20 Arabic Greetings To Start Speaking Arabic Today

When you’re starting to learn Arabic or any language, greetings are one of the first things you’ll 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, here’s a list of 20 of the most common Arabic greetings you can use for meeting and greeting people in Arabic. I’m sure that after learning them, you’ll be using these greetings in no time. 

Arabic Greetings In Modern Standard Arabic (MSA)

But before getting into Arabic greetings, it’s worth noting that Arabic is spoken across a wide geography, so there’s inevitably a lot of different Arabic dialects.

What’s 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 doesn’t mean that you’ll 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 (فصحى) 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, it’s good to know a mix of greetings in both MSA and in some commonly-spoken dialects, even if your primary focus is learning MSA. 

That’s why I’ve also included a couple Arabic greetings and phrases in this list that you’ll hear in some Arabic dialects. 

With that said, here’s 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 “hello”. There’s a couple of different ways that you can say “hello” in Arabic, the first being:

#1 – MarHaba (مرحباً) (Hello/Welcome!)

MarHaba (مرحباً) comes from the word raHHaba (رحّب), which means “to welcome”, so depending on who you’re speaking with, you can also use it to say “welcome”.

It’s worth knowing because it’s one of the simplest ways to say “hello”, and because it’s used in both MSA Arabic and many of the dialects. 

You might be wondering why I’ve capitalized the “h” in MarHaba (مرحباً). That’s because there are two different ways to pronounce “h” in Arabic, where one is more pronounced (H/ح) than the other (h/ه). 

#2 – As-salamu ’alaykum (السلام عليكم) (Peace Be Upon You)

Another good way to say hello in Arabic is As-salamu ’alaykum (السلام عليكم), which is a more religious greeting to wish peace to the person you are speaking with. 

If someone says As-salamu ’alaykum (السلام عليكم) to you, then the most appropriate response would be to say Wa ’alaykum as-salam (و عليكم السلام) back, which literally means “And may it (peace) be upon you”.

#3 – Ahlan (أهلاً) (Hello)

Like MarHaba (مرحباً) (Hello), Ahlan (أهلاً) (Hello) is another simple way to greet your friends and family, and you’ll hear it more in informal settings. 

Another variation that starts with Ahlan (أهلاً) (Hello) is:

#4 – Ahlan wa Sahlan (أهلاً و سهلاً) (Welcome/Hello)

You’d generally use this greeting to say “welcome”, but it’s not unusual to also use it as a way to say “hello”. 

#5 – MaraHib/MarHabtayn (مراحب / مرحبتين ) (Hellos)

MaraHib (مراحب) is a plural variation of MarHaba (مرحباً), so you might use this to greet a group of people in informal settings. 

MarHabtayn (مرحبتين) (Hellos) is also a plural variation of MarHaba (مرحباً) (Hello), but it’s more commonly used in spoken dialect as a response to MarHaba (مرحباً), especially in Levantine countries like Jordan and Syria. 

#6 – ’Awefe (عوافي) (Healths)

While this doesn’t mean “hello”, it’s a nice way of greeting someone in a casual setting that implies “May God bring you health.” 

#7 – Ya’ateek al-‘Afiya (يعطيك العافية) (May God Give You Health/Strength)

This is also similar to ’Awefe (عوافي) (Healths), and it’s a way to greet someone who is in the middle of doing something, such as work. This is another greeting that you’re more likely to hear in the Levantine region in countries like Jordan or Syria. 

#8 – Salam (سلام) (Hello/Peace) 

And lastly, there is Salam (سلام), which is a shorter version of As-salamu ’alaykum (السلام عليكم) (Peace be upon you). Since it is a shortened version, it’s 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 – Sabah al-Khayr (صباح الخير) (Good Morning)

The word Sabah (صباح) means “morning”, while al-Khayr (الخير) means “good”, so you can use it to greet people in the morning. 

The best way to respond to someone that says Sabah al-Khayr (صباح الخير) (Good morning) to you is Sabah al-Noor (صباح النور), which translates to “light of the morning”. 

Once you get into the middle of the day, you might greet someone by saying: 

#10 – Naharak sa’eed (نهارك سعيد) (Have A Good Day)

Nahar means “day” while sa’eed means “happy” or “good”, so it’s 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. 

Then there is: 

#11 – Masa al-Khayr (مساء الخير) (Good Evening)

Masa (مساء) means “evening”. Because it ends with al-Khayr (الخير), it’s similar in structure to Sabah al-khayr (صباح الخير) (Good morning). 

