Short answer: How do I say “hi” in German? Say Hi, exactly as in English. Germans use the English word “hi” every day, and it means the same thing. It is casual, so save it for friends, classmates and people your own age. If you want one greeting that works almost everywhere, say Hallo (HAH-loh). If you want to sound polite to a stranger, a shopkeeper or a boss, say Guten Tag (GOO-ten TAHK). That is the whole answer in three words, and the rest of this guide explains when each one fits, how to pronounce them, and the three mistakes that give beginners away.

German greetings look simple from the outside, and the first word you learn is usually Hallo. The catch is that German splits the world into formal and informal, and your greeting tells the other person which side you think you are on. Pick the wrong one and nothing terrible happens, but pick the right one and you sound like someone who has actually spent time with the language. This guide covers the casual “hi”, the standard Hallo, the polite time of day greetings, the regional greetings you will hear on trains and in shops, and what to say in the two seconds after you say hello.

How do I say “hi” in German: the quick guide

Here is every greeting in this guide in one table, with a plain English pronunciation guide. The pronunciation spellings are approximations for English speakers, and they match the guides published by Preply, Lingoda and GermanPod101. Listen to a native speaker for the exact sounds when you can, especially for the German r and the umlaut vowels.

Greeting	Sounds like	Means	Use it when
Hi	high, like English	Hi	Friends, classmates, very casual
Hallo	HAH-loh	Hello	Almost any informal situation, any time of day
Guten Morgen	GOO-ten MOR-gen	Good morning	Morning, until about 11 am, polite
Guten Tag	GOO-ten TAHK	Good day	Late morning to early evening, polite default
Guten Abend	GOO-ten AH-bent	Good evening	From about 6 pm, polite
Moin	moyn	Hello	Northern Germany, any time of day, casual
Servus	SER-voos	Hello and goodbye	Bavaria and Austria, friendly
Grüß Gott	grooss GOT	Hello	Southern Germany and Austria, polite
Grüezi	GROOT-see	Hello	German speaking Switzerland

“Hi” in German: the English word Germans actually use

Yes, “hi” is a real German greeting. It is borrowed from English, and language guides describe it as very casual and popular with younger speakers. You will hear it between friends, between students, in text messages and in chats, and nobody will think you are speaking English by mistake. It sounds exactly like the English word, so it is the easiest German greeting you will ever learn.

The limit is formality. “Hi” belongs to the informal world, so do not open with it to a professor, a job interviewer, a doctor or a stranger over sixty. In those situations it reads as too familiar, the way opening with “hey” would in a formal English setting. The same goes for “Hey”, which Germans also borrow, and for “Hallöchen”, a playful diminutive of Hallo that means something like “hello there” and is best kept for people you know well.

One practical tip: “hi” works best on its own or with a first name. “Hi, Anna!” sounds natural. “Hi” followed by a surname and a formal title sounds wrong, and that mismatch is what native speakers notice. If you are not sure whether the situation is casual enough for “hi”, it probably is not, and Hallo is the safer choice.

Hallo: the greeting that works almost everywhere

Hallo is the standard German hello. It works in every German speaking country, at any time of day, and in almost every informal situation. Preply calls it the universal informal greeting, and Lingoda describes it as informal and safe in almost any situation. Wordy goes further and says it works in casual and moderately formal settings too, which matches how Germans actually use it: you will hear Hallo in shops, in offices between colleagues, and on the phone.

Pronounce it HAH-loh, with a short bright a and a clear o. Do not drag the vowels out, and do not put the stress on the second syllable the way English speakers sometimes do with “hello”. The German double l is pronounced like an English l, and the final o is a pure vowel, not the diphthong in the English word “low”.

Hallo has one real limit. In a strictly formal setting, a job interview, a first meeting with a senior colleague, a visit to a government office, the time of day greetings sound more respectful. Hallo will not offend anyone there, but Guten Tag signals that you understand the setting. Think of Hallo as your default and Guten Tag as your upgrade.

