16 Awesome Ways to Say Hello In German & German Greetings (2025)

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You may know how to say bye in German but…

How do you say hello in German?

Great question! In this quick lesson (2-3 minute read), you’ll learn the 16 ways and common German greetings.

If you’re a Beginner, this lesson is a perfect way to speak more of this new language. Ready?

Want to learn to read and write in German? Download your FREE Alphabet worksheet here.

1) Hallo – Hello

This is informal. Pronounced as “hah-low.” You can use this with your friends and anyone you know on a close level.

  • Hallo
  • Hello

16 Awesome Ways to Say Hello In German & German Greetings (1)

By the way, you should also HEAR REAL German. So…

Here’s a free Audio lesson so you canhear the German pronunciation fromGermanPod101 – a German learning program. Listen along as you read these ways to say Hello in German. Just press the play button below.

Let’s move onto the next common way to say hello in German…

2) Guten Tag – Good day/afternoon

This, my junkies, is formal. If you’re talking to a teacher, this is perfect. Never use “hallo” with them. Now, yes, this does mean and is used as “hello” but it has some more meanings.

  • Guten Tag
  • Hello
  • Good day/afternoon (literal translation)

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Informally, you could say Hallo (hah-low), but if you’re talking to a teacher… You want to be more on the formal side. Say Guten Tag. Never say that to a friend though – because it’s more formal than your dad’s brown suit.

3) Tag – Hey

Now, you can also shorten “Guten tag” to just “tag.” That in itself is a German greeting. Tag literally means “day.” So, think of it a shortened version…. kind of like “G’day

  • Tag
  • Hey

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4) Alles klar? – What’s up?

Literally, it means “all right? However, this question is commonly used as a greeting. IT’s a way to say “what’s up” or “how’s it going?” Good casual phrase to know. Native germans use this a lot.

  • Alles klar?
  • What’s up?

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5) Was geht ab? – What’s up?

This is the direct translation of what’s happening or what’s up in German. However, warning – this is very slangy and used by young people only.

  • Was geht ab?
  • What’s up?

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6) Na in German

Use this as a question. Ask… Na? This is the shortest way of asking about someone’s well being. It is a way to say both “hello” and “how are you doing?” Literally it means “well” … like when you’re trying to get an answer out of someone…. “Well?!?” Note: informal.

  • Na?
  • Hello/How are you doing?

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7) Guten Morgen – Good Morning

Okay, you know Guten tag means hello in German – as well as good day or good afternoon. Let’s cover the other parts of the day. Obviously, here, morgen means morning. Not so hard. This is a formal phrase, by the way.

  • Guten Morgen
  • Good Morning

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8) Guten Abend – Good Evening

You know day and morning. What about 6PM when it’s evening time? Let’s introduce a new word – abend which means evening.

  • Guten Abend
  • Good Evening

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9) Gute Nacht – Good Night

What about night? Now…question for you. Do you use good night as a greeting? Maybe a parting greeting rather than one for when you meet someone. However, if you want to know how to say good day, good evening in German… and so on… it’s good to know night. The word is nacht.

  • Gute Nacht
  • Good night

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10) Wie geht’s? – How are you?

Another acceptable greeting. However, this is fairly casual. Another acceptable translation of this is… what’s up in German. I’ll give you 4 variations of this question:

  • Wie geht es Ihnen?
    • How are you? Formal
  • Wie geht es dir?
    • How are you? Informal
  • Wie geht’s?
    • How are you? – SUPER Informal
  • Wie geht es euch?
    • How are you? (Plural)
    • Use this when talking to a group of people

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11) Grüß Gott – Hello/Good day

Grüß Gott literally means “may God greet you.” Now, this isn’t used too much in Germany (northern Germany)… but go south, say Austria and Bavaria (southern Germany), you will hear it used a lot. It’s used just like guten tag.

  • Grüß Gott
  • Hello/Good day

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12) Servus – Hello

What does servus mean? Like Grüß Gott, this is also used in Bavaria and Austria. Same meaning – Hello. However, it’s far more traditional. It can also be used as goodbye.

  • Servus
  • Hello

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13) Grüß dich – Hello

What does Grüß dich mean? It means “hello” in Bavaria, Austria and Switzerland. Literally though, it means “greet yourself.” If you’re wondering about the ß, it’s a letter that represents “ss.” Originally, it comes from Grüß dich GottBe blessed (by god).

  • Grüß dich
  • Hello

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14) Moin – Hello

Now.. what does moin mean? It’s a shortened version of moin moin (good morning) and is a greeting in Northern Germany. However, it can be used ALL DAY LONG as a greeting. So, not just mornings.

  • Moin
  • Hello

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15) Moin Moin – Good morning

Yep, this means good morning in Northern Germany so be mindful of where you use it.

  • Moin moin
  • Good morning

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16) Jo! – Yo!

Can you guess what Jo is? It’s Yo! Yo is a common greeting among young people around the world. America. The UK. Even Japan. And Germany’s no different. So keep in mind – this is a super casual phrase to use. It’s slang.

  • Jo!
  • Yo!

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Conclusion

Now you know the top 16 ways to say hello in German. In other words, you know a lot of German greetings!

So, take this lesson…

  • Review often: success comes from REPETITION
  • Print it out to have physical study material (i do it all the time)
  • Read out loud to practice speaking
  • Review the free audio lesson

And did I miss any ways of how to greet or say hello in German? Leave me a comment, you. Yes you. I read them all!

