан in Serbian

Dobar večer

evening greeting in Croatian

Dobro većer

evening greeting in Bosnian

Добро вече

dobro veche: evening greeting in Serbian

Kako ste?

how are you? formal in Croatian and Bosnian, written as Како сте? in Serbian

Kako si?

how are you? informal in Croatian and Bosnian, written as Како си? in Serbian

Dobro

reply to Kako ste and Kako si in Croatian and Bosnian, written as Добро in Serbian

Hvala, dobro

reply to Kako ste and Kako si in Croatian and Bosnian, written as Хвала, добро in Serbian

Dobro došli

welcome greeting  in Croatian and Bosnian, written as Добродошли in Serbian

Merhaba

greeting used by Muslims in Bosnian

Sabah hajrula

morning greeting used by Muslims in Bosnian

Akšem hajrula

evening greeting used by Muslims in Bosnian
 

Somali [som] (Somalia and Ethiopia.) Click here for Af-Maay (Somali Bantu), another language spoken by some Somali immigrants in the U.S.

 

Subax wanaagsan

morning greeting

 

Galab wanaagsan

afternoon greeting

 

Fiid wanaagsan

evening greeting

 

Habeen wanaagsan

nighttime greeting

 

Assalaamu calaykum

general greeting spoken by Muslims

 

Calaykum assalaam

reply to Assalaamu calaykum

 

Waryaa

informal greeting spoken to a man

 

Iska waran?

how are you?

 

See tahay?

how are you?

 

Sidee tahay?

how are you?

 

Ma nabad baa?

how are you? spoken in the northern region

 

Nabad miyaa?

how are you? spoken in the southern region

 

Maxaad sheegtay?

how are you?, literally "what did you tell"

 

Nabad

reply to Iska waran, Ma nabad baa, and Nabad miya

 

Waa nabad

reply to Iska waran, Ma nabad baa, and Nabad miya

 

Waan fiicanyahay

reply to Iska waran, See tahay and Sidee tahay

 

Waa la fiicanyahay

reply to Iska waran, See tahay and Sidee tahay

 

Waa la wanaagsanyahay

reply to Maxaad sheegtay

 

Soo dhowow

welcome greeting

 

Spanish [spa] (Spain, Mexico, and various countries in Central and South America.)

 

Buenos días

morning greeting

 

Buenas tardes

afternoon and evening greeting

 

Buenas noches

nighttime greeting

 

Hola

informal greeting

 

Buen día

morning greeting, spoken in Argentina

 

¿Cómo está?

how are you? spoken to one person, formal

 

¿Cómo está usted?

how are you? spoken to one person, formal

 

¿Cómo estás?

how are you? spoken to one person, informal

 

¿Cómo están?

how are you? spoken to a group of people

 

Bien

rely to Cómo está, Cómo está usted, Cómo estás, and Cómo están

 

¿Qué tal?

how are you? informal

 

¿Qué pasa?

how are you? informal, literally "what's happening"

 

¿Qué hay de nuevo?

how are you? informal, literally "what's new"

 

¿Qué hubo?

how are you? informal, spoken in Mexico

 

¿Qué onda?

how are you? informal, spoken in Mexico

 

Bienvenido

welcome greeting spoken to a man

 

Bienvenida

welcome greeting spoken to a woman

 

Bienvenidos

welcome greeting spoken to a group of people

 

Taiwanese (Min Nan Chinese) [nan] (Taiwan.) Click here for other dialects Chinese.

汝好

li ho: general greeting

好無

ho bo: general greeting. 

汝好無

li ho bo: general greeting, also written 你好嗎

多謝, 我真好

to sia gua tsin ho: reply to 汝好無

好，感谢

ho gaam sia: reply to 汝好無

好，多谢

ho do sia: informal reply to 汝好無

敖早 

gau tsa: morning greeting, also written 爻早

午安

go on: afternoon greeting

晚安

buan on: evening and nighttime greeting

 

Tamil [tam] (India: Tamil Nadu.)

