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20 Arabic Greetings To Start Speaking Arabic Today
by Olly Richards
When youโre starting to learn Arabic or any language, greetings are one of the first things youโll need to learn to start speaking.
There are a lot of phrases that are useful to know for any conversation in Arabic, including phrases for greeting people, asking how someone is doing, and saying farewell.
So without further ado, hereโs a list of 20 of the most common Arabic greetings you can use for meeting and greeting people in Arabic. Iโm sure that after learning them, youโll be using these greetings in no time.
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Arabic Greetings In Modern Standard Arabic (MSA)
But before getting into Arabic greetings, itโs worth noting that Arabic is spoken across a wide geography, so thereโs inevitably a lot of different Arabic dialects.
Whatโs interesting about the dialects in Arabic is that sometimes you might feel like the dialects are so different that they sound like a different language.
So in practice, even if you learn Arabic that people use in an Arabic-speaking country like Egypt, that doesnโt mean that youโll hear the same terms or phrases in a different country like Morocco.
This can be a huge challenge for prospective Arabic learners, so you might wonder where you should start.
The answer? Typically, people who decide to learn Arabic start by learning Modern Standard Arabic (MSA for short), which is also known as FusHa (ูุตุญู) in Arabic.
This is the Arabic that the Arabic-speaking world uses mostly for written media, but not for daily conversations.
So while there are a lot of useful greetings to learn in MSA, you might seldom hear them in the context of daily conversations because Arabic speakers generally use the greetings that are common in their respective dialects.
Because of this, itโs good to know a mix of greetings in both MSA and in some commonly-spoken dialects, even if your primary focus is learning MSA.
Thatโs why Iโve also included a couple Arabic greetings and phrases in this list that youโll hear in some Arabic dialects.
With that said, hereโs a list of 20 useful Arabic greetings.
How To Say Hello In Arabic
One of the first things that anyone studying a new language will learn is how to say โhelloโ. Thereโs a couple of different ways that you can say โhelloโ in Arabic, the first being:
#1 โ MarHaba (ู ุฑุญุจุงู) (Hello/Welcome!)
MarHaba (ู ุฑุญุจุงู) comes from the word raHHaba (ุฑุญูุจ), which means โto welcomeโ, so depending on who youโre speaking with, you can also use it to say โwelcomeโ.
Itโs worth knowing because itโs one of the simplest ways to say โhelloโ, and because itโs used in both MSA Arabic and many of the dialects.
You might be wondering why Iโve capitalized the โhโ in MarHaba (ู ุฑุญุจุงู). Thatโs because there are two different ways to pronounce โhโ in Arabic, where one is more pronounced (H/ุญ) than the other (h/ู).
#2 โ As-salamu โalaykum (ุงูุณูุงู ุนูููู ) (Peace Be Upon You)
Another good way to say hello in Arabic is As-salamu โalaykum (ุงูุณูุงู ุนูููู ), which is a more religious greeting to wish peace to the person you are speaking with.
If someone says As-salamu โalaykum (ุงูุณูุงู ุนูููู ) to you, then the most appropriate response would be to say Wa โalaykum as-salam (ู ุนูููู ุงูุณูุงู ) back, which literally means โAnd may it (peace) be upon youโ.
#3 โ Ahlan (ุฃููุงู) (Hello)
Like MarHaba (ู ุฑุญุจุงู) (Hello), Ahlan (ุฃููุงู) (Hello) is another simple way to greet your friends and family, and youโll hear it more in informal settings.
Another variation that starts with Ahlan (ุฃููุงู) (Hello) is:
#4 โ Ahlan wa Sahlan (ุฃููุงู ู ุณููุงู) (Welcome/Hello)
Youโd generally use this greeting to say โwelcomeโ, but itโs not unusual to also use it as a way to say โhelloโ.
MaraHib (ู ุฑุงุญุจ) is a plural variation of MarHaba (ู ุฑุญุจุงู), so you might use this to greet a group of people in informal settings.
MarHabtayn (ู ุฑุญุจุชูู) (Hellos) is also a plural variation of MarHaba (ู ุฑุญุจุงู) (Hello), but itโs more commonly used in spoken dialect as a response to MarHaba (ู ุฑุญุจุงู), especially in Levantine countries like Jordan and Syria.
#6 โ โAwefe (ุนูุงูู) (Healths)
While this doesnโt mean โhelloโ, itโs a nice way of greeting someone in a casual setting that implies โMay God bring you health.โ
#7 โ Yaโateek al-โAfiya (ูุนุทูู ุงูุนุงููุฉ) (May God Give You Health/Strength)
This is also similar to โAwefe (ุนูุงูู) (Healths), and itโs a way to greet someone who is in the middle of doing something, such as work. This is another greeting that youโre more likely to hear in the Levantine region in countries like Jordan or Syria.
#8 โ Salam (ุณูุงู ) (Hello/Peace)
And lastly, there is Salam (ุณูุงู ), which is a shorter version of As-salamu โalaykum (ุงูุณูุงู ุนูููู ) (Peace be upon you). Since it is a shortened version, itโs generally considered a more informal way of greeting someone.
Time-Based Arabic Greetings
Arabic also has a variety of greetings that you can use at different times of the day. The first one you might use after waking up is:
#9 โ Sabah al-Khayr (ุตุจุงุญ ุงูุฎูุฑ) (Good Morning)
The word Sabah (ุตุจุงุญ) means โmorningโ, while al-Khayr (ุงูุฎูุฑ) means โgoodโ, so you can use it to greet people in the morning.