Guten Morgen, Guten Tag, Guten Abend: the polite set

German has a polite greeting for each part of the day, and they all follow the same pattern: guten, meaning good, plus the time of day. They are shortened forms of longer wishes. Guten Morgen is short for “Ich wünsche dir einen guten Morgen”, I wish you a good morning, and the same pattern holds for Guten Tag and Guten Abend. You do not need the long form. Nobody says it.

Guten Morgen (GOO-ten MOR-gen) is the morning greeting, used from waking up until about 11 in the morning. It is the standard greeting in offices, shops and schools before midday, and it works in both formal and informal settings. In casual settings you can drop the guten and just say “Morgen”, which is common between colleagues and neighbours.

Guten Tag (GOO-ten TAHK) is the all purpose formal greeting, used from late morning through the afternoon until early evening. Preply puts the window at around noon to 6 pm, and Lingoda calls it the all purpose formal greeting from late morning to early evening. If you only learn one formal greeting, make it this one. Note the pronunciation: the final g in Tag sounds like a k, so it is TAHK, not TAHG. That catches almost every English speaker the first time.

Guten Abend (GOO-ten AH-bent) takes over from about 6 pm. It is the greeting for arriving in the evening, at a restaurant, a theatre, a friend’s house for dinner. In casual settings you can shorten it to “Abend”, just as you can shorten the morning greeting to “Morgen”.

The reply to any of these is usually the same greeting back. Someone says “Guten Tag” and you say “Guten Tag”. Add the person’s name and title for extra politeness: “Guten Tag, Herr Schmidt” or “Guten Morgen, Frau Müller”. That small addition is the difference between sounding like a phrasebook and sounding like a person.

Regional greetings: Moin, Servus, Grüß Gott and Grüezi

Germany, Austria and Switzerland each have local greetings, and recognising them is part of sounding like you belong. You do not need to produce them on your first trip, but you should know what they mean when you hear them.

Moin (moyn) is the greeting of northern Germany, standard around Hamburg, Bremen, Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein. Despite sounding like “morning”, it works at any time of day, just like “hello” in English. You will also hear it doubled, “Moin moin”, which is a warmer and slightly more emphatic version. In a few places it can also mean goodbye. If you visit Hamburg and greet everyone with “Moin”, you will fit in immediately.

Servus (SER-voos) is the friendly greeting of Bavaria and Austria. It comes from the Latin word for servant, from a phrase like “at your service”, and it works for both hello and goodbye, which makes it the most practical greeting in this guide. Say it when you walk in, say it when you leave, and it works either way. It is informal, used among friends and even when entering shops in the south.

Grüß Gott (grooss GOT) is the standard greeting across southern Germany and Austria, and it is more formal than Servus. It is an abbreviated form of an older phrase, “grüß dich Gott”, which means something like “may God greet you”, but today it functions simply as hello. Walk into any shop, restaurant or office in Munich and you will hear it used the same casual way as Guten Tag is used in the north. Do not be put off by the religious wording. Germans use it all the time regardless of belief.

Grüezi (GROOT-see) is the standard hello in German speaking Switzerland. For a group you will hear “Grüezi miteinand”. If you use Grüezi in Berlin people will understand you, but they will know immediately that you learned your German in Zurich.

What to say after “hi”: Wie geht’s and the art of the follow up

A greeting in German is often followed by a question, and the most common one is Wie geht’s? (vee GAYTS), short for “Wie geht es dir?”, meaning “How is it going?” or “How are you?” The formal version is “Wie geht es Ihnen?” (vee GAYT es EE-nen), used with Sie. The difference matters: dir goes with du, Ihnen goes with Sie, and mixing them up is one of the fastest ways to sound unsure.