வணக்கம் vanakkam: general greeting
காலை வணக்கம் kalai vanakkam: morning greeting
மதிய வணக்கம் matiya vanakkam: afternoon greeting
நீ எப்படி இருக்கிறாய் ni eppadi irukkiray: how are you?
நான் நல்லபடியாக இருக்கிறேன் naan nallapadiyaka irukkenren: reply to நீ எப்படி இருக்கிறாய்
எப்படி இருக்கீங்க eppadi irukeenga: how are you?
நல்லா இருக்கின்றேன் nallaa irukkenren: reply to எப்படி இருக்கீங்க
நல்லாவே இருக்கேன் nallaave irukken: reply to எப்படி இருக்கீங்க
நன்றாக இருக்கின்றீர்களா?  nanraaga irukkenriirgalaa: how are you?
நல்லா இருக்கீங்களா?  nallaa irukkengalaa: how are you?
நான் நன்றாக இருக்கின்றேன் naan nanraaga irukkendreen: reply to நல்லா இருக்கீங்களா
நான் நல்லா இருக்கேன் naan nalla irukkeen: reply to நல்லா இருக்கீங்களா
வாருங்கள் vaarungal: welcome greeting
வாங்க vaanga: welcome greeting in spoken language

 

Telugu [tel] (India: Andhra Pradesh.)

Namaskaaram general greeting
Namaskaaramulu general greeting
Namaskaaramandi formal greeting
Suprabhaatam morning greeting
Shubhodayam morning greeting
Elaa ennaru? how are you?
Baagaane unnaanu reply to Elaa ennaru
Baaga vunnara? how are you?
Baagaane vunnara reply to Baaga vunnara
Svaagatam welcome greeting

 

Thai [tha] (Thailand.) Click here for other dialects of Thai.

สวัสด

sawatdi: general greeting

สวัสดีครับ

sawatdi krap: general greeting spoken by a man

สวัสดค่ะ

sawatdi ka: general greeting spoken by a woman

สบายดีไหม

sabaidi mai: how are you?

สบายดีไหมครับ

sabaidi mai krap: how are you? spoken by a man

สบายดีไหมค่ะ

sabaidi mai ka: how are you? spoken by a woman

สบายดีหรือ

sabaidi reu: how are you?

สบายดีรึเปล่า

sabaidi reu bplao: how are you?

สบายดีครับ

sabaidi krap: reply to สบายดีไหมค, สบายดีหรือ, and สบายดีรึเปล่า spoken by a man

สบายดีค่ะ

sabaidi ka: reply to สบายดีไหมค, สบายดีหรือ, and สบายดีรึเปล่า spoken by a woman

เป็นอย่างไรบ้าง

pen yang rai bang: how are you?

เป็นยังไงบ้าง

pen yang ngai bang: how are you?

เป็นไงบ้าง

pen ngai bang: how are you?

เป็นไงมั่ง

pen ngai mang: how are you?, informal

เป็นไง

pen ngai: how are you?, informal

ก็ดี

ko di: reply to เป็นอย่างไรบ้าง, เป็นไงบ้าง, เป็นไงมั่ง, and เป็นไง

ก็เรื่อยๆ

ko rueay rueay: reply to เป็นอย่างไรบ้าง, เป็นไงบ้าง, เป็นไงมั่ง, and เป็นไง

ยินดีต้อนรับ

yindi torn lap: welcome greeting

 

Tigrinya (Tigrigna) [tir] (Eritrea and Ethiopia.)

መዓልኩም

 mealkum: general greeting
ሰላም selam: general greeting
ሰላማት selamat: general greeting
  ብሩኽ መዓልቲ buruch me alti: general daytime greeting
  ብሩኽ ምሸት buruch me shet: evening greeting
ደሓንዶ ሓዲርካ dehando haderka: morning greeting
ከመይ ሓዲርካ kemey haderka: morning greeting spoken to a man
  ድሓንዶ ሓዲርኩም dehando haderkum: formal morning greeting spoken to a man
  ደሓን ሓዲርካ dehan haderka: morning greeting spoken to a man
ከመይ ዉዒልኻ kemey we'ilka: afternoon greeting spoken to a man
ድሓንዶ ዉዒልኩም dehando we'ilkum: formal afternoon greeting spoken to a man
ከመይ ዉዒልኩም kemey we'ilkum: formal afternoon greeting spoken to a man
ከመይ ዉዒልኺ kemey we'ilki: afternoon greeting spoken to a woman
ከመይ ዉዒልኺን kemey we'ilken: formal afternoon greeting spoken to a woman
ድሓንዶ ኣምሲኹም  kemey amsikum: formal evening greeting spoken to a man
ድሓንዶ ኣለኻ dehando aleka: how are you? spoken to a man
ድሓንዶ ኣለኺ dehando aleki: how are you? spoken to a woman
ከመይ ኣለኻ kemey aleka: how are you? spoken to a man
ከመይ ኣለኺ kemey aleki: how are you? spoken to a woman
ከመይ ኣለኹም kemey alekum: how are you? formal, spoken to a man
ከመይ ኣለኺን kemey alekin: how are you? formal, spoken to a woman
ጽቡቅ tzubuk: reply to Kemey aleka and Kemey aleki

