Before we set out to explore how to say “hello” in Hindi and other aspects of saying hello in Hindi, let us share with you the fact that India is a land of various languages. And frankly, we’re not even sure how many Indian alternatives there are to greet each other. It would be like counting the stars in the sky. Thus, “hello” in Hindi translation can vary greatly based on context.

But when it comes to saying “good morning” in Hindi or “hello” in Hindi, take a breath of relief as the number shrinks to only a handful of Hindi “hello” words. In India, spoken Hindi is a seamless blend of Hindi and Urdu. Of course, many native people offer greetings in Hindi and English both.

In this article, beginners will learn the most common words for “hello” in the Hindi language. We’ll also teach you both formal and informal ways to say “hello” in Hindi, along with the time-sensitive Hindi words for “hello,” such as “good evening” and “good afternoon.”

Also, if you want to hear “hello” in Hindi pronunciation, you can check our relevant vocabulary list with audio for you to listen to. This will help you more effectively learn how to say “hello” in the Hindi language, as will learning “hello” from Hindi speakers with our Premium Plus MyTeacher program.

Table of Contents

1. Different Ways to Say “Hello” in Hindi
2. Basic Categories of “Hello” and “Goodbye” in Hindi
3. Words for “Hello” & “Hi” in Hindi (Formal and Informal)
4. How Do You Say Hello in Hindi? (Formal Situations)
5. Words for Saying “Hello” in Hindi (Informal Situations)
6. Words and Phrases Used in Friendship
7. Learn to Say Hello in Hindi with HindiPod101.com

1. Different Ways to Say “Hello” in Hindi

So, the big questions now are: “What is ‘hello’ in Hindi?” and “How do you say ‘hello’ in Hindi?” Well, there are plenty of ways. These forms are directly influenced by the type of greeting occasion (formal or informal), the religion of the people, the time of day, and so on. We’ll be teaching you how to write “hello” in Hindi, as well as use it in conversation.

Because of the rich and diverse culture breathing in the country, it’s quite common to see Indians using words in both Urdu and Hindi. Moreover, the generational gap is apparent when it comes to greeting each other. Youngsters have different styles of saying “What’s up?” in Hindi, whereas adults prefer to be rather proper when they say hello. The bottom line is this: If you’re looking for a variety of ways to greet Indian people with “Hello,” Hindi is your language! Learning the words can be a challenge at first, but completely worth it.

2. Basic Categories of “Hello” and “Goodbye” in Hindi

Keeping the learners’ ease in mind, we’ve divided our list of words into three major categories. The first list consists of words that qualify as both formal and informal ways to say “Hello” in Hindi.

The second category is for words and phrases for hello in formal Hindi. And the third list will teach you to say it informally.

With that out of the way, let’s begin learning Hindi greetings!

3. Words for “Hello” & “Hi” in Hindi (Formal and Informal)

So first, we’ll begin with the most popular words for how to say “hello” in Hindi that can be used for both formal and informal situations.

1- नमस्ते (NamaSTe)

Even if you’ve never been to India, we bet you still know how to say “Hello” in the Hindi language. The one word that the whole world is familiar with is नमस्ते (NamaSTe). Believe us, in India, you can never go wrong with it. This really is one of the best options for how to say hello in Indian countries.

नमस्ते (NamaSTe) is the most common and apt form of hello in Hindi translation, be it a formal meeting, an informal gathering, or even greeting the elders. It’s also the most reliable choice when you ask yourself: How do you say “Hello, how are you?” in Hindi? This is especially true when meeting someone for the first time.

Example:

• नमस्ते, मेरा नाम रीमा है।
  (NamaSTe, meraa Naam riimaa hai.)
  “Hello, my name is Reema.”

As described here, you can very often use नमस्ते (NamaSTe) to introduce yourself and say, “Hello, my name is…” in Hindi.

2- नमस्कार (NamaSkaar)

The second most prevalent word for hello in Hindi meaning is नमस्कार (NamaSkaar). Whether you’re meeting a colleague or wondering how to say hello in Hindi to a man/elderly person, नमस्कार (NamaSkaar) is a widespread way to greet in such situations.

Example:

• नमस्कार, आपका स्वागत है।
  (NamaSkaar, aapakaa SvaagaT hai.)
  “Hello, you’re most welcome.”

3- अस-सलाम-अलैकुम (aS-SaLaam-aLaikum)

अस-सलाम-अलैकुम (aS-SaLaam-aLaikum) is a formal (and informal) phrase for saying hello in Urdu. It’s widely practiced by Muslims when greeting each other. This greeting, adapted from the Arabic language, means “Peace be unto you.”

When one person says अस-सलाम-अलैकुम (aS-SaLaam-aLaikum), respond by saying वा-अलैकुम-सलाम (vaa-aLaikum-SaLaam), which means, “Peace be unto you too.”

