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There are multiple ways to say โhelloโ in Arabic. Here are a few worth knowing.
Steps
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Greet someone with "As-salam alaykom." This is a basic, formal greeting you can use with men and women and in the vast majority of social situations. [1] X Research source
- Translated literally, this is a blessing that means "peace be upon you."
- It is most commonly used by Muslims greeting other Muslims, but it has also been used in other circumstances and situations, as well.
- In Arabic script, this greeting is written from right to left as: ุงูุณูุงู ุนูููู
- This phrase should be pronounced as Ahl sah-LAHM ah-LAY-koom. [2] X Research source
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Respond to a standard greeting with "Wa Alykom As-slam." If someone says โas-salam alaykomโ to you first, this is the phrase you should reply back with. [3] X Research source
- Translated literally, this is a return blessing meaning โpeace be upon you, as wellโ or โand peace to you.โ
- Again, it is most frequently used by Muslims greeting other Muslims, but it can and has been used in other contexts, too.
- In Arabic script, this greeting is written from right to left as: ูุนูููู ุงูุณูุงู
- This greeting should be pronounced as Wah ah-LAY-koom ahl sah-LAHM.
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In the morning, greet someone with "Sabaแธฅu Al-khair." This is the Arabic equivalent of the English โgood morning.โ [4] X Trustworthy Source National Geographic Website of the National Geographic Society Go to source
- The most direct translation available for this Arabic phrase is "good morning," and is generally only used to greet someone before noon or so.
- In Arabic script, this greeting is written from right to left as: ุตุจุงุญ ุงูุฎูุฑ
- Pronounce this greeting as sah-bah-heu ahl-kha-ir .
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Respond to a morning greeting with "Sabaแธฅu An-Nur." If someone greeted you with โSabaแธฅu Al-khairโ first, this is the proper way to say โhelloโ back. [5] X Research source
- In practical terms, this phrase essentially means โgood morning, too.โ More directly, though, the greeting translates to something along the lines of โmorning light - I wish you a morning full lightโ
- In Arabic script, this greeting is written from right to left as: ุตุจุงุญ ุงูููุฑ
- You should pronounce this greeting as sah-bah-heu ahn-nuhr .
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In the afternoon or evening, greet someone with "Masaโu Al-khair.โ This is the Arabic equivalent of the English โgood day.โ [6] X Research source
- This phrase can be used to say โgood afternoonโ or โgood evening.โ You should use it any time after noon passes during a given day.
- In Arabic script, this greeting is written from right to left as: ู ุณุงุก ุงูุฎูุฑ
- Pronounce this phrase as mah-sah-uh ahl-kha-ir .
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Respond to an afternoon or evening greeting with "Masaโu An-Nur." If someone greets you with โ Masaโu Al-khairโ first, this is the correct way to say โhelloโ back. [7] X Research source
- In practical terms, this phrase essentially means โgood evening, too,โ but more directly, the greeting translates into something along the lines of โevening light - I wish you an evening full of lightโ
- In Arabic script, this greeting is written from right to left as: ู ุณุงุก ุงูููุฑ
- This phrase should be pronounced as mah-sah-uh ahn-nuhr .
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Shorten your greeting to "Salam." This is a fairly casual, easy-going way to tell someone โhiโ in Arabic. [8] X Research source
- Translated directly, this term means โpeace.โ When you say this phrase, you are making a nod to the full phrase โas-salam alaykom,โ or โpeace upon you,โ yet shortening it for the sake of ease. As a shortened form, however, you would generally only use it with family or friends with whom you can speak informally. [9] X Research source
- In Arabic script, this greeting is written from right to left as: ุณูุงู
- Pronounce this Arabic greeting as sah-LAHM.
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Casually greet someone with "Marแธฅaban." This is another casual way to say โhiโ to someone with whom you are on close terms. [10] X Research source
- This interjection can be translated either as "hello" or "hi." It's a more secular greeting, so it is most common among non-religious speakers of Arabic or speakers who are greeting non-religious people.
- In Arabic script, this greeting is written from right to left as: ู ุฑุญุจุง
- This greeting should be pronounced as MARR-hah-bah .
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Welcome someone with "Ahlan." If someone meets you at your home, work, or another location, you should use this greeting to offer a welcoming "hello." [11] X Research source
- This greeting translates into โwelcome,โ but this โwelcomeโ is usually used as an interjection rather than any other part of speech. As such, you would use it to say โWelcome!โ to someone as he or she walks through the door.