 

Toishanese (Yue Chinese) [yue] (China.) Click here for other dialects Chinese.

你好

nā hau: general greeting

喂

wei: general greeting

早晨

dau sĕn: morning greeting

你好嗎?

nā hau mŏ: how are you?

我好

ngoi hau: reply to 你好嗎

好好

hau hau: reply to 你好嗎

歡迎

fun ying: welcome greeting

 

Tongan [ton] (Tonga.)

Malo e lelei

general greeting

Malo e tau lava

general greeting

Malo e tau ma'u 'a e 'aho' ni

general daytime greeting

Malo tau ma'u e pongipongi' ni

morning greeting

Malo e tau lava ki he pongipongi' ni

morning greeting

Malo tau ma'ue ho'ata ni

afternoon greeting

Malo tau ma'u e efiafi ni

evening greeting

Malo e mo'ui

greeting used after a long absence

Fefe hake?

how are you? spoken to one person

Mo fefe hake?

how are you? spoken to two people

Mou fefe hake?

how are you? spoken to a group of three or more people

Sai pe

reply to Fefe hake, Mo fefe hake, and Mou fefe hake

 

Turkish [tur] (Turkey and Northern Cyprus.)

Merhaba

general greeting

Selam

general greeting

Iyi gunler

general greeting

Günaydın

morning greeting

Tünaydın

afternoon greeting

İyi günler

afternoon greeting

İyi akşamlar

evening greeting

İyi geceler

nighttime greeting

Nasılsınız?

how are you? formal

Teşekkür ederim, siz nasılsınız?

formal reply to Nasılsınız

Nasılsın?

how are you? informal

İyiyim, sen nasılsın?

informal reply to Nasılsın

İyiyim

reply to Nasılsınız and Nasılsın

Çok iyiyim 

reply to Nasılsınız and Nasılsın

Hoş geldin

welcome greeting spoken to one person

Hoş geldiniz

welcome greeting spoken to a group of people

Hoş bulduk

reply to Hoş geldin and Hoş geldiniz

 

Ukrainian [ukr] (Ukraine.)

Привіт

privit: general greeting

Вітаю

vitayu: general greeting

Здоровенькі

zdorovenki: general greeting

Здорово

zdorovo: general greeting

Здрастуй

zdrastui: informal greeting

Доброго здоров'я

dobrogo zdorovya: formal greeting

Добрий день

dobriy den: general daytime greeting

Добридень

dobriden: informal daytime greeting

Доброго ранку

dobrogo ranku: morning greeting spoken in the eastern dialect

Добрий ранок

dobriy ranok: morning greeting spoken in the western and diaspora dialects

Добрий вечір

dobriy vechir: evening greeting

Як почуваєте себе?

yak pochuvayete sebe: how are you? formal spoken in the eastern dialect

Як почуваєш себе?

yak pochuvayesh sebe: how are you? informal spoken in the eastern dialect

Як ся маєш?

yak sya mayesh: how are you? spoken in the western dialect

Ласкаво просимо

laskavo prosimo: welcome greeting

 

Urdu [urd] (India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.)

سلام

salaam: general greeting

سلام علیکم

asalaam aleikum: general greeting

السلام عليكم

salaam aleikum: general greeting

وعليكم السلام

walaikum salaam: reply to سلام علیکم and  السلام عليكم

صبح بخیر

subha ba khair: morning greeting

کیا حال ہے

kya hal hai: how are you?

میں ٹھیک ہوں

main theek hun: reply to کیا حال ہے

میں ٹھیک ہوں،شکر یہ

main theek hun shukriya: reply to کیا حال ہے

سلام علیکم

khush amdeed: welcome greeting

 

Vietnamese [vie] (Vietnam.) Click here for other dialects of Vietnamese.