You may also hear this phrase for hello in Hindi songs or even “Hello” in Hindi films or serials. This is usually if it depicts a festive scene of an Eid celebration or the life of a Muslim family.

Example:

• अस-सलाम-अलैकुम भाई जान, कैसे हैं?
  (aS-SaLaam-aLaikum bhaaii jaaN, kaiSe hain.)
  “Hello brother, how are you?”

4- आदाब (aaDaab)

In the same way, आदाब (aaDaab) is another popular way to greet among Muslims. To respond, just say the word back to them.

Just like we use नमस्ते (NamaSTe) to many people, Muslims also use आदाब (aaDaab) to address a single individual or a group of people.

5- सत् श्री अकाल (SaT srii akaaL)

India is a land of many religions, and Sikhism is one of the most important ones. Talking about India without mentioning the Sikhs would be an incomplete story!

That’s why we’ve also included the common greeting phrase सत् श्री अकाल (SaT srii akaaL), which is often spoken by Sikhs or Punjabi people. The complete greeting is जो बोले सो निहाल, सत् श्री अकाल (jo boLe So NihaaL, Sat srii akaaL). It can roughly be translated as: “Blessed is the person who says, God is Truth.” However, people typically use the short greeting of सत् श्री अकाल (SaT srii akaaL).

If you ever happen across a Punjabi friend or family, say सत् श्री अकाल (SaT srii akaaL). It will mean a lot to them!

Example:

• सत् श्री अकाल जी, कैसे हो आप?
  (SaT srii akaaL jii, kaiSe ho aap?)
  “Hello, how are you?”

4. How do You Say Hello in Hindi? (Formal Situations)

We’ve now reached the section of words that are put to use in formal situations (preferably). You may hear these phrases in news stories, interviews, or radio channels.

One may also see these phrases for “hello” in Hindi writing in official documents or scripts of the same nature as the mediums listed above.

Now, let’s come back to our basic question in this article: What is Hindi for “hello” in formal situations? Which ones are time-specific? Here we go!

1- सुप्रभात (SuprabhaaT)

As each day begins with nice, bright morning sunshine, why not start with the morning “hello” in Hindi word सुप्रभात (SuprabhaaT)?

Let us remind you again that though सुप्रभात (SuprabhaaT) means “good morning” in English, it doesn’t have the same level of popularity in the general public. And thus, सुप्रभात (SuprabhaaT) is more often used in formal situations only.

Example:

• सुप्रभात, आज के समाचार कुछ इस प्रकार हैं।
  (SuprabhaaT, aaj ke Samaacaar kuch iS prakaar hain.)
  “Good morning, here’s the latest news for today.”

2- शुभ संध्या (subh SaNDHyaa)

You must be wondering what to say if you want to wish someone a “good evening”. Well, the word for it in Hindi is शुभ संध्या (subh SaNDHyaa).

It’s used in the same way as सुप्रभात (SuprabhaaT), but is used during a different time frame. Essentially, it means, “good evening.”

3- शुभ रात्रि (subh raaTri)

And the last formal phrase is शुभ रात्रि (subh raaTri) for saying “good night.” Just remember that it’s sort of a goodbye, and not said while greeting someone at the beginning of a meeting.

5. Words for Saying “Hello” in Hindi (Informal Situations)

We’ve arrived at the most useful section of the article: learning hello in Hindi for informal situations, like meeting friends, guests, and cousins. These are great follow-ups for after you’ve learned how to say, “Hello, my friend,” in Hindi!

1- कैसे / कैसी हैं आप? (kaiSe/kaiSii hain aap?)

Honestly, there are many ways to translate “hello” into Hindi in informal situations. Our first handpicked phrase is कैसे हैं आप? (kaiSe hain aap?) when talking to a man and कैसी हैं आप (kaiSii hain aap?) when talking to a woman.

The phrase means “How are you?” / “How do you do?” in English and is also an alternative to saying “Hello, sir” in Hindi.

Example:

• अरे चाची जी, कैसी हैं आप?
  (arey caacii jii, kaiSii hain aap?)
  “Hello aunty, how are you?”

2- क्या हाल हैं? (kyaa haaL hain?)

The friendlier and more relaxed way to greet people of your own age (or younger) is by saying क्या हाल हैं? (kyaa haaL hain?), which means “How have you been?” or “How are you doing?” in English.

Example:

When you’re addressing only one friend and wish to say, “Hello, my friend” in Hindi, use this sentence:

• और दोस्त, क्या हाल हैं ?
  (aur DoST, kyaa haaL hain?)
  “So/Hello my friend, how are you doing?”

But when you’re addressing more than one person as friends, and wish to say, “Hello, my friends” in Hindi, use this sentence:

• और दोस्तों, क्या हाल हैं ?
  (aur DoSTon, kyaa haaL hain?)
  “So/Hello friends, how are you doing?”