Unlike the English “how are you”, which is often just noise, Germans usually mean the question, at least a little. The safe reply is short and positive: “Gut, danke. Und dir?” (Good, thanks. And you?) in informal settings, or “Mir geht es gut, danke. Und Ihnen?” in formal ones. If you want to keep the conversation going, add a detail: “Gut, danke. Und dir? Was machst du heute?” (Good, thanks. And you? What are you doing today?)

There is also Na? (nah), a one syllable greeting that means something like “hey, how is it going, everything all right?” all at once. It is big in northern Germany and very informal. The correct reply is usually another “Na?” or “Na, alles gut?” (Hey, all good?). Do not try to answer it as a real question. It is a ritual, not an enquiry.

Other useful follow ups include “Wie heißt du?” (What is your name?, informal) and “Wie heißen Sie?” (formal), and “Woher kommst du?” (Where are you from?, informal). Learn the pair, not just one version, so you can switch when the situation changes.

Du or Sie: the choice your greeting makes for you

German has two words for “you”. Du is informal, used with friends, family, children, fellow students and people your own age in casual settings. Sie is formal, always written with a capital S, used with strangers, in professional settings, with older people you do not know, in shops and offices, and with anyone in a position of authority. The greeting you pick signals which one you are about to use, so the two choices have to match. Never combine Sie with an informal greeting like “Hi”.

The rule of thumb, given by almost every guide, is simple: when in doubt, use Sie. It is never offensive to be politely formal. It can, however, feel presumptuous to use du with someone who expects Sie. The switch from Sie to du is called das Duzen, and it is usually offered explicitly by the older or higher ranking person, often with a phrase like “Wir können uns duzen” (We can use du with each other) or “Sag einfach du zu mir” (Just say du to me). Wait for the offer. Do not make it yourself to someone senior.

One exception is worth knowing. Among students, young colleagues and people under about thirty in casual settings, du is often the default from the first sentence, and starting with Sie can feel stiff. Watch what the other person does and match it. If they greet you with “Hallo, ich bin Lisa”, they have just invited you onto du terms without saying so.

Three mistakes beginners make with German greetings

1. Saying Gute Nacht as a greeting. This is the classic trap, and it catches almost every beginner. Gute Nacht (GOO-tuh NAHKHT) means “good night”, but it is a farewell, not a greeting. You say it when someone is going to bed or leaving for the night, never when you arrive. Walk into a room at 9 pm and say “Gute Nacht” and you have just told the room you are going home. The evening greeting is Guten Abend. The bedtime farewell is Gute Nacht. Keep them apart.

2. Using “hi” in a formal setting. “Hi” to a professor, a job interviewer or a doctor reads as too familiar, even though the word itself is correct German. The same applies to “Hey” and to “Hallöchen”. In formal settings, use Guten Tag, Guten Morgen or Guten Abend, and pair them with Sie and the person’s surname. The words are not hard. The judgement about when to use them is the skill.

3. Answering Wie geht’s with your life story. When a shopkeeper or a colleague you barely know asks “Wie geht’s?”, they are being friendly, not opening a therapy session. A short positive answer plus the question back is the norm: “Gut, danke. Und dir?” Save the real answer for friends, and even then, keep it to a sentence or two before asking about them. German small talk is shorter than English small talk, and matching that rhythm is part of sounding natural.

Practice: three short dialogues

At a café in Berlin, informal.
A: Hallo! Einen Kaffee, bitte.
B: Hallo! Gerne. Wie geht’s?
A: Gut, danke. Und dir?
B: Auch gut, danke. Das macht 3 Euro 50, bitte.

At work, formal.
A: Guten Morgen, Herr Schmidt. Wie geht es Ihnen?
B: Guten Morgen. Mir geht es gut, danke. Und Ihnen?
A: Danke, gut. Haben Sie einen Moment Zeit?

With a friend in Hamburg, very casual.
A: Hi! Na, was geht?
B: Hi! Alles gut. Und bei dir?
A: Auch alles gut. Gehen wir einen Kaffee trinken?