- In Arabic script, this greeting is written from right to left as: ุฃูููุง
- Pronounce this greeting as ah-lahn.
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Reply to a welcoming greeting with "Ahlan Wa Sahlan." If someone greets and welcomes you with โAhlanโ first, this is the most appropriate way to greet that person in reply. [12] X Research source
- In essence, you are saying โwelcome to you, too.โ Use it in response to โahlanโ or โmarแธฅaban.โ
- In Arabic script, this greeting is written from right to left as: ุฃููุง ูุณููุง
- You should pronounce this Arabic phrase as ah-lahn wah sah-lahn.
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Greet a close friend with "Ahlan sadiqi" or "Ahlan sadiqati." The former is a way to say โHey, friend!โ to a male, while the latter should be used to say the same thing to a female friend. [13] X Research source
- โAhlan sadiqiโ translates into โhey, male friend,โ and โAhlan sadiqatiโ translates into โhey, female friend.โ The former greeting is only given to males while the latter is only given to females.
- In Arabic script, โ Ahlan sadiqiโ is written from right to left as: ุฃููุง ุตุฏููู
- Pronounce this greeting as ah-lahn sah-dii-kii .
- In Arabic script, โAhlan sadiqati: is written from right to left as: ุฃููุง ุตุฏููุชู
- Pronounce this greeting as ah-lahn sah-dii-kah-tii .
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Answer the phone with "'ฤllล." This greeting is a common way to say โhelloโ on the telephone, but it is almost exclusively used for telephone conversations. [14] X Research source
- This Arabic interjection translates most directly into the English โhello.โ
- In Arabic script, this greeting is written from right to left as: ุขูู
- Pronounce the greeting as ahl-loh .
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Community Q&A
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QuestionHow do I say "good morning" in Arabic?Community AnswerYou say "Sabah el khair", the "h" in the word should be stressed upon, it's not like the one found in the English language, it is deeper and more pronounced.
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QuestionHow do I pronounce the word khair?Community AnswerThe pronunciation of 'kh' is the only tricky thing as it is not in the English language. Like when you have an itchy throat, you take the sound of 'khhh' out.
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QuestionIs "hi" in Farsi and Arabic the same?Community AnswerIn Farsi, speakers almost never say the full "As-salam alaykom" which is typically used in Arabic, but instead shorten it to "Salam". This can be used for speakers of any region to say hello.
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References
- โ https://omniglot.com/language/phrases/arabic.php
- โ https://www.ipl.org/div/hello/arabic.html
- โ https://myislam.org/wa-alaikum-assalam/
- โ https://www.nationalgeographic.com/expeditions/get-inspired/top-ten/common-popular-arabic-travel-phrases-words/
- โ https://discoverdiscomfort.com/good-morning-in-arabic-sabah-el-kheir/
- โ https://openbooks.lib.msu.edu/arb101/chapter/vocabulary-and-grammar/
- โ https://openbooks.lib.msu.edu/arb101/chapter/vocabulary-and-grammar/
- โ https://discoverdiscomfort.com/hello-in-arabic-greetings/
- โ https://www.yourdictionary.com/salaam
- โ https://www.ethniccommunities.govt.nz/resources/information-and-resources-in-other-languages/greetings-in-different-languages/greetings-in-arabic/
- โ https://human.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Languages/Arabic/Introduction_to_Arabic/02%3A_2-Welcome___Ahlan_Wa_Sahlan/2.03%3A_Dialogue_and_Reading
- โ https://human.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Languages/Arabic/Introduction_to_Arabic/02%3A_2-Welcome___Ahlan_Wa_Sahlan/2.03%3A_Dialogue_and_Reading
- โ https://www.abudhabicityguide.com/m/tourists/arabic-phrases.asp
- โ https://www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/arabic.php
About This Article
Article Summary
X
To say a standard โhelloโ in Arabic, say โAs-salam alaykom,โ which means โPeace be upon you.โ To respond to this greeting, you can say โWa Alykom As-salam." If you want to wish someone a good morning, say โSabahu Al-khair.โ A typically response to a morning greeting would be โSabahu An-Nur.โ In the afternoon or evening, youโd say โMasaโu Al-khair,โ or respond with โAl-khair An-Nur.โ To learn additional greetings, like how to greet a close friend, keep reading!
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