In case you missed it, there are loads of different ways to greet someone in German other than the classic Hallo and Guten Tag. Ja, these two salutations are very handy, don’t get me wrong. But, there are more fun and diverse German greetings that you really should know ASAP so you can start using them with different people on different occasions. My favorite one is hallihallöchen because I think it has a nice ring to it and it sounds very pleasant to my ears. What do you think?
Anyway, without further ado, carefully browse through this list to discover your new favorite opening line if you want to spice up your pleasantries or if you’re just in need of a fresh approach to saying hello.
Hallo
Hallo is your go-to German greeting for saying hello. It is formal. It is also informal. It is both easy and friendly.
Hallo to you and you and you!
Hallöchen
A little hello goes a long way and in German, a cute
Hallöchen is the way to go.
Hallihallo
Say a playful hello with Hallihallo. Now, repeat that 3 times:
Hallihallo, hallihallo. hallihallo. Isn’t that fun to say?
Hallihallöchen
Hallihallo + chen =
Hallihallöchen. Just another lighthearted way of greeting someone hello.
Hi
Ja, this one is short, simple, sweet —
Hi. But just remember to only use this salutation with your close buddies.
Moin
Translates to "good morning" and is most commonly used in northern Germany, specifically in Hamburg. You can also say
Moin Moin whenever you want, just not to strangers.
Servus
Servus is a casual, regional greeting that is used all over southern Germany and it can mean both “hello” and “goodbye.” The phrase has Latin roots which can be translated as “at your service.”
Servus (hello).
Servus (goodbye)!
Grüss Gott
This respectful greeting, which means “God greets you,” is used across Bavaria and Austria. Though in most situations, the variation
Grüß dich which means “Hello, there,” is used more frequently.
Na
Na… is a German thing that doesn’t really have a direct translation. This is similar to saying “what’s up.”
Na is so casual that you can use it as a question “
Na?” (which means “how are you” or “what’s up”) and an answer “
Na” (which means I’m fine, thanks.”
Jo
This slang means… dun dun dun… yo!
Jo is a very casual slang, so it might be better to use this greeting in laid-back situations.
Alles klar
Need a casual opener? Try saying
alles klar which translates to “Is everything okay?” or “all clear?” in English.
Guten Tag
As long as Mr. Sun is still shining and shimmering, you can use the polite salutation
guten Tag, which means "good day.”
English