In both examples, it’s visible that और दोस्त (aur DoST) is sufficient to say, “Hello, friend” in Hindi for any informal get-together.

3- सलाम (SaLaam)

सलाम (SaLaam) is the best way to informally greet your Muslim friends. The phrase isn’t time-specific, so you can wish them सलाम (SaLaam) any time of the day and win their hearts!

• सलाम शफ़ीक़ भाई, कहाँ जा रहे हैं?
  (SaLaam safiiq bhaaii, kahaan jaa rahe hain?)
  “Hello Shafiq bro, where are you going?”

4- सब कैसा चल रहा है? (Sab kaiSaa caL rahaa hai?)

If you wish to say “How’s everything going on?” or “How’s it going?” in Hindi, the proper informal phrase is सब कैसा चल रहा है? (Sab kaiSaa caL rahaa hai?). People ask this when they genuinely care about you and your whereabouts.

5- कई दिनों बाद मिलना हुआ (kaii DiNon baaD miLaNaa huaa)

For a short English greeting phase, such as “Long time!” we have a long one: कई दिनों बाद मिलना हुआ। (kaii DiNon baaD miLaNaa huaa). Yes, we Indians are quite expressive and love to talk. The complete translation for this is “It’s been a long time.” (This is a big reason why we never mind indulging into a long list of Hindi words while chatting!)

• अरे वाह, सतीश ! कई दिनों बाद मिलना हुआ !
  (arey vaah, saTiis! kaii DiNon baaD miLaNaa huaa!)
  “Oh wow, Satish! Long time!”

6- और बताइये (aur baTaaiye)

Curious about how to say “hello” in Hindi slang? Well, the most popular one is और बताइये (aur baTaaiye). It’s a Hindi version of saying, “So, what’s up?” in English.

Youngsters often modify it a bit while speaking to their friends, and say और बताओ ! (aur baTaao).

7- कहाँ हो आज कल? (kahaan ho aaj kaL?)

Lastly, Indians also use the Hindi phrase कहाँ हो आज कल? (kahaan ho aaj kaL?), which means “Where are you these days?” It’s commonly used in both face-to-face and telephone conversations.

As you can see, there’s no single answer for what to say when greeting someone. Based on the circumstances, you can pick any of the phrases explained above and start an interesting conversation with someone.

6. Words and Phrases Used in Friendship

In this section, we’ll quickly cover the widely prevalent words and phrases for friends and someone that you’re dating. So, let’s get going!

1- यार (yaar)

यार (yaar) means “buddy.” It’s affectionately used for both male and female friends. Just remember to never say this to an elderly person or someone who holds a higher authority than you (in the workplace or elsewhere).

Example:

• चल यार, कुछ खाते हैं।
  (caL yaar, kuch khaaTe hain.)
  “Come on buddy, let’s eat something.”

2- दोस्त (DoST)

This is a simple but meaningful word that bonds two friends together. The English version of दोस्त (DoST) is “mate.”

• और दोस्त , कैसे हो ?
  (aur DoST, kaiSe ho?)
  “Hey mate, how are you?”

3- For Girlfriend and Boyfriend

But what about when you’re dating someone? There are pet names for your loved one in every language, and Hindi is no exception.

So, if you’re a girl who wishes to flirt with your boyfriend by saying “Hello Handsome” in Hindi, the phrase would be ओ मेरे हीरो ! (o mere hero). The literal translation of the Hindi phrase is, “Oh, my hero!” Since there isn’t any appropriate word for calling a man “handsome” in Hindi, it’s best to call him your hero, which both shows that he is both handsome and a star in your eyes.

If you’re a boy, looking for words to impress your sweetheart, confidently opt for something like शोना (soNaa) and मेरी प्यारी (merii pyaarii) which means “Hello, my sweet.” You can also use परी (parii) meaning “fairy,” or हसीना (haSiiNaa) which means “Hello, beautiful girl” in Hindi.

But here’s a reminder. Indian society is quite conservative in its nature. And saying these words out loud is not only considered rude, but vulgar as well. So, do so in private.

Moreover, unlike in other western countries, we’re not that open to flirting with someone whom we’re not in a relationship with. Hence, it’s better not to flirt with someone who has met you for the first time.

7. Learn to Say Hello in Hindi with HindiPod101.com

We hope you enjoyed learning how to say “How are you?” in Hindi, and more, with us. Do you feel ready now to say hello in India? Which phrase is your favorite? Let us know in the comments!

HindiPod101.com is a one-stop solution for every Hindi learner. Check out our easy-to-understand study materials and explore our multiple dynamic features to keep you hooked. With us, you’ll be able to master the most popular ways to say “hello” in Hindi and sweep the natives off their feet with your fluency.

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