How to say hello in 15 heritage languages
The first word you'll say in your grandparents' language will almost always be "hello". It's the word that opens conversations, softens reunions, draws from elders a smile you'll remember for a long time. Here, for 15 of the 18 languages Dialect covers, is how to say hello — with real pronunciation, usage context, and a practical example.
All transcriptions below come from the app's native audio recordings, verified by speakers from the relevant regions.
Berber languages (Tamazight)
Kabyle
A modern Berber greeting, used throughout Kabylia and widely adopted by other Berber communities. The word was popularized in the 1970s by the Amazigh cultural movement; it previously existed in some Tuareg dialects.
Example: "Azul, mačči k-w?" — Hello, how are you?
→ Learn Kabyle with DialectChaoui
A traditional Chaoui greeting used in the Aurès region of Algeria. Chaoui increasingly shares "Azul" as a modern pan-Berber greeting with Kabyle, but Bhkrir remains the most authentically local form.
Example: "Bkhrir, Ma filamen?" — Hello, how are you?
→ Learn Chaoui with DialectRifain (Tarifit)
Rifain borrows its hello from Arabic (literally "morning of good"), but retains a pronunciation and intonation typical of the Rif region. Within Rifain communities, "Azul" is also used among those sensitive to Amazigh identity.
Example: "Sbah al kheir, Mamech ta djid?" — Hello, how are you?
→ Learn Rifain with DialectMaghrebi Arabic
Algerian Darija
"Morning of good" in Classical Arabic, adapted to Algerian phonetics. The greeting can be completed with "salam alaykoum" (peace upon you), the Islamic greeting shared across the Arab world.
Example: "Sbaḥ l-khir, wach rak?" — Hello, how are you?
→ Learn Algerian DarijaMoroccan Darija
The written form is identical to Algerian, but the Moroccan intonation is noticeably different: more melodic, with a more pronounced final vowel. The classic reply is "sbaḥ n-nour" (morning of light).
Example: "Sbaḥ l-khir, kider?" — Hello, how are you?
→ Learn Moroccan DarijaTunisian (derja)
Tunisian uses two common greetings: "a7la" (informal, warmer) and "sba7 el5ir" (morning, more formal). The digits in the Latin transcription (7 = ḥ, 5 = kh) are the conventional Arabizi writing popular in SMS and chat among Arabic speakers.
Example: "Sba7 el5ir, chnahwélek?" — Hello, how are you?
→ Learn TunisianWest and Central African languages
Wolof
Literally "how do you do?". It's both a greeting and a question, and this more contextual form than a simple "hello" is typical of Wolof culture, where greeting is almost always associated with an inquiry about the other's well-being.
Example: "Na nga def, ñata ngay?" — Hello, how are you?
→ Learn WolofFula (Pular / Fulfulde)
Literally "peace spent the night" — morning hello, as opposed to "jam ñalli" (hello spent the day) used in the afternoon. The word jam (peace) runs through all Fula politeness formulas, a testament to a culture where peace is central to human contact.
Example: "Jam waali! A mbeltiiɗo?" — Hello, are you well?
→ Learn FulaLingala
A universal Lingala greeting, used at any time of day. It's one of the best-known African greetings in the Francophone world, popularized by Congolese music (rumba, soukouss) well beyond the DRC and Congo-Brazzaville borders.
Example: "Mbote! Ozali malamu?" — Hello, are you well?
→ Learn LingalaBambara
A morning greeting ("sɔgɔma" = morning). In Bambara, greetings depend on the time of day: "i ni tile" (noon), "i ni wula" (afternoon), "i ni su" (evening). This structure reflects the importance given to temporal anchoring in Mande culture.
Example: "I ni sɔgɔma! I ka kɛnɛ wa?" — Hello, are you well?
→ Learn BambaraAsia
Tamil
A traditional Tamil greeting, accompanied by hands joined before the chest (the namaskaram). Usable at any time, in all contexts (family, professional, religious). The word derives from a Sanskrit/Tamil root meaning "respectful greeting".
Example: "Vanakkam, eppadi irukkeengal?" — Hello, how are you?
→ Learn TamilTurkish
Of Arabic origin (marḥaban, "welcome"), "merhaba" is today the most common neutral greeting in Turkey. You'll also hear "günaydın" (morning hello), "iyi günler" (good day), or "selam" (formal/religious).
Example: "Merhaba, nasılsın?" — Hello, how are you?
→ Learn TurkishVietnamese
A polite form usable in all formal contexts. In everyday life, you'd adapt the greeting to the relationship: "chào anh" (to an older man), "chào chị" (to an older woman), "chào em" (to a younger person). Vietnamese grammar is very sensitive to age relationships.
Example: "Xin chào, bạn khỏe không?" — Hello, are you well?
→ Learn VietnameseKurdish
The main greeting in Kurmanji (northern Kurdish dialect, Turkey/Syria). Literally "good day". In Sorani (Iraq/Iran), you'd more often say "slaw" or "roj baş". The word roj (day, sun) is one of the most culturally charged symbols of Kurdish language.
Example: "Rojbaş, tu çawa yî?" — Hello, how are you?
→ Learn KurdishFrench-based Creoles
Creole (Haitian)
A creolized variant of French "bonjour", adapted to Creole phonology (dropped final "r", nasalized vowel). French-based Creoles from the Caribbean (Martinican, Guadeloupean) and Réunion use similar forms with their own particularities.
Example: "Bonjou, kijan ou ye?" — Hello, how are you?
→ Learn CreoleWhy start with "hello"?
Learning to say hello in your grandparents' language is, surprisingly, the most effective gesture to restart an interrupted family transmission. Elders hear an intention in it. Cousins notice it. You yourself develop a taste for the sound of your own voice in this language. And above all, it's the smallest possible unit — a single word — to take the step and dare. Everything else follows.
Dialect always starts there: the first cards cover greetings, pronouns and family ties. In one week, you hold your first mini-conversation. In one month, you understand what's said around the dinner table.
→ Read next: Learn your grandparents' language — the complete diaspora guide