Hallo may well have been the very first German word you learned.

Even if you’re just starting out with German, it’ll be useful to have a look at a few more German greetings, or Grüße. 

In this post, you’ll learn how to say hello in German in multiple ways, including region-specific greetings.

Once you learn these and your German goodbye expressions, you’ll be off to a great start with your German conversation skills.

How to Say Hello in German

Hallo  — Hello

As mentioned above, this is one of your typical German greetings. It’s nice and easy to pronounce, and suitable for just about every situation.

Hi  — Hi

Turns out Germans say this too! Go ahead and use Hi when speaking with young people or in informal settings.

Hey  — Hey

And we wonder why so many English speakers take to German so well. Yes, you can also just say Hey to greet a friend or good acquaintance. Sometimes it’s written and pronounced as He.

There’s also Heda  , which means the same thing, though it isn’t terribly common. The related Hoi   is another similar-sounding variant that’s used more often in southern Germany.

Hallöchen  — Hi there / Howdy-do

This is a somewhat flamboyant, friendly way to say hi. It’s a diminutive form of hallo, so it’s a bit like saying “little hello.” Cute!

Huhu  — Hiii / Cooee

This adorable word is a slang term for hi. Use it among close friends, when keeping things really casual.

Common German Greetings

Guten Morgen  — Good morning

This good way is how you say “good morning” in German, and is used exactly like the English greeting is used. It can also be shortened to just Morgen  , just like you would say “Morning” for short in English. 

Guten Abend  — Good evening

You can say this one in the evening. It’s also used like the English version, which you use as a greeting, but not when saying goodbye. 

Guten Tag   — Good day

Although the literal translation for Guten Tag, “Good day,” sounds antiquated in English nowadays, it’s still a very common greeting in German, if only slightly more formal.

So when talking to someone you would call “Sir” or “Ma’am,” Guten Tag would be an appropriate greeting.

There is no direct equivalent of “Good afternoon” in German so the closest thing you can say is Guten Tag. The German word for “afternoon” is Nachmittag  , but you cannot use this as a greeting. 

Guten Tag zusammen  — Hello, everyone

This formal greeting is used when you need to say hello to a group of people. Due to its formality, you might hear it in professional settings like business meetings, presentations or conferences. In less formal situations, you can just use Hallo zusammen. 

Schönen guten Tag  — Have a nice day

This is a polite greeting that’s commonly used in more formal settings. Use it in business or professional contexts, or when addressing someone you don’t know well or who holds a higher position.

For more information on German customs and keeping your vocabulary appropriate and polite, check out this post: 

 

German etiquette is as unique as the German-speaking countries themselves. To help you out, we’ve compiled a list of the most important German etiquette to be aware of,…

Gute Nacht  — Good night

You can use Gute Nacht just as you would “Good night” in English—right before going to bed. 

Wie geht es dir?  — How are you?

This is how to say “How are you?” in German. Use dir   when speaking to someone young or someone you know very well. Ihnen   is the appropriate formal address for a stranger, especially someone older, and people in positions of authority.

In many English-speaking countries, it’s typical to say “How are you?” to everyone you speak with, including waitresses and store clerks. However, in Germany, this is not as common, so it’s best to use this greeting with people you know.

Wie geht’s?  — How’s it going?

Similar to Wie geht es dir, but more casual. This essentially translates to “What’s happening?” or “How’s it going?” ( Geht’s   is a shortened form of geht es  , so Wie geht’s? literally means “How goes it?”)

Use these greetings the same way you’d use the equivalent English phrases. Perfect for your classmates and friends, potentially not cool with your new boss or super-strict professor.

Was ist los?  — What’s up?

This one can be a bit confusing. Colloquially, it means the same as Wie geht’s­: what’s up, how’s it going, how’s it hanging.

Again, fine to use with young people in casual conversation. However, what you have to remember about Was ist los? is that it can also mean “What’s wrong?” especially when you add in a denn.

Was ist denn los?  usually means “What’s the matter?” and Was ist hier los?  can be used to ask “What’s wrong here?” or “What’s going on here?”

But don’t worry: in conversation, you’ll most likely be able to tell the difference between these questions by tone of voice and context.

Alles klar?  — Everything alright?

Similar to Was ist los, Alles klar literally translates to “Everything alright?” However, it’s often used as a casual greeting among young people.

When used in that context, Alles klar is basically the same as saying, “What’s up?” or “All good?” in English.

Lange nicht gesehen   — Long time no see

Much like the American English “Long time no see”, you can use this contracted phrase upon seeing a familiar, friendly face after some time apart. 

You can say it by itself, or add the person’s name and or a greeting like Hallo beforehand, like this: Hallo Klaus, lange nicht gesehen! 

It can be used for pretty much anyone, but if you want to be a little more formal, you can say Wir haben uns lange nicht mehr gesehen   (“We haven’t seen each other in a long time”).

It’s definitely wordier, but that’s to be expected anytime you want to sound more gracious.

If you’re speaking to someone on the phone, however, you need to get your senses right and use the verb hören (to hear) instead: Lange nichts gehört!  (Been a while since we spoke!) 

Na?  — Well?

Only two letters long, but chock-full of meaning. Na is one of those German words that you’ll hear all the time and make you think “Huh, what’s this word all about?”

Na can mean a friendly “Hey”. Said inquiringly as Na? you’re essentially asking “Well?” or “How are you?” It can also just work as an interjection Na! which just means “Oh!” or “Well then!” It’s also paired with other words, for example, Na gut  (“Very well”) and Na klar   (“Of course”).

So yes, you can find more than one use for this humble little word, but I recommend you reserve it for informal situations.

As a greeting, you can say a simple Na! or be a little more inquisitive and ask Na, wie geht’s?  (“Hey, how are you?”) or Na, wie läuft’s?   (“Hey, how’s it going?”). And, conveniently enough, you can respond to these inquiries with, you guessed it: Na! (I’m good!) 

Tag  — (Good) Day

Yes, Tag does mean day, but it can also be used as a relaxed casual greeting if you ever get too lazy or think it’s too stuffy to say Guten Tag. And believe me, that will likely happen more often than you’d think.

There’s also Tagchen, if you’d like to sound more friendly or playful. It literally translates to “little day” (-chen is a diminutive suffix, which makes things sound smaller, cuter or more affectionate).

It may also be pronounced Tachchen (the ch in Tach- being of a harder inflection) in certain regions outside mainland Germany.

Mahlzeit  — Mealtime

A somewhat amusing colloquial greeting, Mahlzeit originates from the complete phrase Gesegnete Mahlzeit  , which means “Blessed mealtime.”

While a Mahlzeit can be uttered as a sort of grace before you dig in, food doesn’t necessarily have to be involved when you use the expression as a greeting.

Usually, you can greet someone with Mahlzeit around lunchtime, but in some places, you can use it as an all-day greeting. It’s commonly used within the workplace between colleagues as everyone hurries off to grab a bite to eat.

And how can you respond to someone shouting “Mealtime” at you? Well, you can shout Mahlzeit right back, or politely say danke  .