QuizzooPlay now
  1. Quizzoo
  2. Children's quiz questions and answers
  3. Hello in different languages

Hello in different languages

How do you say hello in Japanese, Swahili or Welsh? Here is hello in different languages, 25 of them, for children and curious grown-ups. Learn the greetings, then take the quiz to see how many you remember.

Play this quizFree to play. No sign-up, nothing to install.

Print this quiz (PDF)Answers (PDF)

Jump to the 22 quiz questions

25 ways to say hello

Each greeting is written the way it is said. Where a language has its own script, that is shown too.
LanguageHelloGood to know
SpanishHolaThe h in hola is silent, so it sounds like oh-la.
FrenchBonjourBonjour literally means good day. Friends often say salut instead.
GermanHalloHallo is the everyday German hello. Guten Tag, meaning good day, is a little more formal.
ItalianCiaoCiao works for hello and goodbye. It grew from an old Venetian phrase meaning I am your servant.
PortugueseOláOlá is hello in Portuguese. In Brazil, friends often just say oi.
DutchHalloDutch speakers say hallo, or hoi between friends. Dutch and German are close cousins.
SwedishHejHej sounds like the English hey. When it is time to go, Swedes say hej då.
PolishCześćCześć is for friends. To be polite, Polish speakers say dzień dobry, which means good day.
RussianPrivet ПриветPrivet is for friends. For teachers and strangers, Russians say zdravstvuyte, which wishes you good health.
GreekYia sou Γεια σουYia sou means health to you. Greeks say yia sas to be polite, or to greet a group.
IrishDia dhuitDia dhuit means God be with you. The traditional reply is Dia is Muire dhuit: God and Mary be with you.
WelshShwmaeShwmae is a friendly Welsh hello. Helo works too, and bore da means good morning.
Scottish GaelicHalòScottish Gaelic is a Celtic language and a close cousin of Irish. It is heard most in the Highlands and Islands.
JapaneseKonnichiwa こんにちはKonnichiwa is a daytime hello. In the morning, Japanese speakers say ohayō instead.
MandarinNǐ hǎo 你好Nǐ hǎo is just two characters: nǐ means you and hǎo means good.
KoreanAnnyeonghaseyo 안녕하세요Annyeong means peace or well-being, so annyeonghaseyo politely asks if you are well.
ThaiSawasdee สวัสดีThai speakers often greet with a wai: palms pressed together and a small bow.
VietnameseXin chàoVietnamese uses the Latin alphabet, with extra marks that show tones and vowel sounds.
HindiNamaste नमस्तेNamaste is often said with palms pressed together and a small bow. It means I bow to you.
ArabicMarhaba مرحباMarhaba is a friendly hello. As-salamu alaykum, meaning peace be upon you, is another very common greeting.
HebrewShalom שלוםShalom means peace. It works for hello and for goodbye.
TurkishMerhabaMerhaba came into Turkish from the Arabic marhaba. Turkish has used the Latin alphabet since 1928.
SwahiliJamboJambo is short for hujambo. Swahili speakers also greet with habari, which literally means news.
HawaiianAlohaAloha can mean hello, goodbye and love. Hawaii is nicknamed the Aloha State.
MāoriKia oraKia ora means be well. In New Zealand it is used for hello and for thank you.
22 questions in 2 groups, every one with its answer. Questions last changed: .

Hello quiz

Cover the list above before you start.

  1. How do you say hello in Mandarin?

    Nǐ hǎo. Nǐ hǎo is just two characters: nǐ means you and hǎo means good.

  2. How do you say hello in German?

    • Nǐ hǎo
    • Konnichiwa
    • Hallo
    • Aloha

    Hallo. Hallo is the everyday German hello. Guten Tag, meaning good day, is a little more formal.

  3. True or false: Ciao is how you say hello in Japanese.

    False. Ciao is hello in Italian. Ciao works for hello and goodbye. It grew from an old Venetian phrase meaning I am your servant.

  4. Which language is this hello from: "Namaste"?

    • French
    • Italian
    • Hindi
    • Spanish

    Hindi. Namaste is often said with palms pressed together and a small bow. It means I bow to you.