– Written by the Main Junkie

P.S. I highly recommend this for German learners. If you REALLY want to learn to German with effective lessons by real teachers – Sign up for free at GermanPod101 (click here) and start learning!16 Awesome Ways to Say Hello In German & German Greetings (18)

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16 Awesome Ways to Say Hello In German & German Greetings (2025)

FAQs

What is the best way to say hi in German? ›

How to Greet Someone in German
  1. Hallo / Hi / Hey — Hello / Hi / Hey. ...
  2. Moin — Hello (Northern Germany) ...
  3. Servus — Hello (Southern Germany) ...
  4. Grüß Gott — Hello (Southern Germany and Austria) ...
  5. Grüß dich — Hello (Austria and Switzerland) ...
  6. Grüezi — Hello (Switzerland) ...
  7. Guten Morgen — Good morning. ...
  8. Guten Tag — Good afternoon.

What is the old fashioned German greeting? ›

Gruess Gott” means “Greet God” and is an old-fashioned and religiously tinged way of saying “Hallo” or “Guten Tag.” I have never used it. I think it's common in certain German-speaking areas where I never lived, such as Bavaria and Austria. You cannot go wrong with “Guten Tag.” Saying “Hallo” is a less formal.

How do you respond to hello in German? ›

You can opt to say “Freut Mich” (“Nice to meet you”) after the introduction, or you can always reply with “Ebenso” (literally “likewise”) in case they said it first. Wie heißen Sie?

What do the people of Germany say in the place of hello? ›

Hallo is the simplest and most straightforward way to say 'hello' in German. It's short, sweet, and common across the entire German-speaking world. Besides, it's friendly and can be used successfully in any social situation – either formal or informal.

What is a nice German greeting? ›

Formal German greetings and farewells
German PhraseEnglish Equivalent
Guten Tag.Good day; hello. [used from around noon until 6 PM]
Guten Abend.Good evening.
Gute Nacht.Good night.
Sehr erfreut!Delighted! [used when meeting someone for the first time]
5 more rows

What is the easiest German word to say? ›

Words
  • Thank you – Danke (dan-kuh”)
  • You're welcome – Bitteschön (“bit-tuh-shun“)
  • Please, excuse me, or pardon – Bitte (“bit-tuh”)
  • Yes – Ja (“jah”)
  • No – Nein (“nine”)
  • Hello – Hallo (“hallo”)
  • Goodbye – Auf Wiedersehen (“Owf Veeder-sane”)
  • German – Deutsch (“doych”)

What do Germans say when they clink glasses? ›

Germany: In Germany, it's common to say “Prost!” (pronounced post) before taking a sip of beer or wine, marking a moment of celebration.

How do Germans generally greet each other? ›

The most common greeting is a handshake with direct eye contact. Men usually greet women first and wait for them to extend their hand. Close friends may hug to greet and younger people may kiss one another on the cheek. "Guten Tag" (Good day) or “Hallo” (Hello) are the most common verbal greetings used in Germany.

How do you answer Danke? ›

– Just say bitte! This is one simple word that you should have in mind whenever you think of saying you're welcome in German, especially after someone says danke.

How do you respond to "Guten Morgen"? ›

"Guten Morgen!": You can simply respond with the same greeting, "Guten Morgen," which means "Good morning" in German. "Morgen!": This is a shortened and informal way to respond, essentially saying "Morning!" to acknowledge the greeting. "Hallo!": You can respond with a friendly "Hello!" as a general greeting.

What is the German word for "hey"? ›

„hey“: interjection

heda! hei! ei!

Do Germans hug when greeting? ›

In Germany it is the custom, both when meeting and leaving, that one shakes hands and looks the other person in the eyes. One sees people - particularly young people and those who know each other well - giving a kiss on the cheeks or a quick hug.

How do I introduce myself in German? ›

When you want to introduce yourself you can say mein Name ist Nina - 'my name is Nina', or ich heiße Nina - 'I am called Nina'. And if you've never seen this - ß - before, it's a special German way of writing a double S. And that's how you say it sss: ich heiße. Sometimes you need to talk about other people.

How do you say "hi" in German slang? ›

Hello in German
  1. 1 – Hallo. ...
  2. 2 – Hi. ...
  3. 3 – Servus. ...
  4. 4 – Moin. ...
  5. 5 – Grüß Gott / Grüß dich. ...
  6. 6 – Grüezi. ...
  7. 7 – Jo.

How do people greet in Germany? ›

The most common greeting is a handshake with direct eye contact. Men usually greet women first and wait for them to extend their hand. Close friends may hug to greet and younger people may kiss one another on the cheek. "Guten Tag" (Good day) or “Hallo” (Hello) are the most common verbal greetings used in Germany.

Do Germans say "Guten Tag"? ›

9 – Guten Tag

Remember that Guten Tag is formal, so you can use on formal situations or to show respect to someone that is older than you. Just to make it clear: you can say Guten Morgen only until noon, but you can use Guten Tag all day, from the beginning of the morning until dusk (around 6 pm).

What is the German equivalent of hey? ›

“Hei” and “he” are ways to say “hi” and “hey” in German. The spelling of “hei” may be a little counterintuitive to people used to reading English, but remember that “ei” in German makes what in English we would call the “I” sound. But confusing spelling aside, “he” and “hei” can be used like “hey” or “hi”!

Do Germans use the word hi? ›

You'll probably learn guten Morgen (“good morning” in German), guten Tag (good day) and guten Abend (good evening) in your first German lesson. You might also learn Hallo (Hello) for more informal situations and, luckily, Hi in German works just as well.

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