The best way to respond to someone that says Sabah al-Khayr (ุตุจุงุญ ุงูุฎูุฑ) (Good morning) to you is Sabah al-Noor (ุตุจุงุญ ุงูููุฑ), which translates to โlight of the morningโ.
Once you get into the middle of the day, you might greet someone by saying:
#10 โNaharak saโeed (ููุงุฑู ุณุนูุฏ) (Have A Good Day)
Nahar means โdayโ while saโeed means โhappyโ or โgoodโ, so itโs a nice way of wishing someone a good day.
The great thing about this greeting is that you can use it at the beginning of a conversation to greet someone, as well as to say good-bye.
Masa (ู ุณุงุก) means โeveningโ. Because it ends with al-Khayr (ุงูุฎูุฑ), itโs similar in structure to Sabah al-khayr (ุตุจุงุญ ุงูุฎูุฑ) (Good morning).
And like Sabah al-khayr (ุตุจุงุญ ุงูุฎูุฑ), there is a different phrase for replying to someone who says Masa al-Khayr (ู ุณุงุก ุงูุฎูุฑ) (Good evening), which is Masa al-Ward (ู ุณุงุก ุงููุฑุฏ), which means โflower of the eveningโ.
#12 โ Tisbah ala Khayr (ุชุตุจุญ ุนูู ุฎูุฑ) (Good Night)
When youโre about to go to sleep, the best way to end the conversation is to say Tisbah ala Khayr (ุชุตุจุญ ุนูู ุฎูุฑ). Its literal translation is โwake up wellโ, so you can think of it as the English equivalent to โgood nightโ.
Conversation Starters In Arabic: How To Say How Are You?
After saying hello, youโll probably want to ask how someone is doing. The best way to ask is:
#13 โ Keyf Al-Haal? (ููู ุงูุญุงูุ) (How Are You?)
Keyf (ููู) means โhowโ, while al-Haal (ุงูุญุงู) means โconditionโ or โstateโ. Keyf Al-Haal? (ููู ุงูุญุงูุ) is the most formal way to ask someone how theyโre doing.
But if you want to make it a bit more casual, you can say Keyf Halak or Keyf Halek (ููู ุญุงูู) instead, depending on whether youโre speaking with a man or woman.
If youโre looking for more casual ways to ask how someone is doing in different dialects, then here are two useful phrases:
#14 โ Shoo Akhbarak/Shoo Akhbarek? (ุดูุงุฎุจุงุฑูุ) (How Are You?/Whatโs New?)
Shoo means โwhatโ in Levantine Arabic, while akhbar means โnewsโ, so itโs literal meaning is โwhatโs your news?โ Itโs a nice and casual way of asking Levantine Arabic speakers how theyโre doing.
As is the case with Keyf Halak or Keyf Halek (ููู ุญุงูู) (how are you), youโd use Shoo Akhbarak when speaking with a man and Shoo Akhbarek when speaking with a woman.
#15 โ Ezzayyak/Ezzayek? (ุฒูููุ) (How Are You?)
This is another way to ask how someone is doing, but in Egyptian Arabic. Itโs a good phrase that youโll want to save for the next time you speak with Egyptian Arabic speakers.
How To Say Good-Bye In Arabic
Last but not least, itโs important to learn how to end a conversation. The most common phrase in Arabic when parting ways is:
The literal translation for Maโa As-salama is โwith peaceโ, so itโs a great phrase that you can use in both formal and more casual contexts to say โgood-byeโ.
#17 โ Wadaโan (ูุฏุงุนุงู) (Good-Bye)
This is the most formal way of saying good-bye, and is generally used in MSA Arabic.
Because itโs used in MSA Arabic the most, you might not hear regular Arabic speakers use it on a regular basis. Nevertheless, itโs still good to know if youโre practicing your reading or writing.
#18 โIla Al-Liqaโ (ุงูู ุงูููุงุก) (Until Next Time)
The literal translation of Ila Al-Liqaโ (ุงูู ุงูููุงุก) is โuntil the (next) meetingโ, so itโs a useful way of saying that you hope to see someone in the near future.
#19 โ Allah Maโak (ุงููู ู ุนู) (May God Be With You)
Allah (ุงููู) means โGodโ while Maโak (ู ุนู) means โwith youโ. Itโs another phrase that many Arabic speakers use to say farewell.
#20 โ Yalla Bay (ูููุง ุจุงู) (Bye)
The most casual or informal phrase for saying good-bye in this list is Yalla Bay (ูููุง ุจุงู). Bay is pronunced the same way youโd pronounce โbyeโ in English, and yalla (ูููุง) is one of the most common Arabic words which is close in meaning to โletโs goโ or โcome onโ.
Combine the two words together, and youโve got a very casual way of saying good-bye!
But itโs good to keep in mind that you wonโt hear this in MSA Arabic, but rather in spoken Arabic.
Start Practicing Arabic Greetings Today
So there you have it! Hereโs a list of 20 of the most common Arabic greetings that are sure to come in useful.
Whether youโre seriously studying Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) or looking for a more casual way to greet people in Arabic, thereโs plenty of greetings that you can learn to impress other Arabic speakers.
Now that youโve learned these basic Arabic greetings, the best way to practice them and figure out how to use them in different contexts is to start using them in your daily life!
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