Read each dialogue out loud twice. The first time, focus on the words. The second time, focus on the rhythm: short greeting, short question, short answer, question back. That rhythm is the real lesson, and it transfers to every conversation you will have in German.

How long does it take to sound natural?

A week of deliberate practice is enough to make Hallo, Guten Tag and Wie geht’s automatic. Say them out loud every morning, greet your reflection in the mirror, and use them in every language exchange you join. After a month, add the regional greetings for the place you plan to visit, and practise the du and Sie switch with a tutor or a tandem partner. The goal is not to memorise a list. The goal is to stop translating in your head and to let the right greeting come out on its own.

Start with three: Hi for friends, Hallo for almost everyone else, and Guten Tag for strangers and formal settings. That trio covers nearly every situation a beginner meets, and everything else in this guide is a refinement. When you can say those three without thinking, you have already learned the most useful German you will ever learn.

Frequently asked questions

How do I say “hi” in German?

Say “Hi”, exactly as in English. It is a casual greeting borrowed from English, used every day in German, especially by younger speakers. For a slightly more standard option, say “Hallo” (HAH-loh), which works in almost any informal situation at any time of day.

Is Hallo formal or informal in German?

Hallo is informal, but it is widely accepted. It works in almost every everyday situation, in shops, in offices between colleagues and on the phone. In strictly formal settings, such as a job interview or a first meeting with a senior colleague, Guten Tag, Guten Morgen or Guten Abend sound more respectful.

What is the difference between Hallo and Guten Tag?

Hallo is the casual, all purpose hello, like “hi” in English. Guten Tag is the polite daytime greeting, like “good day”, used from late morning to early evening with strangers, customers and in professional settings. Hallo fits friends and relaxed situations. Guten Tag fits formal ones. When in doubt with a stranger, use Guten Tag.

How do you say hi in German in the evening?

After about 6 pm, the polite greeting is “Guten Abend” (GOO-ten AH-bent). In casual settings Hallo and Hi still work in the evening. Do not say “Gute Nacht” to greet someone. Gute Nacht is a farewell said at bedtime, not an evening greeting.

What does Moin mean in German?

Moin is a greeting from northern Germany, standard around Hamburg, Bremen and Lower Saxony. Despite sounding like “morning”, it works at any time of day, just like “hello” in English. You will also hear it doubled as “Moin moin”. It is casual and regional, so use it in the north and recognise it everywhere else.

Can I say Gute Nacht to greet someone in the evening?

No. Gute Nacht is a farewell, said when someone is going to bed or leaving for the night. The evening greeting is Guten Abend. Saying Gute Nacht when you arrive tells people you are leaving, which is the opposite of what you mean.

How do you reply to Wie geht’s in German?

Reply with “Gut, danke. Und dir?” (Good, thanks. And you?) in informal settings, or “Mir geht es gut, danke. Und Ihnen?” in formal ones. Keep it short and ask the question back. That short exchange is the normal pattern, and it keeps the conversation moving.

Related reading

• How Do You Say 1 to 10 in German?
• 50 Basic German Words for Beginners
• Can I Learn A1 German in 2 Weeks?
• Can You Reach B1 German in 3 Months?
• How Can I Prepare for the A1 German Exam?

Sources

• Preply, German Greetings: Essential Phrases for Learners and Travelers: preply.com/en/blog/greetings-in-german
• Lingoda, How to say hello in German: 13 ways to greet someone: lingoda.com/blog/en/best-ways-to-say-hello-in-german
• GermanPod101, How to Use Basic Greetings: germanpod101.com/lesson/listen-learn-speak-audio-can-do-german-7-how-to-use-basic-greetings
• Wordy, How to Say Hello in German (2026 Guide): wordy.info/blog/how-to-say-hello-in-german
• My Everyday Language, German Greetings: Hello, Guten Tag and 12 More: myeverydaylanguage.com/german/phrases/hello
• My Daily German, 11 Different Ways to Say Goodbye in German: mydailygerman.com/11-different-ways-to-say-goodbye-in-german