And like Sabah al-khayr (صباح الخير), there is a different phrase for replying to someone who says Masa al-Khayr (مساء الخير) (Good evening), which is Masa al-Ward (مساء الورد), which means “flower of the evening”. 

#12 – Tisbah ala Khayr (تصبح على خير) (Good Night)

When you’re about to go to sleep, the best way to end the conversation is to say Tisbah ala Khayr (تصبح على خير). Its literal translation is “wake up well”, so you can think of it as the English equivalent to “good night”. 

Conversation Starters In Arabic: How To Say How Are You?

After saying hello, you’ll probably want to ask how someone is doing. The best way to ask is: 

#13 – Keyf Al-Haal? (كيف الحال؟) (How Are You?)

Keyf (كيف) means “how”, while al-Haal (الحال) means “condition” or “state”.  Keyf Al-Haal? (كيف الحال؟)  is the most formal way to ask someone how they’re doing. 

But if you want to make it a bit more casual, you can say Keyf Halak or Keyf Halek (كيف حالك) instead, depending on whether you’re speaking with a man or woman. 

If you’re looking for more casual ways to ask how someone is doing in different dialects, then here are two useful phrases:

#14 – Shoo Akhbarak/Shoo Akhbarek? (شواخبارك؟) (How Are You?/What’s New?)

Shoo means “what” in Levantine Arabic, while akhbar means “news”, so it’s literal meaning is “what’s your news?” It’s a nice and casual way of asking Levantine Arabic speakers how they’re doing. 

As is the case with Keyf Halak or Keyf Halek (كيف حالك) (how are you), you’d use Shoo Akhbarak when speaking with a man and Shoo Akhbarek when speaking with a woman.

#15 – Ezzayyak/Ezzayek? (زيّك؟) (How Are You?)

This is another way to ask how someone is doing, but in Egyptian Arabic. It’s a good phrase that you’ll want to save for the next time you speak with Egyptian Arabic speakers. 

How To Say Good-Bye In Arabic

Last but not least, it’s important to learn how to end a conversation. The most common phrase in Arabic when parting ways is: 

#16 – Ma’a As-salama (مع السلامة) (Good-Bye)

The literal translation for Ma’a As-salama is “with peace”, so it’s a great phrase that you can use in both formal and more casual contexts to say “good-bye”. 

#17 – Wada’an (وداعاً) (Good-Bye)

This is the most formal way of saying good-bye, and is generally used in MSA Arabic. 

Because it’s used in MSA Arabic the most, you might not hear regular Arabic speakers use it on a regular basis. Nevertheless, it’s still good to know if you’re practicing your reading or writing. 

#18 – Ila Al-Liqa’ (الى اللقاء) (Until Next Time)

The literal translation of Ila Al-Liqa’ (الى اللقاء) is “until the (next) meeting”, so it’s a useful way of saying that you hope to see someone in the near future. 

#19 – Allah Ma’ak (الله معك) (May God Be With You)

Allah (الله) means “God” while Ma’ak (معك) means “with you”. It’s another phrase that many Arabic speakers use to say farewell. 

#20 – Yalla Bay (يلّا باي) (Bye)

The most casual or informal phrase for saying good-bye in this list is Yalla Bay (يلّا باي). Bay is pronunced the same way you’d pronounce “bye” in English, and yalla (يلّا) is one of the most common Arabic words which is close in meaning to “let’s go” or “come on”. 

Combine the two words together, and you’ve got a very casual way of saying good-bye!

But it’s good to keep in mind that you won’t hear this in MSA Arabic, but rather in spoken Arabic. 

Start Practicing Arabic Greetings Today

So there you have it! Here’s a list of 20 of the most common Arabic greetings that are sure to come in useful.

Whether you’re seriously studying Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) or looking for a more casual way to greet people in Arabic, there’s plenty of greetings that you can learn to impress other Arabic speakers. 

Now that you’ve 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! 

You can also use the StoryLearning method and read in Arabic. As you read, you'll see these Arabic greetings over and over and you'll soon pick them up. Here are some books in Arabic to get started. Or why not read short stories in Arabic to immerse yourself in the language.

Olly Richards

Creator of the StoryLearning® Method

Olly Richards is a renowned polyglot and language learning expert with over 15 years of experience teaching millions through his innovative StoryLearning® method. He is the creator of StoryLearning, one of the world's largest language learning blogs with 500,000+ monthly readers.

Olly has authored 30+ language learning books and courses, including the bestselling "Short Stories" series published by Teach Yourself.

When not developing new teaching methods, Richards practices what he preaches—he speaks 8 languages fluently and continues learning new ones through his own methodology.