  5. How do you say hello in Japanese?

    Konnichiwa. Konnichiwa is a daytime hello. In the morning, Japanese speakers say ohayō instead.

  6. Which language is this hello from: "Aloha"?

    • Japanese
    • Hawaiian
    • Hebrew
    • Spanish

    Hawaiian. Aloha can mean hello, goodbye and love. Hawaii is nicknamed the Aloha State.

  7. Which language is this hello from: "Marhaba"?

    • Arabic
    • Hindi
    • Italian
    • Japanese

    Arabic. Marhaba is a friendly hello. As-salamu alaykum, meaning peace be upon you, is another very common greeting.

  8. True or false: Most road signs in Wales are written in both Welsh and English.

    True. Welsh is an official language in Wales, alongside English, and many children go to Welsh-speaking schools.

  9. True or false: Hakuna matata is Swahili for no worries.

    True. It is a real Swahili phrase, used long before The Lion King made it famous.

  10. True or false: Korean is written with its own alphabet, called Hangul.

    True. Hangul was invented in the 1400s. Its letters stack together into neat syllable blocks.

  11. True or false: Annyeonghaseyo is how you say hello in Mandarin.

    False. Annyeonghaseyo is hello in Korean. Annyeong means peace or well-being, so annyeonghaseyo politely asks if you are well.

  12. True or false: In Spanish, the h in hola is silent.

    True. Hola sounds like oh-la. In Spanish, the letter h is almost always silent.

  13. True or false: Kia ora is how you say hello in Māori.

    True. Kia ora is hello in Māori. Kia ora means be well. In New Zealand it is used for hello and for thank you.

  14. True or false: Shalom is how you say hello in Swahili.

    False. Shalom is hello in Hebrew. Shalom means peace. It works for hello and for goodbye.

Harder greetings

Some of these questions ask how to say thank you. Here are the 17 ways the game teaches. Cover them before you start.

  • Spanish: Gracias
  • French: Merci
  • German: Danke
  • Italian: Grazie
  • Portuguese: Obrigado
  • Japanese: Arigatō
  • Mandarin: Xièxie
  • Russian: Spasibo
  • Hawaiian: Mahalo
  • Swedish: Tack
  • Arabic: Shukran
  • Hebrew: Todah
  • Swahili: Asante
  • Welsh: Diolch
  • Polish: Dziękuję
  • Korean: Gamsahamnida
  • Hindi: Dhanyavaad

  1. True or false: Japanese uses more than one writing system.

    True. Japanese mixes kanji, hiragana and katakana, often in the very same sentence.

  2. Which language is this thank you from: "Obrigado"?

    • Italian
    • Portuguese
    • French
    • Spanish

    Portuguese. Obrigado literally means obliged. Women usually say obrigada.

  3. True or false: Privet is the polite way to greet a Russian teacher.

    False. Privet is for friends. Teachers get zdravstvuyte, which wishes them good health.

  4. True or false: Jambo is how you say hello in Swahili.

    True. Jambo is hello in Swahili. Jambo is short for hujambo. Swahili speakers also greet with habari, which literally means news.

  5. Which hello literally means good day?

    • Namaste
    • Shalom
    • Bonjour
    • Ciao

    Bonjour. Bon means good and jour means day. In the evening, the French say bonsoir: good evening.

  6. True or false: Arabic is written from left to right.

    False. Arabic runs from right to left, and most of its letters join up like handwriting.

  7. True or false: In Swedish, hej då means goodbye.

    True. Hej is hello and hej då is goodbye. Swedes use hej with almost everyone.

  8. True or false: Scottish Gaelic and Irish are both Celtic languages.

    True. They are close cousins that grew from the same old language. Welsh is a more distant Celtic cousin.

How to use these questions

Say each greeting out loud a few times first. Then hide the list and try the quiz. In the game you can hear every greeting spoken. To see every answer at once, switch on Show all answers at the top of the list. The page also prints on A4 paper from your browser's own Print command: the questions come first and the answers follow on a separate sheet.

Play it properly

Play this quiz

More quizzes

By age

By topic

Mixed