Xin chào 

general greeting

Xin kính chào

formal greeting

Chào bạn  

informal greeting spoken to a group of people

Chào cụ ạ

respectful greeting spoken to a senior citizen (literally "great grandmother","great grandfather")

Chào ông

greeting spoken to an older man (literally "grandfather")

Chào bác 

greeting spoken to an older man or woman (literally "uncle/aunt older than father")

Chào bà  

greeting spoken to an older woman (literally "grandmother")

Chào em

greeting spoken to a child (literally, "younger sibling")

Chào cháu

greeting spoken to the child of a close friend (literally, "niece," "nephew," "grandchild")

Chào con

greeting spoken to the child of a close friend (literally, "son", "daughter")

Chào qúy vị  

formal greeting spoken to a group of people

Chào buổi tối

evening greeting

Bạn có khoẻ không?

how are you?

Anh có khoẻ không?

how are you? spoken to a man

Chị có khoẻ không?

how are you? spoken to a woman

Khỏe chứ?

how are you? informal

Hoanh nghênh

formal welcome greeting

Chào mừng

welcome greeting

Xin chào mừng

welcome greeting

Kính chào quý khách

welcome greeting

Xin kính chào quý khách

welcome greeting

 

 

*The names of language groups used on this page differ slightly from the language names used elsewhere on this site:

 

R30 Code

Language Designator(s)

ISO  639-3

Language Name(s)

Alternative Name(s)

56

Albanian

[sqi]

[aae]

[aat]

[aln]

[als]

Albanian (macrolanguage)

Albanian, Arbëreshë

Albanian, Arvvantika

Albanian, Tosk

Albanian, Gheg

Shqip, Shkip, Shgip, Shqiperë, Tosk, Gheg

11

Arabic

[ara]

[arb]

[afb]

[acm]

[ary]

[acq]

Arabic (macrolanguage)

Arabic, Standard

Arabic, Gulf Spoken

Arabic, Mesopotamian Spoken

Arabic, Morroccan Spoken

Arabic, Ta'izzi-Adeni Spoken

Click here for more

Al-Arabiyya

12

Armenian

[hye] Armenian Haieren

42

Assyrian

[aii] Assyrian Neo-Aramaic Neo-Syriac, Neo-Aramaic

61

Bengali

[ben] Bengali Bangala, Bangla

13

Burmese

[mya] Burmese Bama, Bamachaka, Myanmar

03

Cantonese

[yue] Chinese, Yue Yue, Yuet Yue, Yueyu

36

Cebuano (Visayan)

[ceb] Cebuano Bisayan, Visayan, Sugbuanon, Sugbuhanon

54

Chaldean

[cld] Chaldean Neo-Aramaic Fallani, Fellihi, Kaldaya

20

Chamorro (Guamanian)

[cha] Chamorro Tjamoro, Chamoru

39

Chaozhou (Chiuchow)

[nan] Chinese, Min Nan Southern Nan, Min Nan, Choushan, Chaoshan

15

Dutch

[nld] Dutch Nederlands, Hollands

16

Farsi (Persian)

[pes]
[prs]
[pes]		 Persian (macrolanguage)
Farsi, Eastern
Farsi, Western		 Dari, Parsi

05

Filipino (Pilipino or Tagalog)

[fil]
[tgl]		 Filipino
Tagalog		 Filipino, Pilipino, Tagalog

17

French

[fra] French Français

18

German

[deu] German Deutsch

19

Greek

[ell] Greek Ellinika, Dimotiki, Katharevousa, Neo-Hellenic

43

Gujarati

[guj] Gujarati Gujerati, Gujerathi, Gujrathi

21

Hebrew

[heb] Hebrew Ivrit

22

Hindi

[hin] Hindi Khadi Boli, Khari Boli

23

Hmong

[hmn]
[hnj]
[mww]		 Hmong (macrolanguage)
Hmong Njua
Hmong Daw		 Hmoob, Moob, Mong, Miao, Meo

24

Hungarian

[hun] Hungarian Magyar

25

Ilocano

[ilo] Ilocano Iloko, Ilokano

26

Indonesian

[ind] Indonesian Bahasa Indonesia

27

Italian

[ita] Italian Italiano

08

Japanese

[jpn] Japanese Nihongo

65

Kannada

 [kan] Kannada Kanarese, Banglori, Madrassi

09

Khmer (Cambodian)

[khm]
[kxm]		 Khmer, Central
Khmer, Northern		 Khmer, Cambodian

50

Khmu

[kjg] Khmu Kammu, Kamhmu, Kmhmu, Khamu

04

Korean

[kor] Korean Hanguk Mal, Hanguohua

51

Kurdish (Kurdi, Kurmanji)

[kur]
[ckb]
[kmr]
[sdh]		 Kurdish (macrolanguage)
Kurdish, Central
Kurdish, Northern
Kurdish, Southern		 Kurdi, Sorani, Kermanci, Kirmanci, Kurmanci

47

Lahu

[lhu] Lahu Muhso, Museu, Mussar, Kaixien, Kutsong

10

Lao

[lao] Lao Laotian

07

Mandarin (Putonghua)

[cmn] Chinese, Mandarin Putonghua, Guoyu, Hanyu, Guanhua, Beifanghua, Standard Chinese

64

Marathi

 [mar] Marathi Maharashtra, Maharathi, Malhatee, Marthi, Are

48

Marshallese

[mah] Marshallese Ebon

44

Mien (Yao)

[ium] Iu Mien Iu Mienh, Yiu Mien, Highland Yao

49

Mixteco

[mim]
[vmc]
[mxv]
[mil]
[mio]
[mks]		 Mixtec, Alacatlatzala
Mixtec, Juxtlahuaca
Mixtec, Metlatónoc
Mixtec, Peñoles
Mixtec, Pinotepa Nacional
Mixtec, Silacayoapan
Click here for more		 Tu'un Savi, Ñuu Savi, Ñuu Davi, Sa'an Davi, Da'an Davi, Ñuu Dau, Ñuu Sau, Sahin Sau, Yuhu Sau

40

Pashto

[pus]
[pst]
[pbu]
[pbt]		 Pushto (macrolanguage)
Pashto, Central
Pashto, Northern
Pashto, Southern		 Pashtu, Pakhto, Pushto, Pushtun, Mahsudi

41

Polish

[pol] Polish Polski

06

Portuguese

[por] Portuguese Português

28

Punjabi

[pan]
[pnb]		 Panjabi, Eastern
Panjabi, Western		 Panjabi, Lahanda, Lahnda, Lahndi

45

Rumanian

[ron]
[ruo]
[ruq]		 Romanian
Romanian, Istro
Romanian, Megleno		 Romanian, Rumanian, Moldavian

29

Russian

[rus] Russian Russki

30

Samoan

[smo] Samoan Gagana Sāmoa

52

Serbo-Croatian (Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian)

[hbs]
[bos]
[hrv]
[srp]		 Serbo-Croatian (macrolanguage)
Bosnian
Croatian
Serbian		 Hrvatski, Srpski, Bosanski, Montenegrin, Crnogorski, Serbo-Croat

60

Somali

[som]
[yym]		 Somali
Maay		 Af-Soomaali, Af-Maxaa
Af-Maay, Af-Maymay

01

Spanish

[spa] Spanish Español, Castellano

46

Taiwanese

[nan] Chinese, Min Nan Southern Nan, Min Nan, Hokkian, Hokkien, Fukien, Fujian

63

Tamil

 [tam] Tamil Damulian, Tamal, Tamalsan, Tambul, Tamili

62

Telugu

 [tel] Telugu Andhra, Gentoo, Tailangi, Telangire, Telegu

32

Thai

[tha] Thai Phasa Thai

57

Tigrinya

[tir] Tigrigna Tigrigna, Tigray

53

Toishanese

[yue] Chinese, Yue Siyi, Seiyap, Taishan, Toisan, Hoisan

34

Tongan

[ton] Tongan Tonga

33

Turkish

[tur] Turkish  Türkçe

38

Ukrainian

[ukr] Ukrainian Ukraiynska Mova

35

Urdu

[urd] Urdu Bihari

02

Vietnamese

[vie] Vietnamese Tiếng Việt, Việt Ngữ, Kinh

 

 

 

© 2010 - 2011 Jennifer Runner. All rights reserved.
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Site: http://www.elite.net/~runners/jennifers/LanguagesInCaliforniaSchools.htm

Last updated on November 22, 2011.